Twenty five-year-old Chandrashekhar of Yadagirigutta mandala, Nalagonda district, Andhra Pradesh, says, “A girl in my village committed suicide because she was sexually harassed. I was extremely disturbed about this. After being sensitised to the campaign, I have begun to make efforts to speak to college students about the need to speak to women with respect and behave towards them with propriety. I feel that even if a few students understand my point of view, it would help change attitudes.

Girls are often denied education in good colleges and this is also a form of violence. We need to work to end it. Our family friends refused to educate their daughter after school despite her shining academic performance and securing more marks than her brother. I persuaded the girl’s parents to allow her to study and managed to get her a scholarship so that they face no economic hardships. Now she has been guaranteed free education for two years.

Prostitution is a way of life in my village because of economic compulsions. It is important to speak of AIDS to people and also expose the negative health and social consequences of domestic violence. Ensuring livelihoods can help reverse the situation and eliminate trafficking. We need to eliminate the practice of giving dowry as well as it ruins families.”