Jyoti Mhapsekar at Demonstration against VAW 22-12-2012

During the decade of eighties the women's movement in India was concerned mainly with fighting against sexist behaviour of the state enforcement machinery but now its efforts are more in direction of creating pro-women environment so that the victims of sexual violence can get legal redress and societal attitude towards women's sexuality can change. Articulate women journalists, researchers, academicians, independent consultants and activists attend the government sponsored training programmes and act as resource-persons for 'gender-sensitisation' of police officers, administrators, judges, etc. Initially the women activists were reluctant to have a dialogue with them as, while dealing with day-to-day practical issues, the government bureaucrats, forest officials and police officials were not found helpful to women's cause.