On the night of 16th December 2012, a 23-year-old woman and her friend boarded a public bus in Delhi.

 

What followed has changed our lives forever. Anointed 'Nirbhaya' by the national press (which means “fearless” ), Jyoti Singh Pandey's brutal gang rape and subsequent death, broke through the barriers of defence against the staggering sexual violence statistics growing around India. As this young woman's fate touched countless lives, an appropriate level of righteous rage suddenly manifested on our streets and caught the attention of the world and kicked us out of our inertia. It has forced us to address the appalling state of affairs for women in our country . It has brought  glaringly into light, the lack of safety, protection and power we women have in the capital actually have.

 

More than a year after the incident nothing has changed and we are still grappling with the lack of safety and  security on our streets, at our workplaces and in our homes. We are tired of waiting for someone else to do something and have created this forum to help create a better foundation for all of us.

 

Knowledge is power, action based on empowered  knowledge is doubly so. Our aim is that by 2020 Delhi stops being know as the "rape capital" of the country and instead becomes known as the city where women are at the leading edge of their own lives. By taking charge of their finances, knowing their rights and fulfilling their potential they will be able to create more safety not just for themselves but for their daughters, sisters and mothers as well. It is our hope us to become that kind of society where "women stand up for women " and no heinous crimes or any kind of abuse towards women is tolerated.