Violence against women is the biggest war on earth, one which happens inside homes, writer and feminist Kamla Bhasin said while addressing survivors of violence and college students.

“There is no war bigger than this (violence against women). It’s sad that this war happens inside our homes,” said Bhasin.

She was the keynote speaker at an online programme by One Billion Rising India & Calcutta chapter to celebrate Rising Gardens, Rising Women.

One Billion Rising is a mass action to end violence against women. The global campaign started on Valentine’s Day in 2012 as a call to action to rise against violence.

Performance by the members of Sanved, an NGO Sourced by correspondent

“For me every day is a day of love. Not just February 14. Because I don’t believe in hatred, I don’t believe in fighting,” said Bhasin, the south Asia coordinator of One Billion Rising.

She said a 2012 report of the World Health Organisation stated that one in three women in the word was a victim of violence.

“If you total this number, it comes to 100 crore women…. So we have to mark One Billion Rising to strike, dance and rise. Dance because one need not remain a victim any more but be a survivor and a driver of our lives,” said Bhasin.

“Small changes can be brought by a small organisation or a family. But if we have to bring about big changes, we have to have big movements… and this rising 100 crores does not only comprise women… it comprises men, transgender, children. All those who respect and love women.”

The two-hour online programme, held on Friday, was organised by 11 NGOs.

Organisers and others said the pandemic had only intensified the violence against women. “This year we had to address double the number of cases. The intensity and the frequency of violence both have increased,” said Anuradha Kapoor, the founder and director of Swayam, a women’s rights organisation.

Kapoor said that while an increasing number of women wanted to leave home because of violence, they were facing problems related to unavailability of transport and shelter homes.

“In March last year we had started with three helplines for women. Now there are 10 helplines…. During a pandemic or any crisis, violence against women increases,” Kapoor said.

“Women are locked in houses with their abusers during a pandemic. For men whose mobility has been restricted (by the pandemic) or who have lost jobs, women become easy targets.”

During the programme, survivors of violence shared their experiences of coming out of their situations. They faced violence, which has left “permanent scars” on them, not just from in-laws but also in parental homes.

The campaign follows a theme that “resonates with every woman,” and this year’s theme is violence on nature.

Keeping in mind the connection between nature and mother earth, who receive the harshest of blows, the theme “Rising Garden, calls out for revival, restoration and transformation”.

“Let us grow gardens of hope, gardens of love and gardens of loving communities,” said Bhasin.