Bringing real-life stories of sex crime to stage

In most cases, victims of sex crimes find themselves further victimized because of the discriminatory attitude of society. It is these very biases faced by women who have undergone sexual abuse that will be depicted on stage by a play titled WAVE — Women Against Violent Experiences.
The play, based on three real-life incidents that took place in the city, is the brainchild of city-based theatre troupe Yours Truly Alma.In fact, it was the World Economic Forum that approached the theatre group to come up with a theatrical campaign to end violence against women in Bangalore.
“In recent times, Bangalore has witnessed a series of sex crimes against women and children that have rattled the city. Denizens came out in the open to protest violence against women and demanded better safety measures for women and children,” said Ranji David, director of the play.
“As part of our play, we approached women from all sections of society. We interviewed 50 women who were victims of sexual violence. Out of these 50 true stories, we selected three,” adds Ranji.
Ranji says that in all these stories, the focus is not just on the crimes committed against women, but also on the social reaction that the victims got after they reported the crime. “Be it family, society or the police, most of the times victims are asked to keep quiet to avoid embarrassment,” he says.