To commemorate International Women’s Day, Uber has brought its global “Driving Change” campaign to India and announced a partnership with Breakthrough, a non-profit organisation which works to reduce violence against women and girls in India. As part of the collaboration, Breakthrough is launching a campaign, #IgnoreNoMore, which encourages bystander intervention and supports collective action to end gender-based violence in public spaces.
“#IgnoreNoMore is designed to drive awareness, inspire action and encourage more Indians to say “no more” to gender-based violence and bystander apathy. The campaign will push people to understand their own role as changemakers for building safer public spaces,” said Sohini Bhattacharya, President and CEO, Breakthrough.
During the announcement, Sohini also spoke about ‘Bystander intervention’ giving a few examples on the same. She mentioned how years ago she was juggling for space in a Kolkata tram, with two men standing very close to her. Due to the intervention of some women who asked the men to go stand elsewhere, Sohini could finally get some space. She also highlighted how we can practice bystander intervention in our everyday lives. If for example we are witnessing a domestic abuse situation right in front of us, spilling some coffee on the oppressor ‘by mistake’ or stepping on their toe could help delay and defuse the situation.
Crimes against women and girls, especially in public spaces, have seen a steady rise in recent years. According to the National Crime Record Bureau report of 2018 (NCRB), nearly 3.78 lakh cases of crime against women were reported across the country. The #IgnoreNoMore campaign aims to raise awareness on how bystanders can become agents of change rather than just spectators. The approach will empower bystanders to recognise unhealthy and problematic behaviours and intervene before abuse or assault takes place.
{{/usCountry}}Crimes against women and girls, especially in public spaces, have seen a steady rise in recent years. According to the National Crime Record Bureau report of 2018 (NCRB), nearly 3.78 lakh cases of crime against women were reported across the country. The #IgnoreNoMore campaign aims to raise awareness on how bystanders can become agents of change rather than just spectators. The approach will empower bystanders to recognise unhealthy and problematic behaviours and intervene before abuse or assault takes place.
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“We’re committing major funding for awareness and prevention programs with members of courageous, thought-leading organisations like Breakthrough and we will continue to seek advice from them on how we can do more to prevent violence and to help keep women safe,” said Pavan Vaish, Head of Central Operations, India, Uber.
Pavan also spoke about Uber Bhavishya, which is Uber India and South Asia’s program to get more women and gender-diverse partners on board as Uber drivers.
The author tweets at @shadowwarior and can be reached at kabir.bhandari@htdigital.in and Instagram.com/kabirsinghbhandari
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