Participating in the One Billion Rising Youth Revolution 2017
Participating in the One Billion Rising Youth Revolution 2017
One Billion Rising is the biggest mass action to end violence against women in human history. The campaign, launched on Valentine’s Day 2012, began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. In 2016, the theme of Revolution continued with a call to focus on marginalised women and to bring national and international focus to their issues; to bring in new artistic energy; to amplify the Revolution as a call for system change to end violence against women and girls*; to call on people to rise for others, and not just for ourselves.
Young people are leading the way in this revolution fearless and determined to make a change. We chose to focus on and participate in the Youth Rising because that is the demographic we believe will make the maximum change in the future. Safecity was lucky to partner with award winning photographer Smita Sharma and Hoonar Tekwurks to put together a program using the power of film to create engagement.
1. Date– 16th February
Location– Pune
Institution– Care Foundation- Emmanuel Public School
Number of participants– 34 attendees
Brief– The workshop involved a screening of two short films. One spoke about the idea of self-image and the issue of body shaming while the other film portrayed sexual harassment that occurs in day-to-day life. Both the films were followed by discussions among the students about their thoughts related to each.
Learnings– The students were very interested and came up with a lot of ideas to stop sexual harassment and promised to go out and create awareness amongst their families and friends.
2. Date– 22nd February
Location– Pune
Institution– Pimpri Chinchwad College Of Engineering – PCCOE
Number of participants– 109 students currently doing their Masters in Computer Applications, Masters in Business Administration and a few of the post graduate students along with their Professors and faculty members attended this workshop.
Brief– The workshop involved a screening of two short films. One spoke about the idea of self-image and the issue of body shaming while the other film portrayed sexual harassment that occurs in day-to-day life. Both the films were followed by discussions among the students about their thoughts related to each.
Learnings– The workshop was highly appreciated by all. They felt it was very useful, informative and very much needed in the current times. They thoroughly enjoyed the methodology of the workshop which was unique and different from their regular classes. Going ahead, they want to go out and create awareness amongst their families and friends in order to stop sexual violence.
3. Date– 22nd February
Location– Mumbai
Institution– Government Law College
Number of participants– 20 students
Brief– The workshop began by asking everyone to describe themselves and to talk of their opinion and image of themselves and the results were sad, though not surprising. With the attempt to rid themselves of a negative self-image a short film on body-shaming was screened. This was followed by a short film on what sexual harassment is and the importance of being aware, changing ones mind set, fighting against violence against women and standing up for what is right. The students were powered up by the ending of the screening and seemed determined to make a change.
Learnings– A lot of students were touched and felt better about themselves by the end of the session. They were honest with us and each other. In the feedback received this is what one student had to say, “The session was really good as every individual sitting in the room could relate to the atrocities they have been going through but could not find an appropriate platform to discuss the issue. The movies that were shown were exact representations of what goes on around us and also shows the solutions we can take up.” Another student said- “A fabulous and eye-opening session. Boosted my belief to change the negative perceptions about myself and not to ignore the harassment which we face on a daily basis.”
4. Date– 27th February
Location– Mumbai
Institution– Pravin Gandhi College of Law (PGCL)
Number of participants– 85 students
Brief– The workshop began by asking the students to write down one aspect about their physical selves they wished to change, leading to a general discussion on school yard bullying, and how it carries on to college and often chips away at one’s confidence. Thus the phrase ‘body shaming’ was introduced to specify the targeted appearance based bullying. This was followed by another exercise, where the students were divided into teams and had to creatively depict all the ways they had heard of body shaming after which a short clip on body shaming was screened
which depicted a young woman struggling with body confidence issues, only to be reminded by her friends and loved ones that everyone is perfect. Picking up from the student’s projects where a lot of the described body shaming was sexual in nature, the workshop veered towards speaking about the specific gendered effects of body shaming and where it crosses over into sexual harassment. The workshop ended with the screening of a short film which portrayed some of the daily sexual harassment faced by women in India, and it offered a solution in self-defence and the need to stand up for oneself.
Learnings– The writing exercises about insults and jokes made the students think about the power of the words they were using.The students spoke of society’s obsession with appearances, and together realised that they have the power to subvert the conversation away from body shaming just by being more mindful towards friends and peers. They also discussed the sexism women often face everyday. Some of the students also critiqued the film about sexual harassment for its rather violent solution, and for placing the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the victims. The discussion also threw light on the need for bystander intervention and it was great to see a lot of boys in the audience speak up. They spoke of not being aware of the constant sexual harassment women face and expressed their want to stand up if they were to witness any such behaviour.
5. Date– 28nd February
Location– Mumbai
Institution– Dr. BMN College of Home Science
Number of participants– 150 students
Brief– The workshop began with a general discussion on body shaming, bolstered by notes from the students in an activity where they had to list any aspect they wanted to change about their physical selves. A clip entitled ‘Am I Pretty Enough’ was shown which spoke about regaining lost confidence and re-defining standards of beauty for oneself, with a little help from loved ones. Most of the conversations on body shaming revolved around weight. Hence, another clip more specific to size issues called ‘Here I am: Why Size Shouldn’t Define Us’ was screened. This video was more upbeat and featured famous and successful women talking about their journeys through body shaming and into a more confident, happy self. The post film discussions were propelled in a more positive direction, and centred around body confidence rather than shaming
Learnings– The impact of the videos was clear when the students used the hashtag #HereIAm whilst giving feedback. A lot of the students became aware of the adverse effects of shaming others. They realized that in this new found knowledge they held the power to define beauty for themselves and others. A lot of the feedback reflected this positive outlook as well.
6. Date– 14th February
Location– Delhi
Institution– United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Delegates
Number of participants– 19 attendees
Brief– The Safecity Campus Ambassador team celebrated One Billion Rising with the visiting Delegates from the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. Everyone was asked to give their own idea and definitions of ‘safety’. Varied responses by them depicted how simple it is to feel safe but at the same time how difficult it is to achieve it. Subsequently, a video by Safecity was shown, primarily showcasing the struggles of sexual assault, harassment and violence faced by many around the globe. It depicted that these life scarring incidents take place with anybody anywhere and one must act upon them by fighting against them. The objective of the workshop was to help people open up and talk and share about issues like sexual violence and harassment that are considered sensitive and taboo. This was done through two activities which broached the subject through indirect associations. Everyone participated and spoke candidly. This activity implied the ease with which a social issue had been brought up and how uncomplicated and important it is to talk freely about these sensitive issues. Post this activity, everyone present was divided into 3 groups to conduct an informal discussion relating to the stereotypical notions on their respective topics namely: Harassment, Beauty Standards around the World and Polyamory. The idea behind this was to remove the uneasiness caused by talking publicly about such issues.
Learnings– Sexual Harassment and Assault have always been a major cause of concern but there still exists a hush-hush attitude towards the same. Games and activities can help people break their silences and find comfort in solidarity when they realise they’re not alone. They realised they needn’t feel ashamed and noted the importance of reporting. With the determination to bring about the change needed and help those who have been scarred not just physically but also mentally, the Team and the Delegates set out on their journey with the following motto:“The time to have this conversation is NOW. The time to break the silence is NOW.”
