Dressed in long and short skirts, young men in Bangalore took to organising a rally for men to talk about the controversial, regressive comments made by politicians in India regarding women. It was interesting to see the number of men who turned up at Cubbon Park, most of them between the ages of 20 to 30, discussing present laws and attitudes towards women.
Aditya Mallya, a Bangalore-based professional who co-organised the campaign with Samarpita Samaddar, another young campaigner, said that the idea that a woman's attire could provoke rapists was ridiculous. 'Will I get raped if I wore a skirt?,' he asked,'The point of this protest isn't to rally or shout slogans, but rather show how wearing a skirt is just normal and that a piece of clothing cannot invite rape.' The rally was covered quite heavily by the press here, and it's interesting that more young men are coming forward to talk about gender issues since the gang rape case in Delhi last month. Meanwhile, the trial has begun, and people in India are anxiously waiting to see what the verdict will be.
Aditya Mallya, a Bangalore-based professional who co-organised the campaign with Samarpita Samaddar, another young campaigner, said that the idea that a woman's attire could provoke rapists was ridiculous. 'Will I get raped if I wore a skirt?,' he asked,'The point of this protest isn't to rally or shout slogans, but rather show how wearing a skirt is just normal and that a piece of clothing cannot invite rape.' The rally was covered quite heavily by the press here, and it's interesting that more young men are coming forward to talk about gender issues since the gang rape case in Delhi last month. Meanwhile, the trial has begun, and people in India are anxiously waiting to see what the verdict will be.