Increasing Violence Against Women in Gujarat: Relationship Between Hatred and Violence

"No progress is ever possible without our venturing on a path beset with difficulties."— Mahatma Gandhi

" Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Anhad has organised many camapigns during the past ten months in Gujarat keeping in mind the elections which are now only a month away. the polling dates are december 11th and 16th.

We have reached out to approximately 10 lakh people through our leaflets, our three Youth Karwans ( YK covered 630 villages across 22 districts), various seminars, two major Youth Conventions , innumerable other smaller programmes, street theatre, public meetings etc.

During these programmes we have tried to expose the myth of ’Vibrant Gujarat’ , the conditions of poor and ordinary people, farmer’s suicides, thge plight of tribals, Dalits, minorities and women. For those who missed out on important data on ’Vibrant Gujarat’ we are attaching it again.

Anhad is about to launch its last campaign before the elections in a week’s time. The details are pasted below.

This is an appeal to contribute to Anhad so that we may continue our fight. All donations can be sent to Anhad, 23, Canning Lane, New Delhi-110001, tel-23070722

Sincerely Shabnam Hashmi Gujarat 079-25500844 November 13, 2007

Increasing Violence Against Women in Gujarat: Relationship Between Hatred and Violence

A Motor Cycle Rally Across District Headquarters

A Campaign to Sensitize Urban Youth

’The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."

A pilot study conducted by Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group (AWAG) under the ’Mental Health Care Pilots in Gujarat’ project undertaken by the Indian Institute of Management , Ahmedabad (IIM-A ) revealed that a whopping 58 per cent of women in Ahmedabad suffer significant mental distress.

The study revealed horrendous forms of physical violence which include slapping, punching, biting, kicking and even branding with cigarette butts!

65 per cent women conceded to being abused in public and in front of neighbours! 35 per cent women reported that their children, especially girls, were victims of violence and were physically and verbally abused by the father.

50% were subject to forcible sex (rape) , 50% were deprived of sex *Social violence , 76% abused before family , 69% before neighbours , 60% before friends , 67% in public places , Emotional violence , 70% report verbal abuse, threats , 62% report lack of support, appreciation

69% excluded from decision making , Slapping | 68 % , Kicking | 62 % , Punching | 53 % , Hitting with hard objects | 49 % , Biting | 37 % , Choking | 29 % , Branding with cigarette butts | 22 %

Deeply perturbed by innumerable incidents of violence against women in the recent past in Gujarat, Anhad has decided to reach out to youth across Gujarat to sensitize them about this issue deeply and become part of the movement to counter hatred and violence.

Anhad as part of its 10 month long campaign: Restoring Democracy in Gujarat, which started in February, 2007 plans to start this new campaign in a week’s time.

The Campaign

25 young activists will travel across Gujarat. 20 of them will travel on motorcycles. The Motorcycle rally will carry especially designed exhibitions, 5lakh leaflets for distribution and wall posters.

All 25 will be trained in public speaking on the issue.

They will touch all district headquarters of Gujarat (total 26 including Ahmadabad from where the rally will be flagged off). Local district level seminars, wherever possible, will be organized to coincide the arrival of the motorcycle rally in collaboration with organizations working at the district level.

Young activists trained into public speaking and equipped with data will speak at these seminars and address the media in every district exposing the claims of the government.

The focus of the motorcycle rally will be the violence against women but other issues like the assault on democratic values, status of Tribals, Dalits, minorities, farmer’s suicides and the need to defeat the forces of hatred etc will also be taken up during the rally.

The rally will spend the night in each district headquarter. They will paste posters across the district headquarter, interact with large number of people by covering the major bazaar areas and doing door to door campaigns in some areas, early morning the at 4am the leaflets will be inserted in the local newspapers and then the motor cycle rally will leave for the next destination.

We hope to reach out directly to over a lakh of young people and through the leaflets to approx 5 lakh people.