Hundreds
of young men and women gathered near Parliament House, at Rail Bhawan,
to protest against the brutal rape of the young girl still battling for
her life at Safdarjang Hospital. Carrying placards, “My Body My Right”
the protestors shouted “We Want Justice”, “Home Minister Istifa Do” as
they marched up Raisina Hill to Rashtrapati Bhawan. They were all
wearing black badges, head and arm bands to register their protest.
The
anger was palpable as the students led the demonstration making it
clear that they would no longer tolerate the apathy of the government,
the complicity of the police force and the inaction of the authorities
that had made Delhi so completely unsafe for women. The demonstrators
stopped at Rashtrapati Bhawan, halting briefly at both the Home
Ministers office and the Prime Ministers Office to raise their demand
for action.
The
police, and the Government must send out a strong message of zero
tolerance on cases of violence against women. The protests will continue
until our demands are met.
WE DEMAND:
1. Take immediate steps to enact the Sexual Assault Bill.
2. Increase patrolling and deployment of police, including police women in public places so that such incidents can be prevented, and women’s safety assured;
3. Improve infrastructure to make cities safer for women.
4. Fast track courts to deal with rape cases, hearings to be held on a day to day basis, so that sentence can be delivered within a period of 6 months. Police investigation to be conducted in a time bound manner.
5. Standardized investigation procedures be circulated to all police stations, along with the principle of accountability to take action against police personnel who do not implement them properly;
6. Increased sensitization, effective investigation and accountability of the police in dealing with heinous crimes against women.
7. Immediate relief, legal and medical assistance, and long term rehabilitation measures to be provided to survivors of rape, without delays and hassles.
1. Take immediate steps to enact the Sexual Assault Bill.
2. Increase patrolling and deployment of police, including police women in public places so that such incidents can be prevented, and women’s safety assured;
3. Improve infrastructure to make cities safer for women.
4. Fast track courts to deal with rape cases, hearings to be held on a day to day basis, so that sentence can be delivered within a period of 6 months. Police investigation to be conducted in a time bound manner.
5. Standardized investigation procedures be circulated to all police stations, along with the principle of accountability to take action against police personnel who do not implement them properly;
6. Increased sensitization, effective investigation and accountability of the police in dealing with heinous crimes against women.
7. Immediate relief, legal and medical assistance, and long term rehabilitation measures to be provided to survivors of rape, without delays and hassles.
Signed by:
All India Democratic Women's Association, Centre for Policy Analysis,
National Federation of Indian Women, Guild of Service, Joint Women's
Programme, Young Women's Christian Association, Swastik Mahila Samiti,
Centre for Women's Development Studies, Muslim Women's Forum and Jagori.
All India Democratic Women's Association, Centre for Policy Analysis,
National Federation of Indian Women, Guild of Service, Joint Women's
Programme, Young Women's Christian Association, Swastik Mahila Samiti,
Centre for Women's Development Studies, Muslim Women's Forum and Jagori.