13.3.15

Suzette


We love you Suzette Jordan‬ . 
You leave a legacy for us to aspire to. 
Unapologetic. Fearless. Woman.
Shine On.

9.3.15

REPORTING TO REMEMBER : I NEVER ASK FOR IT


Building evidence : Public memory



“Mobile phone culture, bad influence of western culture and indecent dressing sense among women as reasons behind rape” 
Uttar Pradesh Police, 
Source: IBN

“Mandatory for girl students to wear overcoats to prevent sexual crimes” .
Minister for Education , forests, electiricity, Puducherry, T Thiagarajan’s decision after the kidnapping and rape of a grade 12 student and an engineering student.
Source: Hindustan Times

“Why would a mother go to a nightclub?”
Transport Minister of WB (TMC), Madan Mitra’s response to Suzzette Jordan’s gangrape in Kolkata.
Source: The Hindu

“Women who cross their limits will pay the price.”
Member of Parliament and BJP leader , Kailash Vijayvargia
Source: India Today

“Rapes take place also because of a woman's clothes, her behavior and her presence at inappropriate places”
National Congress Party Leader, Asha Mirje
Source: Reuters

“Being gay is a mental disorder.”Bharatiya Janata Party member, Dr. Subramanian Swamy
Source: Deccan Chronicle



Reporting To Remember is a pledge to not forget incidents of sexual violence, that have been justified by individuals in power and authority. It takes the form collaborative, participatory, and open research project that archives incidents of gender based violence that have been excused, and therefore permitted. 

We are Reporting to Remember : incidents of sexual violence that have been justified and live in public collective memory. The Reporting To Remember project locates, collects and shares the number of incidents and cases of sexual violence that have been excused, hence allowed, across geographies and contexts.

To contribute to Reporting To Remember is to be part of a collective process of generating evidence. This could be in the form of statements, news reports, articles, blogposts and other public documents.

The Reporting To Remember project values inclusivity in its reports and urges you to share statements from various spaces and locations, and relating to multiple genders, orientations, identities, and intersections. This archive is a collaborative effort and will be publicly shared and sourced. 

*Reporting to Remember*  is a collaborative open archive project as part of the "I Never Ask For It" campaign. It is being facilitated by Blank Noise along with project partners and allies, i.e., you.

Do fill in this form, linking to documents, articles, or posts that you have come across in your contexts, communities and collective memories, that justify sexual violence. 

#ReportingToRemember. 
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/blank_noise
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/BLANK-NOISE/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/blanknoise/
e: blurtblanknoise@gmail.com

8.3.15

" The Face Of Evil "



Source - Nirmukta
News anchor:
In other news, women must stick to household work...
Man sitting next to TV: "Damn right"
News Anchor "... says the delhi rapist"
Man: "That monster!"


Say How You Feel It : I Never Ask For It Translation



How do you challenge or reject blame in your language?
How do you say I NEVER ASK FOR IT? 
This is a call for tonal impact rather than direct translation.
Add your response in the comments below
or on Facebook , twitter #INeverAskForIt 


4.3.15

Why are we so angry? And shocked ?

Disease? Daughters? Monster? Sickness ?


* SHOCKING *   SHOCKING * SHOCKING * 
* SHOCKING *   SHOCKING * SHOCKING *   
* SHOCKING *   SHOCKING * SHOCKING * 
* SHOCKING *   SHOCKING * SHOCKING *   
* SHOCKING *   SHOCKING * SHOCKING * 
* SHOCKING *   SHOCKING * SHOCKING *   
* SHOCKING *   SHOCKING * SHOCKING * 
* SHOCKING *   SHOCKING * CHILLING *   
* SHOCKING *   SHOCKING * SHOCKING * 
* SHOCKING *   SHOCKING * SHOCKING *   
* SHOCKING *   CHILLING * SHOCKING * 
* SHOCKING *   SHOCKING * SHOCKING *   

(Delhi rapist says victim shouldn't have fought back . That she should have been silent ... they would 'do her' and let her go. and only hit the boy. That they did it to teach her a lesson because she was out late with a man. 


YES , THE LIKELIHOOD OF HIM SAYING SO ISN'T VERY SURPRISING. nor shocking. maybe a reminder that sexual violence has long been justified, perpetuated, enabled  by our own attitudes that create an environment of victim blame.  
he's part of it. we're part of it. 
'THE FACE OF EVIL' LIVES IN ALL OF US.
in our court room, in the press, in the police stations, at home, in our mind, on the internet...
ML Sharma, the defence lawyer said "In our society, we never allow our girls to come out from the house after 6:30 or 7:30 or 8:30 in the evening with any unknown person," 
Javed Akhtar, Rajya Sabha MP on why we're angry. that the rapists attitudes have been shared, spoken and encouraged in the parliament itself. they know they think just like the rapist, and if this doesn't sound right, they should change their own mindset.

Nilanjana Roy : 

Indian women found their voice after the Delhi rape. Could this film help silence them again?


Video: Nirbhaya's parents talking to NDTV, along with the film maker Lesleee Udwin , Pinki Virani, Kiran Bedi,  Vani Tripathi

INDIA’S DAUGHTER’ IS NOT AN ACT OF GLOBAL SOLIDARITY Vrinda Grover 
I think we need to take a position of engagement rather than posit it as a ban or no ban issue ( which to my mind is much more convenient but not necessarily helpful position).





1.3.15

Meet To Sleep. Feb 28. Bangalore


Action Hero Lijya





Action Heroes Bhawana Udhani , Satya Gummuluri , Shruti Chandrashekharan, Yamini Deen
Monica Nanjunda, Maria Emille Burger, Lijya Perayil, Rishita Nandagiri




Action Hero Evetta Cardosa with her friends




Satya Gummuluri

"i sleep when i feel like it.
i sleep where i like. i'm just a person who's sleepy, So i sleep. i make myself comfortable - i ignore the unwanted, i let the breeze whisper. i sleep. So what."
"Meet to Sleep was a wake up call - having spent years abroad in places where one moves about with hardly any social scrutiny, I had forgotten what it means to have people question one for something as insignificant as sleeping outdoors while being female. Repressed memories from a time long ago bubbled back up.


Monica Nanjunda:

I slept well in a public park for the first time in my life, when I joined in with the Blank Noise 'Meet To Sleep'. I felt safe only because there were plenty of other people from the group around, who where also sleeping nearby. I wouldn't have the courage to do it alone

It made me so aware of how I am actually not at all comfortable to doze off in any public space. Like for example, public transports. In a bus or a taxi or an auto. I am always scared to go into deep sleep. The realisation makes me angry/frustrated and every once in while, I need this anger to be addressed through activities like meet to sleep. So that I constantly remember this unfairness and not unconsciously accept the way things are.


Lijya Perayil:
I still remember the first time that I tried to put myself to sleep in a park at the first Meet to Sleep event. I consciously spoke to my head and mind to relax, trust the environment and be at peace. I reminded myself of all the strangers in my life who've been good to me or whom I've had good experiences with. It brought a smile to my face and helped me loosen my otherwise ever present guard for the outside. I think I'm getting more and more comfortable indulging in the activity now. Am normalising the act of sleeping in a park in my own head. It's a liberating feeling to be able to do it--Actually sleep in a park. The nap was refreshing and makes me want to do it more often. The feeling after having slept in the park is just incredible .. sort of makes me wonder why I didn't do it before and makes me a little sad of what I've been missing out on for so long!

Shruti Chandrasekaran:
Meeting to sleep reinforced for me the bliss of being oblivious in using public spaces. Being in a group helped me let my guard down and enjoy that beautiful afternoon without worrying about the integrity of my personal space, and the absence of that fear helped me see how it's up to me to place my trust in the environment and use it without constraint- most of my apprehensions stemmed from being brought up thinking being very cautious will help prevent some supposedly inevitable injury. I have subsequently napped by myself in the park and it was great!