Pallavi , You and Me

Mumbai lawyer murdered for yelling at security guard

Pallavi wasn't murdered for yelling at  the security guard.

She was murdered because the man who murdered her believed he could. 

She was murdered because we live in a 'culture' that finds excuses for murder- nothing 'provoked' 

murder/ attack/ violence.  There is no such thing as 'honour killing' - it's murder. There is no such thing as 'asking for it'.

She was murdered because there are more than few men who have anger issues and have been allowed to have anger issues because they are 'men'.  Masculinities needs some serious urgent attention.  

She was murdered because her neighbours kept their doors shut tight.

A city isn't unsafe for woman- just by itself.  

You make it safe when you don't ignore, dismiss or trivialise violence.

You make it safe when you don't let fear overtake your spirit. Streets would always be safer if there were more of YOU / me outside. NO?

You make it safe when you let someone being assaulted know you are there for them. ( street violence / domestic violence/ all violence- Do send in strategies on how the 3rd person could intervene)

You make it safe when you report to the cop. ( yes we know the cops have a LOT of work to do on earning public trust BUT )  

You make it safe when you recognise there are fewer people who set out to harm, and more people living in fear of being harmed. You are part of the latter. Make that fear your strength.

Intervene- change the scene.

Delhi teenager skips school to avoid stalker (Jan 2011 report)

New Delhi: Six months back, 15-year-old Maya's (name changed) life was full of fun and frolic just like any other school-going girl. Then one day, while on the way to school, she was stalked by a group of guys who started hurling comments and abuses at her.

As this harassment continued for several days, Maya's scared parents stopped her from going to school and did not even allow her to venture out of her home. Today, she is virtually under 'house arrest' for no fault of hers.

Her parents are a worried lot as repeated complaints to the police have not yielded any result so far. As such Maya, who was a student of class 8 of Rajakiya Sarvodaya Vidyalay in Khanpur area, was forced to drop out from the school.

"The problem started in August 2010 when a local goon Sripal started following my daughter. He often passed vulgar comments at my daughter while she used to be on her way to school. Fearing that any harm might come to her, we stopped her from attending the school. We lodged a complaint with the police but they didn't take any action. The situation worsened and the stalkers continued to harass her even after she dropped out from the school. Whenever she used to go out of the house, they troubled her repeatedly," said Ram Kumar (name changed) father of the victim.

Kumar again lodged a complaint against his daughter's stalkers in October but police still remained inactive. "The inaction of cops has encouraged the stalkers further. Right from the day my father lodged a complaint against them, they became more abusive towards me. Whenever they see me out of the house, they start chasing me and pass vulgar comments. At times they even tried to molest me. The whole colony watched their act but nobody came to my rescue," said the victim.

Besides Kumar's complaint, there is another complaint lodged against these accused for eve-teasing and use of vulgar language. Still the police seem to prefer inaction on the issue. When contacted by MiD DAY, the police officials said that they will be able to comment after they investigate the case.

Residents of the area say the accused operate as a gang and often indulge in such unlawful activities in the Lal Kuan area of Pul Prahladpur area.

>>>>

1. do you know someone who missed school for avoiding 'eve-teasing'?

alternatively- do you plan your daily route/ activities to avoid sexual harassment on the streets?

2. have you ever filed a police complaint? if yes- what followed?

if no- why not

3. do you experience sexual harassment from the same person everyday- if yes what are your strategies? how do you respond to it (neighbourhood/ bus/ college/ workplace)

4. Have you been a 'spectator who changed the scene'- i.e instead of watching the 'tamasha'- you got involved and supported the survivor of violence?

5. Are there any follow ups of this report?

2011 and some immediate things-

2011 and the ACTION HERO is on duty.
make your city safe by walking your street fearless.
Happy New Year!





To new news and immediate action:

1. MEET IN BANGALORE/ DELHI AND CHANDIGARH
This year promises to be eventful and energetic. We're starting with a meeting in Bangalore on Jan 8th, Saturday at 10 45 am. Location will be disclosed upon confirmation. if you can make it, please confirm at the soonest + bring a potential action hero along! (your friend/ colleague/ neighbour/ family/ co traveler) please email us most definitely by the 7th of Jan to confirm.

Meet up in Delhi and Chandigarh on Jan 23-. If you'd like to be involved with organizing a meet up in your city do get in touch with us right away.

Upcoming events include an Action Heroes event across cities (Feb) and an all new internet event too (to be announced in a week).


2. ACTION HERO TESTIMONIALS
A big thank you to all Action Heroes for sharing their stories with us on dealing with street sexual violence.Thank you Dianne Padma Nandini If you've got a story or a strategy on how you dealt with 'eve-teasing' you know where to send it .It doesn't have to be your story alone, it could be an urban legend, something you heard. This could also involve you speaking with women around you and gathering stories. (ask the women around you- grandma. cousins. friends. colleagues. domestic help.)


4. CALL FOR INTERNSHIP
call for interns. time- 2 months/ or project specific. apply by Jan 30 internship. phase 1 of 2011 begins feb 10


5. CALL TO VOLUNTEER
apply to volunteer deadline for 2011 phase 1 is Jan 30


5. THIS SPECTATOR CHANGED THE SCENE
We often hear stories about a 3rd person being attacked for helping in an 'eve-teasing'/ street sexual violence situation. These reports perpetuate fear by emphasizing the personal risk in getting involved. We're not here to say it isn't a risk but surely there have been instances where a 3rd person's intervention has changed the scene.
This is a call for personal stories of how 'spectators' involvement made a difference.Have you been that third person who got involved? Have you got a story on how the spectator's involvement helped you? email your story subject titled THIS SPECTATOR CHANGED THE SCENE no later than Jan 30. blurtblanknoise at gmail com
(more details to follow)

Yours in spirit
Blank Noise Team

Pinky

More about Pinky here

your attention please:

• report here if you experienced it. tell us how you dealt with it. would you deal with it any differently today?how did you become an action hero in your own eyes.

• report here if you witnessed it. tell us what made you help someone. tell us if you didn't come forward to help and why.

• report here if you're male/ man/ boy/ guy and thinking about the issue of street sexual harassment.

about "blank noise guy" : street sexual harassment is as much a male issue as it is one concerning women because it is influenced by male behaviour, attitude and expression. With this thought we announce "Blank Noise Guy" : inviting males to share their experiences on being in public.

Thoughts on the body, boundaries, behaviours
[flirting, 'teasing' , 'harassing',' intimidating', 'having fun', 'just looking'?]

It could range from the fear of being seen as a perpetrator; how you
approached a female stranger (if you ever did); being attracted to a stranger and what you did or witnessing harassment and introspecting on your response. Welcome.

YOU

poster made by Saema from Srishti.

Vivek Nityananda made this for the Fearless Karnataka campaign:

Fearless Karnataka has been formed after the recent attacks on women in Bangalore.
It comprises individuals , collectives and organisations.
We are organizing a campaign addresses public as mute spectators to street sexual violence.
We are also organizing a Take Back the Night on March 8th.

This is a call for Action Heroes. Everyone from everywhere is welcome.

For starters you can contribute by:

1. Confirming as Action Hero for Sunday. March 8. TAKE BACK THE NIGHT

2. You can volunteer towards making TBTN happen

3.making posters addressed to spectators in the public. People could add in questions addressed to spectators in the comments section here.

spectators:

you saw it happen
you walked away

you saw it happen
you intervened

you might have seen someone else experience
street sexual harassment/ violence/ or being 'eve teased'
did you support the survivor?
or did you walk away?
what made you react?
what made you indifferent?

PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE
OF BEING A SPECTATOR TO STREET
SEXUAL HARASSMENT OR 'EVE TEASING'
you might find this form of use- or you could simply email in the incident.
e: blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com

Reported

Gangs attack women in ‘western attire’
* Deepika Arwind * Two attacks in
broad daylight with people just looking on *

Bangalore: In what appears to be inspired by the pub attack in Mangalore,
three women have been attacked in the city over the past week. All three in
their 20s and in “western clothing” were subject to varying degrees of
violence. The first incident took place on February 17 at 1.10 p.m. in
Indiranagar, when a young woman’s car was closely followed by two men on a
motorcycle. “I was returning from my German class. I noticed the men
following me, hooting and then overtaking my car,” she said on her blog,
giving a detailed account of the unprovoked assault. She was spat on and her
car was blocked even as the other car drivers, instead of stopping to help,
just wanted her to get out of the way.

Speaking to *The Hindu* on condition of anonymity, the traumatised woman
said: “Everyone could see that they were being aggressive and yelling
obscenities in Kannada. No one came to my rescue.” After a chase, she sought
refuge in an apartment building, where she was cornered. One of the men
continued to shout obscenities and moved threateningly close. When she
slapped him in self-defence, he punched her. “Aggravated, I shouted at him
in Kannada. He was stunned to hear me speak the language. He noted down my
licence plate number and told the guard he would harm me later,” she said.
Shaken, she filed a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (East).
DCP East B.K. Singh said that the complaint was registered 48 hours after
the incident. “We are not able to identify the accused as the CCTVs at the
signals have recordings for 24 hours only. We are investigating.”
Second assault

The second incident took place on Tuesday at 10 a.m., when a 28-year-old
woman on her way to Kormangala was accosted by four men near RBANM’s College
in Ulsoor. “Four men got off an SUV and started screaming at me. They tugged
at my clothes in front of at least eight mute spectators. One of them even
pulled my shrug off, scratched my neck and hit my ear,” she told *The
Hindu*on condition of anonymity. She said that the four were all aged
between 25
and 35. “When I said I would call the police, one of them offered me his
mobile phone and told me to go right ahead. They saw an airline tag on my
bag, got more aggravated and called me an outsider,” she said. “One of them
said I must be part of the pink chaddi campaign.” Fortunately, an army van
passed by and two soldiers ordered the men to stop harassing the woman.

“At first, the men even shoved the armymen, but stopped after they saw there
were other soldiers in the van. It seemed like they were on a mission and
looking for a victim,” she said, adding she is too shaken to file a
complaint.

Later the same day, at 9 p.m., a young filmmaker was attacked by four men
near High Grounds, past the Mount Carmel College. “At first, they jostled me
and I told them to back off. They shouted obscenities in Kannada. I yelled
back in English, which seemed to provoke them. It grew into a fight when
they punched me and said I ‘deserved’ it for wearing jeans and sleeveless
kurta and walking alone at night.” She managed to get into an autorickshaw
and flee but not before they tried to drag her out. She registered a
complaint at the High Grounds Police Station on Wednesday morning.

Blank Noise Bangalore:
We are meeting this Sunday
3pm- 5 pm. Cubbon Park.
All are welcome. Bring in your questions, thoughts, ideas.
confirm via email: blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com