Highlights
- A candlelight vigil was held in Parramatta to condemn the violence against women with a focus on the Hathras gangrape.
- The vigil was organized by The Humanism Project group and Ambedkar International Mission Australia
- The vigil was in support of women who have faced extreme violence, rape and who were brutally murdered
The main focus of the vigil held in Sydney's Parramatta was the recent alleged gang rape and murder of a Dalit girl from Hathras, a small town in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
The alleged gang-rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl followed by her hurried cremation, depriving her family their right to conduct her last rites has drawn the attention of the media across the world.
SBS Hindi spoke about the purpose of the vigil with one of the organizers, Aparna Ramteke who is a member of the Ambedkar International Mission.
"Through this protest, we appeal to the international community and the United Nations Human Rights Council for their support in the struggle against rampant atrocities on women and Dalits in India," Ms Ramteke told SBS Hindi.
Ms Ramteke said they were focusing on the Hathras gangrape and murder case as there has been a significant rise in gender-specific violence in India in the last few years.
"However, India has shown an acute rise in gender-specific violence, from last 4 to 5 years.
"According to The Wire and NCRB, there are 87 rape cases daily with the shocking age group of 3 months to 87-year-old women. Most of these cases belong to the oppressed section of the society like tribals, Dalits at the hands of so-called upper caste people," Ms Ramteke averred.
Ms Ramteke quoted Baba Saheb Ambedkar, an Indian Dalit parliamentarian and the author of the Indian constitution and said, “I do not believe that we can build up a free society in India so long as there is a trace of this ill-treatment and suppression of one class by another.”
The vigil was attended by Senator Lee Rhiannon and Councillor Phil Riley who expressed their support.
Listen to the podcast:
The Humanism Project group works for all social issues across the world and The Ambedkar International Mission Australia is a group of like-minded Ambedkarites who are focused on paying back to the society by helping the needy and destitute by organizing different workshops and lecture series.
Meanwhile, in India, the country's premier investigation agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has questioned the four accused, Sandeep, Luvkush, Ramu, and Ravi who are in judicial custody.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction's restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
News and information is available in 63 languages at https://sbs.com.au/coronavirus
Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania
Tune into SBS Hindi at 5 pm every day and follow us on Facebook and Twitter
