Walgelijk vrij lastig vallen van Indische vrouwen

Enkele maanden geleden werden weer eens twee jonge meisjes werden opgeknoopt aan een boom na een groepsverkrachting in de weilanden rond hun huis in India, en een minister van de regeringspartij heeft gereageerd door te zeggen dat verkrachting "een sociale misdaad is... soms is het goed, soms is het verkeerd."

Hoe zou zo iets ooit 'goed' kunnen zijn?
Het is walgelijk! Maar dit incident is geen uitzondering. Alaphia is zelf aangevallen voor de ogen van hoge politieagenten, en ze deden niets. Zij weet dat het systeem de vrouwen van India aan hun lot overlaat. Maar zij,ik en nog enkele anderen denken dat wij hier samen verandering in kunnen brengen.

English: Varanasi, India as seen from Ganga river. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Het verkiezingsprogramma van de nieuwe leider van Alaphia haar land draaide om de belofte om van de heilige stad waar hij verkozen is, Varanasi, opnieuw een grote toeristische trekpleister te maken. Als wij met miljoenen mensen wereldwijd samenkomen om op te roepen tot de bescherming van vrouwen, en de stad van premier Modi hiermee volplakken, zal hij stappen moeten zetten om zijn toerismeplan te kunnen redden.

Een dergelijke advertentiecampagne heeft nog nooit eerder plaatsgevonden in India. Maar dit is een nationale crisis die drastische maatregelen vergt.

Teken nu -- laten we twee miljoen mensen bijeenbrengen om van Modi te eisen dat hij de meisjes en vrouwen van India beschermt:

https://secure.avaaz.org/nl/womanifesto_modi_ob/?bIyfhib&v=41939

Toen de meisjes van 14 en 15 vermist raakten, ging de vader van één van hen naar de politie en smeekte hen op handen en knieën om iets te doen. Ze lachten hem uit en stuurden hem terug naar huis. Talloze gezinnen in India die met deze nachtmerrie geconfronteerd worden, krijgen te maken met dit soort schandalige passiviteit van de politie. Na de internationale opschudding zijn uiteindelijk vijf mannen gearresteerd en twee politieagenten geschorst. Maar elke 22 minuten wordt iemand verkracht in India, en de politie, de rechterlijke macht, en zelfs ministers laten ons in de steek!
Voor de verkiezingen was er een massale beweging op gang gekomen om dringende maatregelen af te dwingen om geweld tegen vrouwen te stoppen. Deskundigen stelden een "Womanifesto" op -- een plan gebaseerd op gezond verstand met hoognodige hervormingen om een einde te maken aan de verkrachtingsepidemie. Het gaat in op wetgeving, politiewerk, medische en psychologische ondersteuning, en het allerbelangrijkste -- onderwijs en voorlichting. Andere belangrijke partijen hebben hun naam eronder gezet, maar Modi negeerde het.
Zelfs het personeel van Modi staat achter de hoofdmoot van het plan. Nu moet Modi het alleen nog uitvoeren.
Tot nu toe heeft Modi nog niets gezegd over de beledigende uitspraken van zijn partijgenoot, maar de president van India heeft aangegeven dat deze nieuwe regering “een zerotolerancebeleid voert wat betreft geweld tegen vrouwen.” Laten we een grootschalige petitie opzetten en Varanasi volplakken met aanplakbiljetten om op te roepen tot onmiddellijke vertaling van deze belofte in een actieplan. Teken nu:

https://secure.avaaz.org/nl/womanifesto_modi_ob/?bIyfhib&v=41939

De schok bij het zien van deze foto kan ons verlammen met bedroefdheid, of het kan ons aanzetten tot actie. Overal in mijn land eisen vrouwen dat er een einde komt aan deze cultuur van verkrachtingen, en zij strijden om tot gelijkheid en veiligheid voor iedereen te komen. Alsjeblieft, sluit je bij ons aan om dit geweld te stoppen!

Met hoop, 
Marcus en Alaphia, met het Avaaz-team

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