Appeal To Defeat The Forces of Hatred and Insecurity

The following statement was released today at the launch of the Anhad’s campaign to defeat Modi in Mani Nagar (Modi’s Constituency)

APPEAL TO DEFEAT THE FORCES OF HATRED AND INSECURITY

MERA PAIGHAM MOHABBAT HAI JAHAN TAK PAHUNCHE

In Gujarat, more than one woman was raped every day last year as a total 388 cases of rape were registered. A total of 854 women were kidnapped and 5,284 women registered complaints of violence under IPC 498 (A). Ahmedabad, once considered the safest city in the country, tops the list.

A total of 580 young women were kidnapped in Gujarat in 2004. 1,377 young women went missing in the same period. (Times of India, 14 March, 2005)

There is a direct and deep connection between the ideology of hatred and growing violence against women. If a society allows hatred to breed and spread against any section of the society it ultimately engulfs every other section too and has direct impact on the women in that particular society. The hatred and violence that was unleashed in 2002 against the women from a particular background has engulfed women of all classes, religions, castes and socio-economic backgrounds.

It is shocking every morning to open the newspapers. The news of dowry deaths, female feticide, domestic violence and rape glares at the reader. One wonders if it is the same Gujarat where the Mahatma was born.

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 the surveyed women in ’your mega city’ of 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!

According to the sample survey 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. 70 per cent reported verbal abuse, threats, 68 per cent reported slapping, 62 per cent reported kicking, 53 per cent reported punching, 49 per cent reported hitting with hard objects, 37 per cent reported biting, 29 per cent reported choking and 22 per cent reported branding with cigarette butts.

We appeal to the women of Gujarat to defeat the forces of hatred and insecurity.

Mrinalini Sarabhai, Mallika Sarabhai, Kalpana Shah, Ila Pathak, Sarup Dhruv, Sheba George, Sophiya Khan, Amita Verma, Trupti Shah, Deeptha Achar , Shabnam Hashmi