Date - 24th September, 2018
Theme - Rape and Communal Violence
Resource Person - Soumya Bhat, SASHA & Santy Silvia, VIVA

On 24thof September 2018,around 200+ students from St Aloysius Degree College participated in a Marmara, an initiative by Vimochana. The students had prepared several charts on rape and Communal violence, the theme of the Marmara.The speakers for this event were Ms. Santa Silvia of VIVA and Ms.Soumya Bhat, an Advocate and a Joint Convener of SASHA (Support Against Sexual Harassment). Ms.Soumya brought in several examples from her work to facilitate discussion on what provokes people to commit such grievous offense like rape? The students were asked to share their thoughts on the recent incidents of rape. In response, the students referred to theKathua incident and many more incidents involving minors and minorities. Ms.Soumya Bhat made them reflect on how inequality that exists in society perpetratesthese sexual violence against a particular community to shame them or to make them feel inferior.

Ms. Santa Silvia who works with an International NGO working with women and children gave a beautiful story for the audience to understand what a rape would actually mean – that if a boy has physical contact with a girl without her consent, even if they are in love with each other would account for rape! Ironically, many students were not willing to agree to this. Ms. Santa then explained to them that to touch a girl without her consent in itself is offensive. She even brought in the patriarchal influence on a woman’s life from her birth and how this inequality will continue if students don’t speak and act on it. One of the main reasons for a rise in sexual violence was attributed to pornography and movies with erotic scenes which is easily accessible these days. Referring to communal violence, Ms. Soumya Bhat made students to reflect the cruelty in killing someone for not adhering to a belief or for simply eating something of their choice!

As a feedback at the end of the session, one of the student expressed that movies are just a form of art and not everyone will get spoiled watching them. Another student was of the opinion that rapes are committed merely because of lust or revenge on someone.

 

Photos of the Marmara