Delhi women march against sexual violence

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

The event condemned the notion widely held in Indian society that a woman's appearance can explain or excuse rape and sexual harassment. In India, public sexual taunting or even groping of women is common.

While millions of women in India now work outside their homes in the fast-growing economy, 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 trousers.

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

Similar marches have been held in cities around the world, including Scotland. 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.

About 500 marchers and an almost equal number of journalists gathered in the sweltering July heat of the Indian capital. The marchers carried placards that read, "Change your thinking not your clothes" and "Our life, our body, our rights."

Despite rapid modernisation in its big cities, India's attitudes toward women are still largely patriarchal. The incidence of rapes and sexual attacks on women are high.

Earlier this month, the city's police chief said that women should avoid going out late at night and advised them to take a male relative or friend with them for their own safety.

"I think Delhi is the city that needs the SlutWalk the most. Everyone knows what the environment here is like for a woman and I think the reason why it happens the most is because we accept it," said Sabharwal, a 19-year-old student at Delhi University.