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    Posted January 13, 2013 by
    meeravijayan
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    Delhi Gang Rape: Indian Men Choose to 'Skirt the Issue'

    By meeravijayan  |  Posted January 13, 2013  |  Bangalore, India
     

    CNN PRODUCER NOTE     meeravijayan attended a protest in Bangalore, India, on January 12. She says many of the protesters were young men who wore skirts in order to show solidarity for women in India. 'The men wore skirts, to challenge the absurd view of conservative politicians and spiritual gurus who made comments that short skirts, and western clothing invites sexual assault,' she said. 'The idea was to show that a piece of clothing doesn't invite sexual assault.' She believes that the protesting is helping bring to light the issues of women's safety. 'It's also important for the world to understand that it isn't just an "India problem", rape needs to be seen seriously everywhere,' she said.
    - Jareen, CNN iReport producer

    Dressed in long and short skirts, young men in Bangalore took to organising a rally for men to talk about the controversial, regressive comments made by politicians in India regarding women. It was interesting to see the number of men who turned up at Cubbon Park, most of them between the ages of 20 to 30, discussing present laws and attitudes towards women.

    Aditya Mallya, a Bangalore-based professional who co-organised the campaign with Samarpita Samaddar, another young campaigner, said that the idea that a woman's attire could provoke rapists was ridiculous. 'Will I get raped if I wore a skirt?,' he asked,'The point of this protest isn't to rally or shout slogans, but rather show how wearing a skirt is just normal and that a piece of clothing cannot invite rape.' The rally was covered quite heavily by the press here, and it's interesting that more young men are coming forward to talk about gender issues since the gang rape case in Delhi last month. Meanwhile, the trial has begun, and people in India are anxiously waiting to see what the verdict will be.
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