Slut Walk aka Besharmi Morcha

After taking a tour around the world, the Slut Walk finally made it's presence felt in India as the Besharmi Morcha. Well honestly, it seemed like the protest just created controversy in the media as opposed to really having any impact.

Around the world, women dressed up in provocative clothing and marched on the streets to take a stand for their right to dress the way they want and not be subjected to sexual harassment because of it. While it's great that some women feel so passionately about this, has the Slut Walk really achieved anything besides being a topic of conversation or the next juicy piece of meat for the media to sink their teeth into? Protesting while half naked and in some cases almost naked isn't going to change how people think. But then again that's just my take on it. The creeps that are out there aren't going to care whether you're taking a stand while fully clothed or provocatively. If they want to rape you...they're going to do it regardless. In fact, why give them the satisfaction of seeing your body? Why let them save that image of you in their memory? It wouldn't make me feel any better knowing that some pervert who's watching the protest is sexually harassing me in his thoughts.

The Besharmi Morcha in Delhi was different. The intention was different and women didn't go about it by walking around in their chaddis. They were dressed in their daily wear - kurtis, tees, shirts, jeans, pants and leggings. While one can appreciate that they went beyond the clothing and tried to focus on the bigger picture (pointing out how women can't live their life freely because every woman in Delhi is a potential victim of sexual harassment regardless of how she's dressed), the purpose was lost because it just wasn't possible for a population of 1.2 billion people to relate to this protest. We're still fighting for so many other issues - female genocide, education for girls, domestic violence and equality in the workplace. While these aren't predominant issues in the metros, they are still major concerns in smaller towns and villages. Women who care strongly about these issues took the initiative to educate people on female genocide, they helped set up schools for girls or made the effort to go teach them personally, they taught other women to stand up to their abusive husbands/in-laws while helping them to get back on their feet and they showed the world that women are just as capable as their male counterparts if not more.

Yes, Delhi isn't a safe place for women but how is protesting about this going to change anything in the city let alone India? Is it going to protect girls and women in U.P. who get raped even though they're dressed in salwars and saris?  The Besharmi Morcha is just going to shed light on the issue for a few days before it's tucked back into bed by the media. India is not like the western world. We are more conservative in terms of how a woman should dress and behave because that's just a part of our culture. What works all over the globe isn't going to have the same effect here because we function differently. Things take time and provoking misogynists isn't going to help our cause. Protesting is what we do when we want the government to take us seriously and with the Delhi Police Commissioner making statements such as, "You cannot travel at 2 a.m. and say that Delhi is unsafe…You should take your brother or driver with you", it's unlikely that there will be much support from the government. Taking a stand against sexual harassment requires a lot more effort because it's about subtly changing the mindset of the large population.

For every issue we've had to face as women, we've always adapted and made ourselves stronger. To me, it seems like the best way to win the battle against sexual harassment is by being street smart. Taking a self defense class seems to be a better use of time and effort. Don't just stop at you...teach other women how to protect themselves! This is just one precaution and there are many more that we're all aware of, so there's no point in me getting preachy and listing them. While these might not be foolproof solutions, carrying pepper spray seems to be a better option than holding signs and marching on the streets. As for being called a slut or any other derogatory word that is particularly targeted at women...rise above it. Once you start ignoring it, it stops bothering you and the word  loses it's power. Alternatively, we can always work towards diluting the meaning of slut, just like the opposite sex has done with the words pimp and player but that's just a temporary solution because there's always going to be another word.

There's a reason we lock our doors at night and make sure the windows are closed. It's how we put our mind at peace and make ourselves feel safer before going to bed. It doesn't mean we aren't living our lives freely, all it means is that we're doing it in a smarter way.

FYI - Some alarming statistics from http://indiafacts.in/statistics/crime-against-women-in-india/:

• West Bengal reported 28.1% of total Incest Rape cases

• Offenders were known to the victims in 92.5% of Rape cases

• Among 35 mega cities, Delhi city reported 29.5% of total Rape cases,  31.8% cases of Kidnapping & Abduction of Women, 15.6% cases (111 out of 711) of Dowry Deaths, 14.2% cases of Cruelty by Husband and Relatives and 21.5% cases of Molestation

• 49.9% conviction was reported in the country in Sexual Harassment cases (3,708 convictions out of 7,436 cases in which the trial was completed).