Protests in Delhi

It is **** freezing in Delhi after Goa but so great to spend time with Pema, Tenzin, Chitso and the family in Majnu Katila, the Tibetan Colony in North Delhi.

Indian sorrow

Being here of course I could not miss showing my support to the people protesting the gang rape of a young women. She was traveling on a bus after a night at the movies with her boyfriend. This rape and beating of a girl on public transport has shoked  not only the people of Delhi but all over India and the world. The girl was in intensive care in Delhi for some days but was then flown to Singapore so the specials could try and save her life. Unfortunately she has not survived  and passed away a few days ago. The protests in Delhi were so wide spread that police felt they had to clamp down on the protests by  using water cannon and tear gas to disperse the angry crowds who have been calling for the rapists to be hanged.

I went to the site where the protest are being allowed to continue which is under heavy police surveillance.

The crowd is in a very somber mood and very upset by this. They are writing signs, holding candle light vigils, chanting there call for justice and doing many interviews with any media that care to cover this horrific incident. I was glad to see that BBC  was there interviewing. There are also two men who are on hunger strick demanding that effective rape laws be implemented and that the government do their up most to quickly prosecute all rapists. I was able to talk to one of the men on hunger strike. He says that he hoped that by doing this the government will take serious measure against rapist but he is also asking the public to take responsibility and be active in  also pressuring the government to implement anti-rape laws. He is from Uttar Pradesh, not a wealthy  or educated man and our conversation took place through a translator. He told me that he was he was so  horrified by this gang rape that he felt this was the only way he could take a stance against rape and his voice heard.

one of the many signs

Demanding change in the law

young sign writer

Two men on hunger strike

I was rather surprised to find many men of all ages at the protest. I asked one man why so many men had come out to protest? He explained that this is not a men  v's women situation but a cry for respect and human dignity; that it is a social matter that effects everybody. He is especially incensed  about the rape as culturally in India men respect women, women are held in high esteem as mothers and are the voice of authority and morals in the family. Our conversation was soon hear by  the other men around him and they too agreed that  they feel it is very important to protest this case to show that men do respect women and to show men that rape is not only wrong but a disgrace to Indian and all Indian men who respect women.

Seeing what people had written on the signs and the heart felt sorrow and anger of the people gathers brought me to tears.

All I can do for now  is to post this and ask that we all teach young men  that rape is never, never okay.

holding vigil

lets act !

Men Can Stop Rape is an organization based in Washington DC that does good work spreading the anti-rape message and works with men.  I met the founder Neil Irvin at an anti sex-slave trade talk in DC many months ago and was so impressed with his sincerity and dedication to spreading  the idea/truth that men can be men without sex and violence..... So check out this site if you want to support  men who are working to stop  rape. http://www.mencanstoprape.org

Apneaap works in Delhi to stop sex slavery and rape. They launched a campaign last year named   "cool men don't buy sex" which got a lot of media exposure.  http://apneaap.org/index.php