Let's break the silence

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">An international campaign to curb the increasing domestic violence against women starts in Mumbai today </span><br /><br />According to the National Crime Records Bureau 2002, there is:<br /><br />* One act of sexual harassment takes place every 12 minutes in India. <br />* One woman is raped every 32 minutes in India.<br />* One woman is murdered every 77 minutes in India.<br /><br />Now add to that the recent headlines — IAS officer Nidhi Pandey alleging mental abuse and physical assault by her IPS officer husband Deepak Pandey and Clement Thomas charged with torturing his wife Beena who died of third degree burns — and you will find that domestic violence and abuse of women is now not just something that happens to someone somewhere. It could happen to you. <br /><br />The International Campaign To Stop Violence against Women and Girls, starting from today till December 10, has brought focus on these issues. More than 200 Indian and about 30 Mumbai organisations are participating in the campaign. Says Nandita Shah of Akshara, a participant organisation, "There are many misconceptions about violence against women. Domestic violence occurs across the board in all kinds of households. It''s just that educated women feel too ashamed and disloyal to talk about their experiences."<br /><br />The police insensitivity, a lack of understanding of abuse and a lack of a support system that enable a woman to get out of an abusive relationship or situation have been long since considered the bane of the problem. However, most activists see a better future with the involvement of youth in such issues. "It''s important to understand that there are real women and issues behind these statistics. The solution involves all of us," adds Shah.<br /><br />Harish Sadani, honorary secretary of Men Against Violence and Abuse, comments, "Men are not just part of the problem, they need to be part of the solution too."</div> </div>