Slut Walk to protest sexual violence against women

The clothes weren’t ‘slutty’, but the message that Delhi gave in its first SlutWalk on Sunday was loud and clear

There were no short skirts, fishnet stockings or lingerie on display that were the staple of other global “SlutWalk” marches as hundreds gathered in India's capital on Sunday to protest sexual violence against women.

The event condemned the notion widely held in this traditional society that a woman's appearance can explain or excuse rape and sexual harassment. In India, public sexual taunting or even groping of women — locally known as “Eve teasing” — is common

While millions of women in India now work outside their homes as the economy continues to grow at a fast clip, the country is still largely conservative. Perhaps keeping that in mind, most marchers wore jeans and T-shirts or salwar-kameezes, the Indian tunic paired with loose pants.

“We're walking for a cause and we're dressed in the same clothes that we wear everyday,” organizer Umang Sabharwal said ahead of the march.

Similar marches have been held in cities around the world. The protests originated in Toronto, Canada, where they were sparked by a police officer's remark that women could avoid being raped by not dressing like “sluts.”

THIS (SALWAAR KAMEEZ) IS WHAT I WEAR EVERYDAY, AND I STILL GET HARASSED. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU WEAR – JOCELYN WILLIAMS FROM UK,WHO HAS BEEN LIVING IN DELHI FOR TWO-AND-A-HALF YEARS, PARTICIPATED IN THE DELHI SLUTWALK DRESSED IN A SALWAAR SUIT

THIS IS A VERY YOUNG, EDUCATED, MIDDLE CLASS, ELITE, FACEBOOK-TWITTERUSING- CLASS-THING. I JUST HOPE THIS BECOMES MORE THAN JUST AN ELITE MOVEMENT AND REACHES THE PEOPLE IT NEEDS TO ADDRESS – ANNIE NAMALA, NGO WORKER

IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU’RE A MAN OR A WOMAN, IF YOU HAVE TO FIGHT FOR GENDER EQUALITY, YOU WILL – ANGAD SINGH, IP UNIVERSITY STUDENT