JOIN USAppalled by the molestation of women on Brigade Road on New Year’s Eve, women in the city will take out a solidarity march on Brigade Road on January 11 to reclaim safety in public spaces.
Called ‘#IWillGoOut’, the march is being organised by the group ‘Night in my shining armour’ formed by students of Christ University.
“Women are not safe in public spaces, be it on the streets, buses or in movie theatres,” Theekshna Amin, a fifth-year law student and a member of the group, said. “Most women have a curfew. They have to be home before it gets dark because their family expects them to or because it is unsafe. You cannot go out at night unless accompanied by a male chaperone,” she said. The collective is campaigning for public spaces to be safer for women and also to make it normal for them to be seen outside after dark.
On January 11 at 8 pm, the group joined by supporters, both men and women, will walk from Cauvery Emporium on MG Road and march down Brigade Road.
The march is not meant to be a protest and it does not blame anyone. The intention is to make a statement, the organisers explained.
The movement is not restricted to women. “As a guy, stepping out at night is not an issue for me. But society places many restrictions on women and there are also safety concerns,” said Shantan Banala, a law student who took part in the event in Cubbon Park.