At a time when India is reeling under rape crisis, women like Saru Rana have become torchbearers of women rights-in a hope to give voice to victims and survivors of violence across the globe.
Born to a Sikh father and a Muslim mother in Chandigarh, Mrs Rana was in second year of college when she filed a complaint of sexual harassment against a member of faculty in 2002.
Ever since then her life has been a roller coaster ride “in and out of court rooms” until she decided to start a new chapter and moved to Australia in 2009.
Presently located in Adelaide, 39-year-old Rana is now heading an Australian publication and is also a vocal and visible face of women activism in South Australia.
Having gone through years of struggle in pursuit of “justice”, Mrs Rana has joined the bandwagon of contemporary activism where she feels women must get rid of the cloak of anonymity and speak out about their experiences in public.
“Being a woman, I shouldn't be thinking, let alone talking about this 'Sexual Assault Thingy’ or else be branded some 'characterless' woman, of course”, said Mrs Rana.
“Our culture wants us woman to be sexual only in the institution of marriage, for purposes of procreation – but it often condones RAPE due to the victim wearing a romper, a short skirt, a pair of jeans, a burka and even a diaper.”-Saru Rana
Through her social campaign, ‘Shamshir’, Mrs Rana has been closely working with victims of domestic violence, sexual violence and child abuse since past nine years.
Last year, she along with her team had run a campaign to generate awareness to prevent child abuse and sexual violence against women.
In 2016, she had organised a first-ever beauty pageant for Punjabi women in Adelaide, ‘Miss and Mrs Adelaide Punjaban’ to empower and encourage women of the community.
She is currently working on two more social campaigns against domestic and family violence.
