Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Indian Women Fight For Rights

From AFP:
The elegant Indian scarf known as a "dupatta" is a symbol of female modesty, but in the right hands it is also an effective weapon to combat the unwanted attentions of men.

"Fling it over the attacker's neck, pull him, go for the final thrust and he will be thrown on the ground in front of your eyes," shouts a police officer as she demonstrates her moves at a civilian training session in New Delhi.

Scores of young girls and women applaud the display, and then learn for themselves how to fight back against "eve-teasing" -- the south Asia term for sexual harassment in public places.

Women across India are often victims of provocative remarks, aggressive male posturing and even physical assaults such as groping on the street and in crowded buses and trains.

According to the National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB), 200,000 incidents of crime against women were reported in 2008.

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