Activists debate many ugly faces of sexual violence

Bengaluru

More than 1,000 people from different backgrounds and organisations took part in the day-long public dialogue on ‘The Politics of Rape: Justice, Accountability and Healing’ held in Bengaluru on Saturday under the banner of “Karnataka Against Sexual Violence.”

This was part of an ongoing campaign launched in Karnataka in response to the release and felicitation of 11 convicted rapists in the case of Bilkis Bano on August 16, 2022, and a spate of sexual assault cases across the State.

Those who participated included students, civil society activists, women’s rights’ activists, gender and sexual minority community members, sex workers, domestic workers, urban poor among others. They discussed forms of violence, challenges faced by survivors and the systemic failure of the justice system.

Among those who spoke were Vrinda Grover, senior Supreme Court lawyer, Hasina Khan of Bebaak Collective in Mumbai, Meenaxi Bali of Akhil Bharatiya Mahila Janavadi Sanghatane, Stanley of Odanadi Seva Samsthe at Mysuru, and Geeta Menon of Domestic Workers Rights’ Union.

The organisers presented a charter of demands, one of which is that the State “review and implement the holistic and progressive recommendations of the Verma Commission Report and the Ugrappa Committee Report that have thoroughly examined and looked into the different dimensions of rape and sexual violence in the current context.” They also demanded that State provide clear, well informed, and scientifically grounded sexuality education in school and college curriculum, based on the universal values of respect for human rights.