“I was 15 years old when I was gang-raped by eight men. That’s what pushed me to help other victims of rape and sexual exploitation.
My childhood was different. I was born with one leg turned around. I wore a cast for the first few years of my life and received physiotherapy. It was a painful affair, but I remained extremely strong through it, is what everyone tells me. As I grew up, I started teaching underprivileged children in my neighborhood, whatever I learnt at school.
Till the age of 15, I worked towards rural literacy, poverty and public welfare. However, after the gang-rape, I was made to feel like a criminal for the crime I never committed. But I never victimised myself – neither then, nor now. What I felt was anger. I chose to re-direct my energies towards a mission to reach out to other victims. That’s how I started Prajwala in1996 along with Brother Jose Vetticatil, a Catholic missionary. It all started by converting a brothel in Hyderabad into a school for children of women in prostitution. Even after 33 years, that anger is not lost. The numbers of rapes are just increasing and so is my anger.
When we choose to remain silent about issues like sexual abuse and sexual crime due to prestige, honor, shame and guilt, we end up creating an enabling environment for the perpetrators to thrive. That is why it’s important, even if it is inconvenient, to break the silence!
It is important that the perpetrators know that their acts will not be tolerated or accepted. The society must collectively take this into consideration. When half of humanity is not safe, the world cannot be a safe place for anybody.
Each one of us has a role to play. We must start within our circles. Bring up better sons, encourage conversation with males around us, et al are small steps that can leave a long lasting impact.
Prosecution and conviction of an offender is not the end of any problem. In order to end the problem, it must be prevented. We need to change our attitude, our behavior, the way we think of and perceive women, the construct of feminity in our minds. As a society, we have become selectively sensitised about issues. We are creating a society tolerant towards sexual crimes and justify it by finding fault with women by questioning what she is wearing, why she’s going there or why she is doing something. We never question why he did that.
Sexual exploitation is not acceptable! That kind of zero tolerance is the only thing that can bring change in the society. It all boils down to the fact that the perpetrators, their thoughts and perceptions and the society that an enables their actions, are all ours. If we can create it, we can also end it. All it takes is the singular and collective step to make that change!”

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