Please join Sone Ki Chidiya Federation to develop a SUSTAINED campaign: Everyone Deserves Respect

The recent article by Michaela Cross in CNN is just a new reminder of the entrenched CULTURAL and LAW AND ORDER problem in India.

In addition change in politics/governance/economic policy, we need to change the society’s attitudes in a fundamental way.

Please join SKCF to develop and launch a sustained campaign to destroy caste and bring equality of status and treatement for girls and women.

We can call the campaign: EVERYONE DESERVES RESPECT. It aims to have two key branches:

a) Crusade against caste

b) Against the mistreatment of girls and women in India.

Crusade against caste

Note that this campaign is not against caste discrimination. This is about elimination of caste, not ending caste discrimination. “Na rahega Baans na bajegi bansuri”. As RM Lohia said: “The destruction of caste is critical for nation-building“.

Is this still a problem? Yes. 

13 Dalits are murdered each week. 
5 Dalit homes are burnt each week.
6 Dalit people are kidnapped or abducted each week. 
21 Dalit women raped each week.   [Source]

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Rampant untouchability:

A recent study on Untouchability in rural India,[1] covering five hundred sixty five villages in eleven States, found that public health workers refused to visit Dalit homes in 33% of villages, and Dalit children sat separately while eating in 37.8% of government schools. Dalits were prevented from entering police stations in 27.6% of villages, did not get mail delivered to their homes in 23.5% of villages, and were denied access to water sources in 48.4% of villages.[Source]

Respectful treatment of WOMEN and GIRLS in India

While the Nirbhaya case brought Delhi to a halt, there is a massive ongoing problem of lack of respect for, and violence towareds girls and women. This issue is getting really urgent. Women are being very badly treated across India.

Read this, too: http://www.rediff.com/news/column/to-an-american-girl-an-apology-from-india/20130820.htm

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/23/world/irpt-indian-women-sexual-harassment/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Sexual harassment remains a pervasive problem in Indian society. Often referred to by the euphemism “Eve-teasing,” a 2011 survey supported by UN Women found 95% of females in New Delhi said they felt unsafe in public places. [Source]

Language

In some ways, the langauges of India itself reflect these hierarchies. E.g. words like “Aukaat”, “tu”. These are status-driven words. We need to cleanse the language itself.

Get involved!

Please join SKCF to promote this campaign. Let us design the campaign and make it count.

Some possible solutions 

We could potentially promote legislative action. A number of other things are possible: social media, pamphlets, movies, T-shirt and other methods to spread the message that everyone deserves respect. 

This book by National Commission for Women can be used as part of the SKCF campaign. We could purchase and distribute 10000s of copies of this book (or similar book).

Examples from the internet include:

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