Did the Slut walk work?

Come home before it gets dark, dress appropriately, do not wear revealing clothes etc are just some of the few things that we Indian girls are told almost all our lives. It is embedded in us in a way that it becomes habitual that we actually begin thinking how much are we going to get stared at if we wore something. Be it from our family, friends or even husbands/boyfriends dress decently are the two words most of us girls hear very frequently. “It gives cause to inappropriate behavior from men” is the very justifiable reason for it.

 Slut walk dubbed as Besharmi Morcha in India managed to give out the right message, but did it actually manage to be impactful?  Slut walk that became a worldwide phenomenon after the snide remark made by a police officer in Toronto, Canada that women should not dress skimpily so as to avoid getting victimized. The slut walk that first took place in Bhopal was recently also held in Delhi. The Delhi slut walk had a larger gathering and also had a god amount of male supporters involved. However merely 50 people decide to show up to the slut walk that was held in Bhopal, in spite of the thousands of people that had registered for it. Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh is one of the places that witness the largest number of rapes every year. Fear of harassment might have been one of the reasons that very few supporters turned up.

The people that participated in the Delhi held Besharmi Morcha did not take to the streets in skimpy clothing like their counterparts did in Toronto and other places around the world. It hardly matters because irrespective of what is worn men will stare.

Be it a saree or a salwar kameez, men will still find a reason to stare. The sari is considered to be India’s traditional garb that when worn bears a considerable amount of skin. How that is then not considered to be vulgar? Are women who wear this traditional attire never raped? Infact most of the women are those who wear the saree or a salwar kameez. It is wrong to state that skimpy clothing only leads to such behavior in men.

But is conservative India ready for something like the slutwalk?  How many men will actually stop gaping? How many women will not be assaulted? In my opinion the numbers will still be the same. In a country where rape or even eve-teasing is still not given the appropriate punishment. Or where the perpetrators of rape are bailed out of jail after a few days, or that eve-teasing is still not considered sexual harassment but simple teasing, the slutwalk will not make much of a difference.

The views on the slutwalk are very strong and in your face. I am a through supporter of the slut walk, it is a great way for empowerment for a lot of women both young and old, who have for a long time not spoken openly about violence both physical and emotional. India on the other hand is a country that is still so heavily stuck in its culture system. Not many people are going to speak to the future generation of men about such issues. I think there is still a long way for India to get to a point where fingers will be raised at men for assault, violence, eve-teasing etc. There will be people who will say that the girl was at fault, and hence she got raped or sexually harassed. Using a parade to convey a message that so boldly states that “I am a woman, I have the right to wear what I want, do what I want” might not work or speak to a majority of India’s population