Shot, edited, directed by Ankur Kapoor, ‘Second Wind’ is a 20 minute documentary, which takes up the cases of three survivors of domestic violence, and narrates their life journeys, from the beginning of their abuse, to their current state.

‘Second Wind’ tells the heartwrenching stories of Ruksana, Nanhi Devi and Shabnam. Ruksana was married when she was young, as her family feared that she being crippled would affect chances of marriage in the future. She faces humiliation and endured abuse by her husband, in front of their children, and one day decided it was enough. She went to one of CSR’s Crisis Intervention Centres (CICs) initially to seek help, and today, she is appointed as an assistant counselor there. Nanhi Devi, was abused to such a great degree by her husband that she became handicapped, and would crawl in order to move around. Some women took her to the CIC, which collected money for her operation, and subsequent medical care, and today she’s able to walk on her feet. Shabnam was married when she was 13, and had her first child when she was 14. Her husband tried to poison her when she had contracted tuberculosis. But it was only when he poisoned her young son, subsequently killing him, did she seek divorce. Today she lives with her one surviving son, attends CIC meetings as often as she can, and manages to earn her own money.

The documentary covers not only the life stories of these three women, but it also shows what an important and supportive role which the CICs play. They act as an initial contact point for these women to share their problems with, and then, they act as a bridge between the police and these women, in case they need to seek police intervention. The documentary displays how the CICs provide the distressed women with information about their legal rights, and once they’re on their own, the CICs help them to stand on their own two feet, and become independent- not just in terms of working and earning money, but also becoming stronger individuals.

‘Second Wind’ is a crisp, hard hitting and soul stirring piece of work, which raises awareness about the plight of not just Ruksana, Nanhi Devi and Shabnam, but also of the countless, nameless women across the country and the world. It also provides hope and strength, especially when the women talk about their lives as of now, and how help from the CICs has changed their lives for the better. Above all, ‘Second Wind’ makes the viewer think about domestic violence and its repercussions, long after it’s over.

To watch this video on our Youtube channel Click here

By Sophie Hardefeldt, Intern – Gender Training Institute.

In general women’s rights advocated promote gender neutral legislation. This is because in many cases existing legislation is outdated, is discriminatory towards women or restricts women’s rights. However, in some cases where legislation is focused on violations that particularly effect women there is a need for legislation to reflect this.

Legislation focusing on issues such as rape and sexual assault, domestic violence and sexual harassment in the workplace are examples where the gendered nature of these crimes must be taken into consideration in the legislation.

It is estimated that throughout the world one in every five women will be a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime. Furthermore, “Violence kills and disables as many women between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer. And its toll on women’s health surpasses that of traffic accidents and malaria combined.” In India “9 percent of men and women… think that it is sometimes or always justifiable for a man to beat his wife.”

This violence undermines women’s human rights, security and health whilst also impacting society more generally by reducing women’s safety, increasing public health costs, restricting women’s ability to contribute socially, culturally and economically to society, and restricting the health and development of children.

Rape and sexual assault also affects men, and it is important that violence against men is also covered by legislation to ensure male victims are protected by the law. However, it is evident that women are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence and it is important that legislation reflects this vulnerability and that government responses to violence against women address the gender inequality and discrimination that underpins it.

By Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director of Centre for Social Research.

Despite the fact that the safety of women is an issue raised time and time again, for women in India fear is a constant companion. A recent survey by Trustlaw Women has re-affirmed those fears after ranking India as the fourth most dangerous country for women in the world. As they strike out on their search for economic and social independence, such a dangerous environment can become akin to terror on women.

Worryingly, Indian women are often treated as the catalyst of violence and sexual assault rather than the victim. Cases of rape provide a good example. For instance, rather than find out the details of the case or ask why the police didn’t arrive at the scene on time, blame is usually placed on the aggrieved girl herself – ‘why was she out in an unsafe place at night?’, ‘why was she alone?’, ‘why was she wearing provocative and revealing clothes?’. This reflects not only the attitudes of a few, but also the mindset of Indian people on the whole. Victim blaming exists within the general public, within families, and even within the institutions which are supposed to be keeping our cities safe. This kind of thinking perpetuates crime against women and is an obstacle in the road for organisations like CSR who are working to create a safer environment for women and girls within their own homes and their own country.

Statistics compiled by the National Crime Record Bureau show that the number of reported rapes across the country has increased substantially from only 
2,487 in 1971 to 21,176 in 2008. An incredible number of additional, unreported instances of rape are missing from this picture. And, while it is fair to point out that Indian population has risen during this period but so too has the strength and number of policemen deployed for citizens’ safety. The answer to these problems does not lie in the more old-fashioned approach of prohibiting the freedom of mobility of women, but in educating people about the wrongs of violence against women, and convicting the perpetrators who are unfit to live in our society. We must strive to ensure women’s freedom and make the streets and households of Delhi safer for all.

It is saddening that even in urban India, people do not feel safe. In a 2004 survey of 13,000 people for the Delhi Human Development Report (HDR), only 19% of those asked said that they felt Delhi is safe for women. The HDR recommended a shift from a more traditional, restrictive approach to women’s safety to one that concentrates on ‘women’s right to a life free from fear and violence’. This is exactly the kind of approach we should be promoting. Earlier this year the Delhi Police Commissioner outraged people by saying “you (women) cannot drive alone at 2am 
on Delhi roads and then claim that the Capital is unsafe”. Why did his comment tick people off? Largely because, instead of vowing to think up new and innovative ways to protect the city’s women, he advised them to do something which in fact impinges upon their freedom and only adds to their fears. This kind of attitude is detrimental to efforts being made to change conservative Indian mentality. While approaches to women’s safety in the past revolved around concepts of fear, restriction and self-preservation, we now need to focus on empowering women and giving them the confidence to walk the streets, ride public transport and enjoy everything that this city has to offer. This confident outlook will only be achieved by making the Capital a safer place for women, men, and children alike.

Ever wondered who is updating the CSR Facebook page, searching for the latest statistics on crimes against women, or assisting our core team in envisioning, coordinating and facilitating our projects and programs?

We are always very proud of our enthusiastic young interns in the CSR office. Over the years we’ve had interns join us from both across the country and across the world – from Punjab, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra in India to Scotland, Germany, Canada and Georgia. They’ve worked on a variety of projects such as Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, the I Stand for Safe Delhi campaign, Human Rights Defenders training workshops and numerous research projects. We’d like to introduce you to some of our current hard working interns!

Meet Maia Barkaia, Research Intern at Centre for Social Research, from Sokhumi, Georgia.

Research Intern Maia working hard at work in the CSR office

What brought you to New Delhi?

I am currently working on a Ph.D in Gender Studies (looking at the intersections of gender and religious identities) through Tbilisi State University. Over the past few years, my studies have been related to India and, as I read more about women’s struggles and feminism in India, I decided to immerse myself in some practical work in additon to my more theoretical experiences. I had the privilege of joining Centre for Social Research as an intern this August.

Describe a typical day at CSR for you…

My day at CSR is quite busy, but interesting. During the day I’m looking through different academic articles related to the project that the  research team works on, processing data, and writing reports on the studies that have been carried out.

What is the most shocking thing you’ve learned about women in India since starting your research at CSR?

While reading CSR reports and  research projects about pre-natal sex selection and sexual harassment, I was  profoundly shocked by the sheer scale of discrimination against women in India.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re studying or working?

I like that there is such a wide variety of things to do in Delhi. I love attending different cultural programs and public meetings, roaming in the streets of Old Delhi, visiting friends in Jawaharlal Nehru University and exploring new and exciting places outside of the city.

This is part two of a two-part series. Read part one here.

Despite the flowery language and hype of the press, the Delhi SlutWalk Arthaat Besharmi Morcha was a lot of talk but actually little walk. While reports say hundreds of participants gathered for the much-anticipated march, in reality, hundreds of inquisitive journalists and spectators circled round only a handful of activists.

Participants assembled in the scorching heat on Sunday morning in Jantar Mantar. They brandished brightly coloured placards reading, “walk of NO shame” and “change your thinking, not your clothes”. But it wasn’t long before they were met by the restraints of the police  – who cut short the length of the march. The very essence of the SlutWalk movement is in response to a comment made by a Canadian policeman that led to outrage. Yet ironically, it was the Delhi police who flattened Sunday’s protest. This SlutWalk was more like a brief saunter around the block.

The upshot of Delhi’s Besharmi Morcha is that students actively displayed awareness of sexual aggression towards women. The movement opposing violence against women needs the support of young people who will encourage others to denounce these acts. That said, lack of support from local men and women was evident. There are over 12 million people living in the capital, but only a couple of hundred travelled to Jantar Mantar last weekend to see what all the fuss was about. Perhaps others don’t agree with the cause. Maybe they simply aren’t interested. It is more likely that the meaning behind the event was unclear. SlutWalk participants in other countries wore provocative clothing such as underwear, fishnet tights, and thigh-high boots to prove their point. However, out of respect for cultural sensibilities, Delhi organisers invited women to dress in their every day clothes to march. The question, therefore, is why use the connotations of “slut” and “shame”?  Was this a protest against society’s attitudes towards the way women dress or was this a protest against the actions and opinions of the police force? Whatever the reason, the message felt muddled. Somewhere between its origins in Canada and arrival in India, the purpose of ‘SlutWalking’ appears to have gotten lost in translation.

A SlutWalk is simply not the right vehicle for change in Delhi. Rape and sexual harassment are often not linked to the way women dress. Be it in jeans or saris, on the streets or at home, women face harassment by people they know or by complete strangers. A SlutWalk alienates a part of Indian society who cannot relate to the experience of being called a ‘slut’, but fall victim to sexual assault regardless. Using this word also attaches negative connotations to the image of women and instantly puts many people off. In order to really implement change we need to reach out to everyone – no matter what their background or level of exposure to contemporary ideals.

The main gist of the SlutWalk movement is certainly worth re-iterating – whatever the circumstances, sexual harassment and rape should never be blamed on the victim. Any future campaigning should involve collaboration between all organisations working in this field. By coming together, we can take advantage of a pool of knowledge and experience, youthful enthusiasm and fresh insight so as to best make Delhi a safer place for women.

I Stand for Safe Delhi, CSR’s latest public campaign, brings awareness and knowledge to the streets in hope of transforming the streets. The campaign focuses on socially sensitive topics of women’s safety in public spaces, sexual harassment and gender-based violence in an effort to change mindsets and urge action taking on the part of bystanders who often turn a blind eye.

We’d been preparing all week: Painting signs and designing pamphlets; calling volunteers and the media; designing makeup and props; securing police permission and scouting locations; and writing and rehearsing CSR’s first major street play appearance.

Finally, on June 2^nd, our office team joined up with volunteers and community friends to kick off the campaign in the densely populated central Sarojini Nagar (market). More than 60 volunteers gathered in “I Stand for Safe Delhi” shirts while chanting encouragement to the crowd and carrying signs with different statements, including “Safety, My Right!”, “Speak Up” and “Choose Courage”, among others. Just down the street, even more volunteers were preparing makeup, costumes and props for their secret street play.

Bearing the bold sign “Stand, Speak, Act”, CSR Director Dr. Ranjana Kumari led the procession with volunteers and CSR team members following and chanting their way down the market road. The volunteers then came to a halt and formed a large circle in the centre of the market: Covering their eyes and mouths with black blindfolds, the volunteers represented the general population in Delhi, who so often turn their eyes and keep silent when they witness someone being hurt or harassed in public.

In costumes and elaborate makeup and armed with a range of props, the I Stand for Safe Delhi acting troupe—composed of CSR staff members, interns, volunteers and friends from the community—ran, danced and stomped their way to the centre of our makeshift stage. For the next five minutes, the crowd was engrossed and quieter than we’ve ever seen 500 congregating Delhiites before! The troupe performed three lively and powerful short plays about sexual harassment of women under three common settings; a marketplace, a public transit bus and a dark street during night time.

Contrasted to a conventional theatre or auditorium, the roundabout theatre we created that day was simple and low budget, yet still able to attract a surprisingly vast and focused crowd from all ends of the street. Believe it or not, our biggest shock was just how polite and attentive our makeshift audience remained throughout: Even after the plays had ended, hundreds of observers continued standing in place while transfixed and silent, waiting for more! Equally mesmerized, to our delight (and let’s be honest, surprise), were the local police. They actively engaged in discussions with volunteers between scenes and warmly applauded at the “curtain close” marked by the fall of a bleeding victim.

To capitalize on the audience’s interest, we ended by distributing flyers and pamphlets detailing how victims and bystanders of sexual harassment can safely and effectively take action in such a situation.

Stay tuned for news about more I Stand for Safe Delhi street play performances: We’re in talks to partner up with a few of our favorite educational institutions and community-based organisations to take I Stand for Safe Delhi across the city.

As Delhi commuters eager to start their weekends rushed home on May 6, the local organization “Please Mend the Gap” staged their second “flash mob” with volunteers and activists—including many of our very own staff members and interns—calling to end sexual harassment on the Delhi Metro and promote gender equality in public spaces. For this flash mob event, more than 40 supporters donned yellow t-shirts with colourful slogans like “Real Men Respect Women” and “Share Don’t Stare” before lining up for thousands of passengers to watch at Rajiv Chowk, Yamuna Bank and other Blue Line metro stations across Delhi.

The Please Mend the Gap movement was started just earlier this year by a small group of determined individuals who decided that it was time for people to learn to respect their fellow public transportation passengers, sharing spaces and not just “minding” the gap but “mending” the (gender) gap, too.

With more and more women living independent lives and working away from home, many face uncomfortable journeys around the city as they commute. Simply getting home after work should not be an added trial at the end of a long day; men should be able to share public spaces with women without subjecting them to stares, groping, harassment and assault.

To find out more about upcoming flash mobs and gatherings, visit Please Mend the Gap’s Facebook page. Hopefully we’ll see some of you at the next event!

This post is the third part of a three part series, and is by Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director of Centre for Social Research.

Some have claimed that it is to other areas that we must look to explain such shocking statistics, and it is to falling standards in public decency that blame for such widespread abuse can be attributed. Perhaps greater liberalisation in what is show on television has had a detrimental effect our collective morality? Since the state monopoly on broadcasting was broken in 1992, India has seen the variety of content available on cable TV explode, with several recent reality programmes causing widespread controversy with their use of bad language and depictions of intimacy.

Through the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act of 1995 provides for censorship of unsuitable material, central organised regulation is still lacking, and several experts in the field have expressed a need for setting up of a regulator to regulate content on TV. The number of reported cases of rape has risen steadily from the early nineties when reforms began and cable television started to grow, and have in fact doubled since 1990. But can ‘trash TV’ really be a contributing factor in such horrendous crimes?

Others have argued that not enough sexual education in schools, or too much, is to blame. Cities in other countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark are safer for women, all of which have very different programmes in place. In many such countries sex is not considered taboo in the same way it is in India, and sexual education is compulsory for all children who attend public schools.

Obviously the situation in India is very different. The Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that sex education in schools could not be considered a fundamental right as part of the right to education. The ruling came in response to a petition submitted by the NGO NariRaksha Samiti, who argued that sex education at schools could play a role in checking the rise in rape cases. Many politicians disagree, with a committee on petitions lead by BJP’s Venkaiah Naidu arguing that there should be no sex education in schools, as such classes have not place in the country’s “social and cultural ethos”.

Many cite a fear that such education would only result in a rise in the level of sexual activity among children and result in more violence towards girls and women. However the World Health Organisation has said that “Early sex education delays the start of sexual activity, reduces sexual activity among young people, and encourages those already sexually active to have safer sex.” Additionally, the WHO has highlighted school programmes on sexual violence as being key to preventing rape and other violence against women.

The Government has in the past made efforts to address violence against women in Delhi and to stop the raise in the cases of rape reported. In 2004 the Delhi Commission for Women stated, “To make Delhi more secure for women, to provide a safer climate for women and to strive towards building confidence amongst women is the Government’s foremost concern.” Whereas the introduction of services such as the Commission’s rape crisis cell and the support given to NGOs providing similar services is to be applauded, one cannot escape the conclusion that much, much more needs to be done. Women should begin to actively learn to defend themselves by gaining the confidence to stand up to violence. The implementation of self-defence courses should train women in how to deal with these situations. Women’s own confidence levels will increase when they know how to deal with negative encounters with men.

The raising number of rape cases reported in the capital only reflects wider societal attitudes towards the place of women. In addition to working on improving conviction rates and making it easier for women to report cases, the wider attitudes and beliefs of the Indian public must be tackled. If we all collectively address the various areas in which the women of all of India face discrimination, from female foeticide and public harassment to work place discrimination and child marriage, we can begin to realise true equality and make all our cities safer for everyone.