Today was the first community cafe of the 2014 16 Days Campaign. This is an informal gathering to have frank, honest exchanges about gender violence facilitated by someone from the Prajnya Team.
We sat down with a diverse group of women to discuss what gender violence meant to them and how it impacts lives. An interesting and often passionate conversation, the group touched upon many aspects of violence and shared anecdotes and informed opinions to chart both existing status quos and positive change in terms of gender rights. Strong, vocal women all, they were not afraid to put forth diverging views.
From violence at home to violence at the workplace and on the street, a whole gamut of issues were discussed through different lenses: the cultural milieu and conditioning that informs both male and female behaviour, the quest for personal safety and security, economic and social status, legal and policy mandates to name a few.
While there maybe no easy answers or instant solutions, I think we can all agree that conversations like these can only be a step in the right direction.
A special thanks to our GEM, Padmini Subramaniam, for not only being such a warm and gracious host but also an insightful and empathetic interlocutor.
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