If you want to understand how to become better allies to people with disabilities, then join us at Embracing All Abilities: Including People with Disabilities at Work.
An anti-rape poster that went up recently has received a lot of flak and rightly so. The poster states that it's wrong to rape a woman because then by extension you rape and hurt her entire family, because she is a daughter, sister, mother etc.
An anti-rape poster that went up recently has received a lot of flak from the public and rightly so. The poster states that it’s wrong to rape a woman because then by extension you rape and hurt her entire family, because she is a daughter, sister, mother etc.
Though the intention may have been well-meaning, the message in itself is wrong and patriarchal.
A woman is a human being first and has her unique identity. She is a person with her own likes and dislikes, intellect, expertise and dislikes. Yes, she plays many roles and may handle them all beautifully, but she is not limited to them. Unfortunately, in our country, a woman’s first responsibility is to bear the collective pride of her family, popularly called ‘khaandan ki izzat’. Hence, any step she takes, she has to do so ensuring that she does not cross the invisible line that is always drawn ahead of her.
Being raped is way beyond that line. The poster at least recognises that no woman invites this crime upon herself, but then proceeds to say that ‘do not commit this heinous crime because she is a bearer of the familial pride which will be hurt’.
Rape is a crime and a vicious one. It causes physical, mental and emotional trauma that sometimes last for years and causes irreparable damage to the survivor. It is not simply sex without consent; it is a violent act in which the person committing the crime revels in the power he has over the other human being. It is forced and hurtful and a violation of the worst kind.
The message we need to start giving out is that rape is a crime against a woman’s autonomy. No person deserves to undergo the ordeal that it causes. It is an offence which will lead to strict and rigorous punishment as there are strong laws against this act.
Let’s give out a message that every women deserves respect, period and every man is duty bound to give her that respect – not that a woman deserves respect because she is someone’s daughter or sister or wife.
Image via Canva
My first book - Second Chances has just released and is present on all online book stores. Do pick up a copy to read about the adventures of a novice ghost. read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Rajshri Deshpande, who played the fiery protagonist in Trial by Fire along with Abhay Deol speaks of her journey and her social work.
Rajshri Deshpande as the protagonist in ‘Trial by Fire’, the recent Netflix show has received raving reviews along with the show itself for its sensitive portrayal of the Uphaar Cinema Hall fire tragedy, 1997 and its aftermath.
The limited series is based on the book by the same name written by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who lost both their children in the tragedy. We got an opportunity to interview Rajshri Deshpande who played Neelam Krishnamoorthy, the woman who has been relentlessly crusading in the court for holding the owners responsible for the sheer negligence.
Rajshri Deshpande is more than an actor. She is also a social warrior, the rare celebrity from the film industry who has also gone back to her roots to give to poverty struck farming villages in her native Marathwada, with her NGO Nabhangan Foundation. Of course a chance to speak with her one on one was a must!
“What is a woman’s job, Ramesh? Taking care of parents-in-law, husband, children, home and things at work—all at the same time? She isn’t God or a superhuman."
The arrays of workstations were occupied by people peering into their computer screens. The clicks of keyboard keys were punctuated by the occasional footsteps moving around to brainstorm or collaborate with colleagues in their cubicles. Most employees went about their tasks without looking at the person seated on either side of their workstation. Meenakshi was one of them.
The thirty-one-year-old marketing manager in a leading eCommerce company in India sat straight in her seat, her eyes on the screen, her fingers punching furiously into the keys. She was in a flow and wanted to finish the report while the thoughts and words were coming effortlessly into her mind.
Natu-Natu. The mellifluous ringtone interrupted her thoughts. She frowned at her mobile phone with half a mind to keep it ringing until she noticed the caller’s name on the screen, making her pick up the phone immediately.
Please enter your email address