India’s Power Girls
These rape survivors are fighting to end sexual violence against women
An all-women group patrols the streets of the northern Indian city of
Lucknow to protect their peers from sexual harassment. If a girl or
woman reports she has been assaulted in any way, the group confronts the
perpetrator and sometimes even resorts to physical intimidation.
Most of the recruits are rape survivors. The group formed out of
frustration with a political system that has failed to address the
country’s rape epidemic. Sexual assaults often go unreported, and the
victims are left to suffer the trauma in silent shame.
