Indian women’s anti rape demonstration

This video from India says about itself:

Mar 14, 2011

Vice President of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, Subhashini Ali speaks on the occasion of 100 years since the declaration of “International Women’s Day” on 8th March 1911.

And this video from India says about itself:

Jan 31, 2013

In a debate moderated by TIMES NOW’s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, panelists — Justice (Retd) Mukul Mudgal, Former Chief Justice Punjab and Haryana High Court; Malvika Rajkotia, Senior Advocate; Ranjana KumariDirector, Centre for Social Research; Soli Sorabjee, Former Attorney General; Subhashini Ali, President, All India Democratic Women’s Association; Poornima Advani, Former Chairperson, NCW and Kavita Srivastava, National Secretary, PUCL — discuss whether the nature and severity of crime should determine whether an accused can be termed as juvenile.

From daily The Morning Star in Britain:

Women demand better rape law

Monday 04 February 2013

by Our Foreign Desk

Hundreds of women called on the Indian government today to scrap a shoddy sexual violence law passed last week and replace it with a better one.

The law was passed by India’s cabinet on Friday and signed by the president on Sunday.

Demonstrators outside parliament said that it only followed a few of the recommendations made by a government panel set up after the fatal gang-rape of a New Delhi woman in December.

The new law increases jail terms for rape from the current seven to 10 years to a maximum of 20.

It also permits the death penalty in extreme cases of rape that result in death or leave the victim in a coma.

It makes voyeurism, stalking, acid attacks and the trafficking of women criminal offences.

Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said that the government decided to bring in the new law through an ordinance immediately, though it will have to be approved by parliament within six months.

“The government wants to assure everyone that before it is tabled in parliament, we will hold consultations with all political parties,” said Mr Chidambaram.

But the protesters damned the new law as a smokescreen as it ignores marital rape and sexual violence against women by soldiers.

It also doesn’t bar politicians facing rape charges from elections.

“The government should have spent time on drafting a comprehensive Bill and brought it to parliament with candour and sincerity,” said Maimoona Mullah of the All India Democratic Women’s Association.

India’s Supreme Court has lifted a centuries-old ban on women who could potentially be on their periods from entering a popular Hindu pilgrimage site.

Related articles

• First witness for Delhi rape trial (bbc.co.uk)
• India president backs rape laws (bbc.co.uk)