Myriad functions mark International Women's Day

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, MARCH 8. The launch of the Men Against Violence (MAV) Network was a useful outcome of the myriad functions in the City organised to mark International Women's Day.

The network has its genesis from a class of 21 men and two women, who are III year students of the Bachelors of Divinity course at the United Theological College (UTC).

The idea behind MAV, says Mr. Biju George, a UTC student, ``is to sensitise themselves and other men''. ``Most of us will be graduating as pastors, and MAV made us wonder how we would react to women who are victims of violence. Will we ask them to keep quiet or will we help in empowering them,'' he wondered.

He told The Hindu at the launch of the network that it was partly inspired by the Sweden-based Malenet, a similar support forum. It would not be restricted to religious institutions alone. ``There has been a lot of cynical response to MAV, but we plan to network with various organisations. We have only lit a candle, we hope it will brighten into a flame,'' he added.

The UTC also hosted a seminar on ``Overcoming violence'' in which various women's organisations debated the ways to transform the ``victims of violence into victors''.

The other programmes organised to mark the occasion were a talk on ``Violence against women in Indian culture'', a public hearing on the issue and various other events meant ``to celebrate the solidarity of women and men against violence''. There was also a screening of a rape victim's testimony. The hearing which followed saw women helped by the organisation, Vimochana, coming forward with their testimonies. The victims were overwhelmed by the cruelty they had endured and one of them even broke down. The organisers said the women had to be commended for their courage in speaking about their traumatic experiences.

If the first half of the day was devoted to stories of survival, the latter half saw corporates listening to ``women achievers''. The company Verifone India, which claims to be one of the few to have ``allowed women equal growth opportunities''', organised a special ``Women Only'' session to mark the occasion.

The informal chat had employees interacting with three successful women, including one from the MNC, who juggled homes and busy careers.

But at the end of it, the occasion remained just another event to ``celebrate''.

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