March to highlight safety of women in Delhi

NEW DELHI - It is to be a march in the evening, highlighting the concern for safety of women, especially at night. Titled aptly, Claim Your City By Night, the march planned Friday on the occasion of the Human Rights Day, is being organised by an NGO and is expected to see hundreds of participants.

The march will start at 5.30 p.m. from Barakhamba Road and end at Jantar Mantar, the 300 years old masonry work observatory on the edge of the posh shopping district of Connaught Place, said a representative of the NGO.

Emmanuelle Paris-Cohen of the organising NGO, Sathi All for Partnerships, said: “Such walks have taken place in other cities like Bangalore and Mumbai and we think it’s high time that the capital has it too, especially in the wake of a wave of violence against women here.”

“The aim of the march is to spread awareness, especially amongst the youngsters,” she said.

Last month, a 30-year-old BPO staffer from the northeast was gangraped by five men in a moving goods carrier in the capital.

Hailing from Canada, Cohen has been in India for the past seven months. She described her first reaction on the city as “shocking”, especially concerning the issue of safety of women.

A total of eight NGOs, including Manzil, Pravah and Nirmana, will participate in the walk. A large number of college students are expected to take part in it.

Cohen said the inspiration for the walk came from a movement “Take Back the Night” along the same lines in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, San Francisco, Sydney and London.