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Activists and nobel laureates in India demand action on sexual violence

Call it a global pandemic that requires decisive steps to end 'second-class status' for women
Activists and nobel laureates in India demand action on sexual violence
Published: September 30, 2014 06:20 AM GMT
Updated: September 29, 2014 07:32 PM GMT

Rights activists and women Nobel peace laureates on Monday urged the Indian government to do more to end violence against women in the country and globally.

In a statement issued by the international human rights group Breakthrough, the organization called on the government to “take more decisive steps to end sexual violence”.

The statement was issued following an event that featured peace laureates Jody Williams and Shirin Ebadi.

"The people of India are turning their outrage at these crimes into powerful activism. Right now, students in Jadavpur are protesting sexual violence and police brutality on their campus. All around the country, activists are mobilizing for change like never before," said Williams, who is co-chair of the International Campaign to stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict.

The group comprises about 5,000 individuals and 800 member organizations working to end sexual violence.

Every day, 92 women are raped in India, according to India's National Crime Bureau, while rates of rape are at a record high in Delhi.

A recent survey by Breakthrough of women in six Indian states shows that 91 percent of women and girls in India face sexual harassment in their lifetime.



"Violence against women is the largest human rights pandemic globally. If we want to create a world where all people can thrive, we must transform the norms that lead to women's second-class status," said Breakthrough president and CEO Mallika Dutt.

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