March against sexual violence on women and children

The participants reached Bengaluru on Wednesday

Published - December 26, 2018 10:53 pm IST

The 65-day march by survivors of sexual assault and their families to raise voice against sexual violence against women and children reached Bengaluru on Wednesday.

The Dignity March, organised by members of Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan, saw a gut-wrenching outpouring of struggles and experiences of survivors and their families.

“The Dignity March intends to create awareness among people about the seriousness of the issue and the need to fight for justice,” said Bikram Singh Raghuvanshi, father of a rape survivor.

Ashif Shaikh, convener of the Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan, said that only 5% of rape cases were being reported. “As per national data, Karnataka is ranked 11 in crimes against women, and 7 in child sexual abuse,” he said.

Sexual violence against women and children remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations and this march has been organised to demand an end to the culture of shame and fear instilled in victims, he added.

The march, which started from Mumbai on December 24, will cover 24 States, before ending in Delhi on February 22. The participants appealed to the government to abolish the ‘two finger test’ when it comes to rape victims and allow minors to abort in case of a pregnancy.

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