By Rajeev Khanna, IANS
Ahmedabad : A large number of women social activists have launched a campaign for the ouster of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi — in the Maninagar constituency where he is contesting the upcoming elections.
The activists, including danseuse Mrinalini Sarabhai, cultural artist Mallika Sarabhai as well as social activists Kalpana Shah, Ila Pathak and Sarup Dhruv, have stated that Gujarat is no more a safe place for women and children.
“In Gujarat, more than one woman was raped every day last year as a total 388 cases of rape were registered. A total of 854 women were kidnapped and 5,284 women registered complaints of violence for dowry. Ahmedabad, once considered the safest city in the country, tops the list (of these crimes),” they said in a statement.
The women have drawn a connection between the ideology of hate and crimes against women.
“There is a direct and deep connection between the ideology of hatred and growing violence against women. If a society allows hatred to breed and spread against any section of society, it ultimately engulfs every other section and has a direct impact on women in that particular society.
“The hatred and violence that was unleashed in 2002 against women from a particular background has engulfed the women of all classes, religions, castes and socio-economic backgrounds.”
A pilot study conducted by the Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group (AWAG) under a project undertaken by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) revealed that a whopping 58 percent of the surveyed women in the ‘mega city’ Ahmedabad suffer from significant mental distress.
The study revealed horrendous forms of physical violence that include slapping, punching, biting, kicking and even branding with cigarette butts.
According to the sample survey, 65 percent of women said they were abused in public and in front of neighbours. Thirty-five percent women reported that their children, especially girls, were victims of violence and were physically and verbally abused by the father.
“We appeal to the women of Gujarat to defeat the forces of hatred and insecurity,” the activists said.