Commemorating a dialogue on Women Security After Nirbhaya organised by NGO Sampurna, various women personalities from different fields came together to demand equal rights for women in India. Nirbhaya had died in December 2012 after surviving a brutal gangrape on December 16, 2012 that had mobilised the whole nation to come forward for the rights of women.
The event on Nirbhaya’s birthday was chaired by National Commission for Women chief lalitha Kumaramangalam. Social activist Vartika Nanda, National Forum for Action on Convergence (NFAC) convener Rashmi Singh, FICCI ladies Organisation president Archana Gadodia and writer Renu Hussain participated in the dialogue.
Shobha Vijender, the founder of Sampurna, said that women in India were still hesitant to register crimes against them. “Our NGO trains the women to stand on their feet. We encourage and motivate them to speak for their rights,” she said. Speaking on the occasion Vijender Gupta, leader of the Opposition, said that women in India should come forward to stand for their rights. “There should be an environment for change for the success of women in India,” he said, adding that 50 per cent of India’s population is women and people should respect them.
Gupta added that the December 16 braveheart should be emblematic of Indian women and that her sacrifice shouldn’t go in vain. With NCW receiving almost 65 per cent cases of domestic violence, NCW chief lalitha Kumaramangalam appealed to the people to educate “girls so that they can stand for their rights.” She said that doing so would gradually make women successful in all spheres. Slamming the judicial procedure of the court in dealing with rapes, social activist Vartika Nanda said, “If one goes and sees the judicial procedure of court dealing with rape victims, one can see the truth… A victim dies every minute.”