Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is saddened by the increasing number of atrocities against women and says that such acts need immediate attention.
“Stop this disrespect! Measure the presence of women in our existence with required dignity! Protect them that fall unfortunate victims to savage inhuman intent and stand tough against them who raise their hands to defile them,” the 70-year-old posted on his blog.
“Despite great awareness ideals that have taken space and demonstration among the society, the atrocities continue with abandon,” Bachchan wrote, according to IANS. “Great introspection needs to be done to fathom the reason and the continuous disregard for all that should be looked upon as an evil.”
“I will not agree with the reasoning that such incidents happen all over the world or whether the statistics favour another region or not. I am interested in why it is happening at all,” he added.
With International Women’s Day falling Friday, Big B writes about Breakthrough’s Bell Bajao campaign — an international campaign launched in 2008 that calls on men to take a stand against domestic violence. Bell Bajao asks men to ring the doorbell when and where they hear violence against women occur. The campaign’s purpose is to interrupt the violence and let the abuser know that the community is watching and listening. This makes men become powerful partners in ending violence.
“I will be doing my bit to make the world a safer place for women. What’s your promise? Ring the bell,” he posted. On March 8, Breakthrough will take the campaign Bell Bajao (Ring the Bell) global. The campaign also highlights the role male fraternity can play in reducing violence.
“I am supporting Breakthrough’s latest campaign and I will ring the bell for a world in which women feel safe, free and secure. One million men make one million promises to end violence against women this year. What’s yours [promise]? There is a cause that needs support. There is a call that needs attention. And there is a heart that needs to be heard,” he further posted.
Breakthrough is a global human rights organisation which works out of India and United States. It is supported by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Clinton Global Initiative. Breakthrough focuses on issues like violence against women, sexuality and HIV/AIDS, immigrant rights and racial justice. The campaign Bell Bajao’s tools and messages have been adapted by organisations around the world, including Pakistan, Vietnam, China and Uganda.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 8th, 2013.
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