Artwork by Kully Rehal The Hands Jolts awake, The bus, His hands, It happens all over again. Every night it haunts you, The Mumbai rape that will never leave your mind. You are the one in five, Though you wonder if this number may be higher here. Such a huge issue, Yet no one cares. The government laughs, Friends scoff, …
Author: Shruti Kapoor
Jessica Eaton: Domestic, Sexual, Child Abuse and Rape
Topic: Domestic Abuse/CSA/Rape ***Trigger Warning for Extremely Graphic Content*** My Story The Sexual Abuse Started Early I was 11 when my parents divorced. It was messy. Dad was devastated and started drinking. Mum had been having an affair and had moved in with her new boyfriend. I don’t remember feeling vulnerable but I was clearly a sitting duck, in hindsight. The …
Safety in Public Spaces in Nairobi – #7DaysofGenius
Topic: Safety in Public Spaces 7 Days of Genius is a global festival celebrating the power of genius, with a special focus this year on creative ideas and thinking for social good. From New York to Nairobi, Jerusalem to Guatemala City, communities around the world come together for one week to explore, debate and celebrate genius ideas and innovations that …
The Reason I Share My Rape Story – You are Not Alone
Topic: Rape *Trigger Warning* My Story Becoming a butterfly The egg of the butterfly is hidden away, under a leaf, until the caterpillar growing inside is ready to come out. You never know how life is going to turn out. My young life was full of potential, although I didn’t know it at the time. Things happen that change your …
Making the Move Towards Non-Stereotypical Parenting
Topic: Equal Parenting Confessions of a Work-from-home-dad The concept of ‘Work From Home Fathers’ while slowly gaining popularity in the west, has yet to pick up and be accepted as a norm in India. Enter Sid Balachandran, also known as Rishi’s dad, is working hard at changing the stereotypes associated with parenting, by doing it in the most obvious way …
Speak Our Stories: Domestic Violence and Rape by @atdrye
Topic: Domestic Violence & Rape *Trigger Warning* My Story As a child, I experienced sexual abuse at the hands of my oldest brother. It began before I can even remember, likely at three or four-years-old, and went on until I was twelve years old. Even though he was abusing me, I loved my brother and idolized him. It was very confusing …
Speak Our Stories: My Rape and Its Effects (Anonymous Submission)
*Trigger Warning: rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse Topic: Rape My Story It was the winter of 2000 and I was 20 years old. I was not a big party person and spent most of my time with a small group of friends or at home with my siblings. I had a new female friend, Aimee, who had a crush on one …
Speak Our Stories – This is the Way Domestic Violence Affects Us All by @kalbirbains
Topic: Domestic Violence My Story My mother raised four children on her own, without any support from my father. She had to protect us from my father, who was abusive to us all. Although my mother tried not to show how difficult it was being a single parent, it was hard for her children to see the struggles she faced, …
People Extraordinaire – Lauren C. Anderson
“One should not take personal safety for granted no matter where you are. One of the things I always share with young girls is – be aware of your surroundings. How you carry yourself matters.” You were one of the first women on a FBI SWAT team. Why did you chose FBI and how did you break the glass ceiling? …
Gender Based Violence – It's not funny
Violence Against Women is not funny. Stop joking about it! I got up this morning with an urgent need to write. I had received a simple forward. A meme. The joke seemed almost harmless, just like every other misogynistic joke which rides the internet waves. The picture depicted a wife and a husband in a car with the caption “Darling, put on …