Presenting to you, our first Champions of Change!

Often, women are subjected to harassment in public spaces that are a part of their everyday life – bus stops, super markets, cinemas, restaurants, etc. However, most women quietly brush it off, presuming that nothing will come out of complaining about the incident. This silence, in turn, contributes to the stigma of speaking out against harassment and calling out that a harasser is in the wrong. 

Safety in a public space is not just one individual’s concern. As responsible citizens, each one of us is bound to ensure that gender-based harassment in any public space does not go unchecked. This is especially true of privately managed spaces that are open to the public, where the management’s commitment can make a world of difference to the user’s experience.

An initiative pioneered in Baltimore, USA, the Safer Spaces campaign calls on local businesses to pledge zero tolerance towards sexual harassment in their outlets. These can then be ‘safer spaces’ – spaces, where complaints of harassment or misbehaviour will be heard and addressed. Hollaback! Chennai and its host Prajnya, have adapted this campaign as part of the 2013 Prajnya Campaign against Gender Violence.

What do retailers need to do to be part of this? Just two things:

1. Make a public, visible commitment to “Zero Tolerance towards Harassment,” through a poster or other visual.

2. Bring together their staff for a training session on ways to deal with harassment.

Our first two Champions for Change are SPI Cinemas and Sandy’s Chocolate Laboratory. At SPI Cinemas, Prajnya has conducted a training session for the employees and the organisation has set up hotlines where aggrieved parties can call for help. The number and the zero tolerance policy will be displayed on their screens at Sathyam and Escape to reach out to their audience. Sandy’s Chocolate Laboratory will display a helpline number prominently in their venues starting next week. Employees across their stores will be trained by Prajnya in coming days.

We’ve made a wonderful start and hope not to stop until every city business becomes a Champion of Change. Who will be next? You? 

Day 1: Launching a Call for Videos

It’s the big day! Months of preparation have brought us to this point: Day 1 of the Prajnya 16 Days Campaign Against Gender Violence, 2013. Starting today, we hope to have a sustained and meaningful engagement – both offline and online – on different issues surrounding Gender Violence. (Do take a look at our Calendar!) We kickstart the 16 Days of dialogue, debate and deliberation with a Call for Videos.

Dear Men, Whip out your phone and take the oath!

Call for Videos is an extension of what we did last year with the ‘Chennai Men Say No!’ campaign. The heroes: all the men reading this, and your friends. Why are you against gender violence? What are your views on street sexual harassment? What would you say to men who indulge in different kinds of violence against the women in their lives? What would you say to a man who uses violent speech and actions in his interactions with women? What about violence in the digital world?

It’s time to raise your voice – and it’s not difficult! All you need to do is send us a video. Here’s how:

Step 1: Pick up your mobile phone and shoot a video of yourself talking about violence against women

Step 2: Take the oath: “I am <YourName> and I say NO! to violence against women”

Step 3: Remember to keep the entire thing under 60 seconds

Step 4: Send it via WeTransfer or Dropbox to vetre.prajnya@gmail.com along with the text of your message, your name and contact details

Step 5: Wait for your video to be uploaded on our YouTube channel and inspire other men to do the same. 

Any questions? Drop in to our FAQs page.

Finished shooting the video? Congratulations! You’re now one of the men who say No! to violence against women

So while you wait for it to upload, why don’t you check out the first post part of our Blog Symposium? Don’t forget to engage! You can also follow us on Twitter where we’re putting out some awesome resources today, and the rest of the campaign.

But wait! That’s not all for Day 1. Watch this space for the launch of a very interesting initiative. (Hint: Make sure you drop in at noon today!)