'Under my father, then husband, finally son....'

By Anjali Malhotra

NEW DELHI, AUG. 27. ``I am a woman, a mother, a wife, a daughter. From the time of my birth I am under my father, then my husband, and finally my son. There is no space for me and my identity. I come from India where 6,000 women are burnt every year for not getting enough dowry...I come from Nepal where 40 per cent of the marriages involve girls under 15....I come from Bangladesh where 5,000 girls are raped every year....I come from Sri Lanka where 60 per cent women are subjected to violence...I come from Pakistan where 2,000 women are raped every year....''

These may be just statistics, but they depict the reality of a woman's world. And highlighting this and many such issues was a moving streetplay, ``Touch the Sky'', staged for the first time before the media here today.

Written and directed by Mr. Gohar Raza, a champion of women's issues, the play sends out a clear message encouraging women to ``fight violence''. It is part of a global campaign organised by V-Day, a movement to end violence against girls and women. ``It is a vision of human life in which all women and girls live free, equal, safe and with dignity,'' says the regional coordinator of V-Day for South Asia, Ms. Shabnam Hashmi.

The campaign includes staging the play in all colleges and schools of Delhi and, if possible, in various slums in association with NGOs. The aim is to sensitise and educate girls in schools and colleges.

To involve girls and women from across the world in the movement, V-Day organised a ``Stop Rape'' contest last year. As part of the contest, participants submitted action plans to combat the menace. Megha, a student of History at New Delhi's Sri Venkateswara College, was one of eleven finalists whose action plan will be funded by V-Day. A budget of Rs.1.4 lakhs has been assigned for the campaign.

``I have always been interested in gender-based issues,'' said Megha, who also took part in the play. ``Through my school and now my college life, I have been an active protagonist of women's issues. This contest has given me a better ground to carry out my work.''

``The situation around us today is very dismal and this is true the world over, not just India,'' added Megha. ``If I meet someone from Afghanistan, I feel I am freer. But with the present Government, I do not know how long this will last. The Government's fascist, anti-women agenda is adding to the problem and the situation in Srinagar is an example of this.''

``Imagine a huge dark piece of cloth hung over your entire body, like a shameful statue...'' said the actress, Ms. Shabana Azmi, reading out a piece, ``Under the Burqa'', written by Eve Ensler.

Continuing its campaign, V-Day is organising a similar ``Stop Rape Contest-2002'', open to all girls and women over the age of 18.

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