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Yes means yes and no means no! Scantily-clad protesters join in 'Slut Walk' to end rape victim blaming

Yes means yes and no means no.

And guys, just in case you were under any illusion that it was anything to the contrary, a bunch of scantily-clad women took to the streets of Dallas over the weekend to shout it from the rooftops.

More than one hundred protesters decked out in various stages of dress/undress marched through down town Dallas on Saturday chanting: 'Hey, hey, ho, ho, we understand that no means no.'

The women called their protest the 'Slut Walk', in aid of rape victims and victim blaming.

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Dallas Slut Walk: Hundreds marched to raise awareness for rape victims to tell people that they are not to blame, no matter what they wear

Scantily clad: Girls were in various states of undress at the march to protest against a police constable who said women can avoid sexual harassment by not dressing like sluts

It was inspired by a similar event in Toronto earlier this year, who held their first slut walk after police constable Michael Sanguinetti told York University law students during a safety seminar: 'Women can avoid sexual assault by not dressing like sluts.'

Though he later apologised, his insensitive words spawned the walk which is to turn into an annual event to tell people that anyone can be a victim of rape, despite what they wear or do.

Protestor Britt Shulte told 33tv.com: 'I want to end victim blaming. This is still a really prevailing concept and idea in our society that our apparel dictates the kind of treatment we receive and it dictates the respect that we receive.'

SlutWalk Protests - Worldwide

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'Slutwalk' plan triggers debate on women in India

By NIRMALA GEORGE, Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — Plans by a group of women to hold a "SlutWalk" in New Delhi to protest sexual violence have triggered a debate on whether such marches are appropriate in India and can change mindsets about women's status in the conservative society.

Organizer Umang Sabarwal said Wednesday the march is aimed at shifting blame from victims to perpetrators of crimes against women.

Similar marches have been held in cities around the world. The protests, which originated in Toronto, Canada, were sparked by a police officer's remark that women could avoid being raped by not dressing like "sluts." They protest the notion that a woman's appearance can explain or excuse attacks.

Millions of women are working in most sectors of the booming Indian economy but social attitudes have been slow to change and women face a daily barrage of sexual harassment.

Sabarwal, a Delhi University student, said the objective of the walk is to get people thinking about how women's lives and actions are restricted by the threat of harassment.

"We want to focus on changing social attitudes toward women," she said. "Every time a woman is assaulted, people don't blame the perpetrator of the crime. Instead women get a lecture about what they're supposed to wear and where they can go or not go."

However, plans for the walk have also drawn criticism from many women who say the use of the term "slut walk" is derogatory.

"Naming the protest 'slut walk' degrades women even if it has shock value," said Shobha De, a best-selling fiction writer.

"It's a campaign driven by women in the West. It does not connect with women in the Indian context," De said Wednesday on the TimesNow television channel.

Others accuse the organizers of craving media attention.

"How is this walk going to help millions of women in India? They are doing this for sensational footage on television," said Shaina N.C., a Mumbai-based designer.

India, a rapidly modernizing country, has a high incidence of rapes and sexual attacks on women. A government-backed United Nations survey found that about 85 percent of women in New Delhi are afraid of being sexually harassed while outside their homes for work or study.

The march, scheduled for late July, has been renamed "Besharmi Morcha," which means "Shameless Protest" in Hindi.

"The idea is to reach out to a maximum number of people, and people in India are better versed in Hindi than English as opposed to other countries where the 'SlutWalk' has been a success," said Mishika Singh, a college student involved in the campaign.

Imran supports ‘Slutwalk- Athaart Besharmi Morcha’

Saturday, 25 June 2011 18:25 Soumil Shukla

Imran Khan is on a social activism spree. The actor, after filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against Maharashtra government’s rule to raise the permissible age of alcohol consumption from 18 to 25, has now lent his voice to the Delhi version of the radical women’s movement ‘Slutwalk’. It has been renamed as ‘Slutwalk- Athaart Besharmi Morcha’ in India and Imran Khan praised the movement and its leader Umang Sabharwal for raising the burning issue of women’s right to dignity, safety and freedom.

Image: Imran Khan

Imran has also vowed to connect with the youngsters through a special page on Facebook and plans to mobilise public opinion, especially the youth, to support his endeavour of opposing the new drinking age rule of Maharashtra government.

However, it is a curious fact that all the ‘socially conscious’ Bollywood actors find only such issues which are taken up and mostly affect the urban elites. Imran, why not start a drive to eradicate the farmers indebtedness in the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra? Such an endeavour would serve a larger number of youth than merely filing PILs against a rule which, as everybody knows, will be broken anyway!

http://www.filmitadka.in/201106251102/gossip/imran-supports-slutwalk-athaart-besharmi-morcha.html