‘Arresting domestic abusers does not reduce cases of violence’

Incarceration will not solve the issue of crimes against women, Davis, a prominent civil rights activist said

American activist, feminist and author Angela Davis, 72, discussed correlations between feminism, crime and punishment, in a discussion held at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) on Wednesday.

Davis will also be speaking at KC College, Churchgate, on Friday. (Facebook)

She was speaking alongside Gina Dent, an associate professor of feminist studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Incarceration will not solve the issue of crimes against women, Davis, a prominent civil rights activist said.

“In the US, we noticed that mandatory arrests for crimes such as domestic abuse did not really reduce the number of cases in which women were being battered. The fault lies in assuming that prison will solve social issues which need a thorough rethink,” Davis added.

Talking about America under President Elect Donald Trump, who rode to victory on a campaign that targeted immigrants and other minorities, Davis said the focus in the coming years should be on building and strengthening the feeling of ‘community’.

“In the present political context in the US, we need to accelerate our activism and stand as a community to challenge any future racist or conservative scenario that we may be exposed to,” she said.

Davis will also be speaking at KC College, Churchgate, on Friday, where she will deliver the eighth Anuradha Ghandy Memorial Lecture, titled ‘Black Lives, Dalit Lives: Histories and Solidarities’.

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