The blood-curdling shriek of a girl rang through the road leading to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday morning.
She was being raped — in a street play.
Stunned, the audience looked on, as the other actors — both men and women — asked them why no one steps forward as scores of women in the city are sexually assaulted every day.
The play was a part of India’s first ‘Slutwalk Arthaat Besharmi Morcha’ campaign to raise the voice against the attitude of blaming rape or sexual harassment on any aspect of a woman’s appearance.
Joined by hundreds of enthusiastic people, the walk drove home the point that sexual violence against women must be stopped and this was the society’s collective responsibility.
Slutwalks have become a global phenomenon to protest against sexual violence after a police officer in Toronto caused outrage by stating in a speech to university students that women should avoid “dressing like sluts” to avoid being victimised.
The rally was held amid tight security but unlike in other parts of the world, women participants didn’t dress provocatively here.
“… In any case, no matter what a girl wears, salwar kameez or jeans, she is teased or assaulted,” said Archie Sharma, a Delhi University student who participated in the walk.
“How does it matter what I wear or how I walk or how I talk? It gives no one a right to pass nasty comments or worse, sexually assault me,” she added.
A massive poster was also put up where the participants wrote their messages.
“You stare at me not because of my clothes but because I’m a woman”, read a placard. Others placards had messages like “My short skirt has nothing to do with you!”, “The way a woman dresses is not an invitation to sexual assault”, “It’s not about being a slut or not, it’s about being human!”
