What happens when a woman is raped? How do we respond? How do women commute in their cities? This December 16, on the fourth anniversary of the rape that galvanised a long if patchy conversation about sexual violence, here are some stories you must read.
1. What To Do If You’ve Been Raped
“For many women there comes that odd, jolting moment when you realize you have structured your life around avoiding being raped.” If you have been raped, and choose to report the crime, here’s a guide to how to report the case, and how to deal with ignorant doctors when you seek medical attention.
2. Why Do We Continue to Call Her Nirbhaya? What’s Wrong With Saying Jyoti Singh Pandey?
Does the name ‘Nirbhaya’ allow us to see Jyoti Singh Pandey as a person, when some of the names we have come to know her as–India’s Daughter, Jagruti, Delhi Braveheart–seem to deify her? “Has “Nirbhaya” become a brand that we don’t want to let go of, despite her parents’ wishes? Are we, the media, too satisfied with the story that weaves itself around a name that means “fearless”?”
3. What’s the Ratio of Known vs Stranger Rapists? Take a Wild Guess
How much do we know about rape in India? What is the rate of conviction in rape cases, and what is the ratio of known vs stranger rapists? RAHAT, a programme that provides socio-legal support for survivors of rape came out with a report, “Pursuing this thing called justice: A survivor centric approach towards victims of sexual violence” as they followed up on 644 FIRS reporting sexual violence filed between August 2008 and July 2015 by the Mumbai Police.
4. Investigation: Where are the ‘One Stop Centers’ for Rape Survivors Promised by the Nirbhaya Fund?
The Nirbhaya fund promised the setting up of One Stop Centers (OSC) that must provide free assistance for any forms of violence against women. In December 2015, in response to a question on the utilisation of the Nirbhaya fund, Maneka Gandhi confirmed that Rs 10.71 crore had been released for the establishment of 31 OSCs. But where are they?
5. How We Make Our Way in Dilli Sheher (Part 1 and Part 2)
This is a two part-series on women commuters and their adventures in the capital. The stories follow different women as they travel around the city–on bikes, by car, on the metro, walking. Is there a right way to make your way through the city, and does it all boil down to how you do it?