Collective Action to Counter Violence against Girls and Women in Urban India

PRIA is organising a roundtable discussion on collective efforts to address violence against girls and women in urban India on 25 February 2013 at PRIA, New Delhi.

In the aftermath of the brutal gang-rape case in Delhi in December 2012, there has been widespread public discussion on the factors behind the rising incidence of violent crimes against girls and women in India’s urban areas. Violence against girls and women has been part of India’s patriarchal culture and society for centuries. Despite the existence of progressive laws to protect women’s rights and security, Indian girls and women are widely vulnerable to domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape and other forms of sexual abuse. With rapid economic growth and urbanisation over the past two decades, a greater number of girls and women have entered post-secondary educational institutions and the labour market. Simultaneously, the reported incidence of sexual harassment and other forms of violence in schools, colleges, offices, factories and on the streets of our cities has also increased. The lack of basic services, adequate urban housing, public spaces, employment opportunities, and inequality between the haves and have-nots has resulted in disenchantment and frustration, which contributes to the problem. This combination of factors has increased concern for the physical safety of girls and women.

Although many of us have been working on issues of gender equality and women’s political and economic empowerment for decades, our programmes are often rural based rather than focused on the growing impact of urbanisation on lower and middle class youth. It is time we address this issue more deliberately, and also expand our efforts to engage with youth and young men in countering violence against women.

As civil society organisations with an interest in combating gender-based violence, we have to contemplate ways of collectively addressing this issue. Participants at this roundtable have been invited to share their experiences and thoughts on emerging trends of violence against women in urban areas and ways of reaching out to unemployed youth collectively in urban centres across the country. Mr. David D. Arnold, President, The Asia Foundation, and Dr. Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India will be joining the discussion.