The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Candlelight vigil for gender justice

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Candlelight vigil for gender justice

Staff Reporter

An effort to spread message about travails of women

Activists' plea for stopping violence against women

Many burkha-clad women from old city also join the vigil

DECRYING DARK DEEDS: Women and girls, led by Andhra Pradesh Coalition for Gender Justice, stage a candlelight protest denouncing violence against women in the city on Saturday. - Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

HYDERABAD: The fortnight-long drive of activism by the Andhra Pradesh Coalition on Gender Justice 2006 as part of the national and international movement against violence upon women was kicked off with a `candlelight vigil' on Saturday evening.

Traffic on the Tank Bund, near the statue of poetess Molla slowed to a crawl as onlookers looked at the dozens of candles at the foot of the statue. Around the statue there were dozens of volunteers, many of them burkha-clad women from the old city, also holding burning candles in their hands.

Activists held placards saying `Break the Silence, Stop the Violence', an endeavour to spread message about child marriage, domestic violence, sexual harassment at the workplace, travails of single women.

Usha Rani of Sanihita, Sulochana of Mitri and several other activists from member organisations of the coalition, including Aman Vedika and the Movement for Peace and Justice were trying to rally people's support for the cause.

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