Besharmi Morcha, also known as "Slutwalk arthaat Besharmi Morcha", is the Indian equivalent of

SlutWalk SlutWalk is a Transnationalism, transnational movement calling for an end to rape culture, including victim blaming and slut shaming, slut-shaming of sexual assault victims. Participants protest against explaining or excusing rape by referring t ...

. This was an organization started in 2011 by Canadian women who protested Toronto's police public statements suggesting that women could avoid rape and sexual assault by the way they dressed. They have conducted events across the world for education about this issue. The first Besharmi Morcha took place in

Bhopal Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...

on 17 July 2011, followed by Besharmi Morcha

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

on 31 July 2011. Besharmi Morcha

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

took place on 21 August 2011. Besharmi Morcha

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, coordinated to coincide with similar events in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

on 4 December 2011, was cancelled by police after they received objections. A police spokesperson said that groups opposing Besharmi Morcha had "threatened to hold a 'violent protest'". Dhillan Mowli, one of the organisers, reported that she had been told that the event was "not part of Indian culture". Mowli also said, "The vice-president of a women's organisation called me and said that if any women were seen in skimpy clothing during the Slutwalk, they would be beaten with brooms." Christie Thompson, writing for ''

Ms Magazine ''Ms.'' is an American feminist magazine co-founded in 1971 by journalist and social/political activist Gloria Steinem. It was the first national American feminist magazine. The original editors were Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Mary Thom, Patricia ...

,'' observed "...women aren’t marching for the right to walk down the street dressed in barely-there clothes, as critics suggest. They’re fighting for the right to walk down the street. Period."

Translation

Besharmi Morcha () is most often translated into English as "shameless protest" or "shameless front". It has also been translated as "March of the Shameless" and "Shameless Campaign". Besharmi Morcha was chosen as the name in India to address its diverse cultural aspects and languages. The word "

slut ''Slut (archaic: slattern)'' is an English-language term for a person, usually a woman, who is sexually promiscuous or considered to have loose sexual morals. It is predominately used as an insult, sexual slur or offensive term of disparageme ...

" does not translate directly or equivalently into Indian languages such as Hindi. The nearest equivalent direct translation of slut is ''ranɖii'' () meaning "prostitute". Organizers worried that observers would believe that protesters were identifying as prostitutes, or seeking the right to be prostitutes, rather than protesting to protect women's safety and achieve freedom from sexual violence. Besharmi () translates as shamelessly, brazenly and even boldly. It may imply a quality of obscenity or obscenely. Morcha () is closely linked to the idea of protest and action. It often indicates political protest and has military overtones. Besharmi Morcha has multiple meanings that are not readily translated into English. It is generally summed up as meaning "shamelessly and boldly protesting in a united way that others may see as wrong or even obscene".

References

{{Rape in India Feminist theory Cultural studies Misogyny Rape in India Feminist protests Protest marches in India 2011 protests Women's rights in Asia Violence against women in India Sexual harassment in India Feminism in India History of women in India