Students taking Action

The last few weeks there has been an increase of violence against women in India. It may just be the media is being more aware of it, but either way the students at University of Hyderabad have noticed. Yesterday, I went with some friends to an open discussion on women’s rights in India. There were about forty students who gathered and just talked about the issues. We discussed different cases of violence, even the slight harassment that all women face from time to time. We talked about the public’s duty and the consequences both of speaking out and not speaking out.

One student spoke of this time when she had been grabbed in the ass and she actually acted out and hit the guy and then ran onto the train. She was proud that she had stood up for herself, but when she told her mom about what she had done her mother scolded her and was concerned if the guy were to see her again what he may do. As a whole women are encouraged to not let things like this pass, but then when it actually happens to them their families don't want them to be the ones to do something, because that could bring problems to the family and possibly further endanger themselves. So it because a "you should do this, but I am not willing to take the same risks." So who actually acts againsts these acts? What is the appropriate response? 

The discussion went on for two hours and afterwards we all walked down to shopcom, which is a student hang out place and people recited poetry, read stories, and sang songs in memory of women victims. It was amazing to see students passionate about an issue and to hear the thoughts fromstudents on a controversial issue which is present in India at the moment.