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Then the beating began. Some of the young women lightly used their fists, others took off their shoes and hit him with those. When it was over, they let him limp away to nurse his wounds, certain that he had learned an important lesson: don’t push your luck with the Red Brigade.

Named for their bright red outfits, the Red Brigade was formed in November 2011 as a self-defence group for young women suffering sexual abuse in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, 300 miles south-east of Delhi. Galvanised by the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old medical student in Delhi last December and the nationwide protests that followed against a rising tide of rapes, they are now gaining in confidence.

From a core membership of 15, ranging in age from 11 to 25, they now have more than 100 members, intelligent and sassy and with a simple message for the men who have made their lives a misery: they will no longer tolerate being groped, gawped at and worse. Their activities are a lesson in empowerment.

Men who fall foul of the Red Brigade can first expect a visit and a warning. Sometimes the Red Brigade will ask the police to get involved, but if all else fails they take matters into their own hands. Their leader, 25-year-old teacher Usha Vishwakarma, has her own experience of the daily danger faced by many young women in the country. She was just 18 when a fellow teacher tried to rape her. “He grabbed me and put his hands round me and tried to open my belt and trousers,” says Usha, sitting in the bare-brick front room of her small house. “But I was saved by my jeans because they were too tight for him to open, and that gave me a chance to fight, so I kicked him in the sensitive place and pushed him down and ran out of the door.”

No one at the school took her accusations seriously, telling her to forget it and stop causing trouble. The experience left her traumatised and for two years she did nothing. But little by little her confidence came back. In 2009 she set up her own small school for local girls in an outbuilding next to her family home. Yet all around her, she says, she saw more and more young women suffering the same abuse she had faced. And it was threatening to wreck the chances of her young female students.

“Parents were telling girls to stay in their homes so there would be no incidents. They said, ‘if you go to school, boys will be troubling you, so stay home and there will be no sexual violence’,” says Vishwakarma. “But we said no, and we decided to form a group to fight for ourselves. We decided we would not just complain; we would take a lead and fight for ourselves.” They bought red kameez (shirts) and black salwar (trousers) and began to plan the fightback. “We chose red because it means danger and black for protest,” says Vishwakarma.

There is much to fight back against. “It is in the minds of men that girls are objects and it has been like that always,” says Vishwakarma. “Religion shows women as very powerless and that whoever is strong can do anything.”

Other members of the group drift in and join her, sitting on the bed along one wall of the front room. At the other end of the room is a table laden with the placards they carry with them when they go out to protest on the 29th day of every month. The demonstrations mark the date of the Delhi bus rape and murder on 29 December. Their slogans read: “Stop rape now” and “We want safety”.

“In the electronic era there are pictures everywhere of women and girls being treated like objects. It is now very simple to see pornography and it is feeding the hunger for sex. The men think that if you are looking sexy, then you want sex,” says Vishwakarma.

They have started martial arts training so that the men do not have a physical advantage over them. Pooja, Vishwakarma’s 18-year-old sister, laughs as she recalls the reaction of the boy they grabbed in the street when his taunts became too much. “We all stopped and turned round and we surrounded him and grabbed his arms and legs and he thought it was a joke, but we were not kidding and four of us lifted him in the air and the others started to hit him with their shoes and fists,” she says.

The rough justice the Red Brigade metes out might seem extreme to western sensibilities, but many Indian women are making it clear that they are no longer prepared to put up with endemic abuse. That much is clear from the crime figures: reports of molestation in Delhi are up 590% year on year and rape reports by 147%. The rape cases have hit tourist numbers, which were down 25% in the first three months of the year – 35% fewer women are travelling to India.

The Red Brigade say sexual abuse is a part of daily life for young women like them. They all have stories of abuse, attempted rapes and daily harassment. “This is what happens in India,” says 16-year-old Laxmi, one of Vishwakarma’s lieutenants. “These things happen all the time. All of us know this, so don’t let anyone say otherwise. This is why we have formed the Red Brigade.”

Seventeen-year-old Preeti Verma nods in agreement. Her family are too poor to have a toilet in the house, so she has to go out into the fields, she says. Every time she went out, the man in the neighbouring house threw stones at her to try to scare her into jumping up. “He wanted to see my body,” she says. “I told him: ‘What are you doing? You are shameless, don’t you have a mother and sister in your house?’ But he replied that his mother is for his father, his sister is for her husband and that I was for him.” She told Vishwakarma, and the man received a visit from the Red Brigade and another from the police. She has had no trouble from him since.

“We’ve caught a lot of men recently,” says 17-year-old Sufia Hashmi. “I joined up because men always used to pass comments on me and touch my body, but now we beat them the men cannot do anything and they run away. You feel powerful and you feel good.”

The next day, they gather on the roof of a gym across the city to run through their moves, a mixture of kicks, punches and throws. An instructor shows Pooja how to use a wooden stick to keep a boy at bay. She holds it against his assistant’s throat and the boy looks terrified. The others gasp and giggle.

Yet it is not just the young men of the neighbourhood that the Red Brigade must overcome. Many of the members are very young and, although some of their parents are supportive, others are convinced they are wasting their lives. “The attitude of my parents is very demoralising,” says 16-year-old Simpi Diwari, a tiny young woman who a few moments ago was kicking away the legs of one of her colleagues. “I want to be like Usha, fighting against the cruel things, I want to be a teacher and a motivator too, but I am fighting with my parents just to be allowed out of the house.”

On the way back to the slum, the rickshaws pass a public park and for a moment these tough young women show themselves for what they really are – children forced to grow up fast. They beg and plead to stop. “Please, please,” they say, their eyes gleaming in excitement. Shrieking gleefully, they race off towards the swings, slides and roundabouts. Later they stroll back through the market, eating ice-creams, heading for their homes. The sun is low in the sky, the shadows long. The men watch sullenly as they pass, like wolves who have just discovered the sheep are armed. No one risks a word.

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A shocking number of children have been arrested in connection with sex crimes in the North, with experts blaming online pornography. In some cases those arrested were as young as six, a Sunday Sun investigation has revealed.

Our probe shows how almost 500 children aged 17 and under were arrested for sexual offences according to police data, 20% of which were formal investigations into reports of rape. Of those arrested, more than 140 were 13 or younger – with 40 of those being on suspicion of rape.

Charity bosses told the Sunday Sun that they have seen a national trend of an increase in these types of crimes. One North MP last night said the alarming figures painted a picture of “childhood innocence destroyed”. However, only a handful of those arrested were convicted of offences. Nationally, only 400 people aged between 10 and 17 were convicted of sexual offences between September 2011 and September 2012.

This amounts to just 7% of the 5,700 convictions for sexual crimes committed by offenders of all ages over the same time period. This is because a large number of them are below the age of criminality, which in this country is 10, whereas in some cases the accused will have accepted cautions, or the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will not have pursued a prosecution.

Experts blamed the shocking figures on the increasing availability of hardcore pornography on phones and the internet. A spokesperson for the NSPCC said children they work with often appear to be acting out what they have watched. And young people were more exposed to the “powerful influence” of online pornography than ever before, according to Pat Buckley, NSPCC service centre manager for Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

She said: “There does appear to be a link between incidents of this nature and watching hardcore porn, although more longer term research is needed.

“We should also not forget that the young people perpetrating this serious abuse have often themselves experienced significant emotional deprivation and other forms of abuse.”

While the vast majority of those reported for sexual assault in the North were boys or male teens, a handful were teenage girls. Other offences investigated among the region’s children included making indecent photographs, indecent exposure and incest.
In more than 100 of the incidents probed by police, the alleged victim was 10 or under.
North Tyneside MP Mary Glindon said the Sunday Sun’s investigation, in particular the cases where those arrested had not even reached adolescence, painted a picture of “childhood innocence destroyed”.

Mrs Glindon, who sits on an all-parliamentary party group on body image, argued the mainstream media also had to take some responsibility for the disturbing figures.

“It’s not just the internet,” she claimed. “Even with something as popular as the X-Factor, everything’s so sexual. It leads children into thinking, what’s next? Young children just don’t look like young children anymore,” the Labour MP said. Simon Hackett is professor of applied social sciences at Durham University. He has led academic research into children who have sexually abused, and has worked as a practitioner in child welfare. “In my research, 50% of victims had experienced abuse themselves.

“If you’re trying to find trigger behaviour, looking at porn has been a very significant influence.

“Early sexualisation can be a trigger for this kind of offending behaviour.”

Northumbria reported 273 incidents of youths being arrested for alleged sexual assaults against people under 18 over three years, while in Cleveland the figure was 71. A spokesperson for the force said the number of children under 13 arrested for sexual offences had decreased over the last three years, though figures across the North remained steady.

North Yorkshire reported 79 youths arrested for sexual assault, while Cumbria made 56 arrests. Durham only supplied information for last year, when 22 arrests were made. Adults who are concerned about behaviour towards a child or young person should call police or social services or contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.

Confidential help for children is available from Childline on 0800 1111.

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It is unfortunate that within our surface-oriented culture the majority are unable and unwilling to hear women who don’t look the part of the “perfect stereotype” of beauty. May Heldman kick DOWN the door for all women’s voices to he heard!

Heldman is a leading advocate for spotlighting how the mainstream media contributes to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence in America, Caroline Heldman offers straight talk and an often-startling look at the objectification of women in our society. She illustrates how it has escalated, how we have become inured to its damaging effects and what we can do individually and collectively to demolish the paradigms that keep us from a better world.

Chair of the politics department of Occidential College in Los Angeles, Dr. Heldman appeared in the acclaimed documentary, Miss Representation and is co-editor of “Madame President: Are We Ready for a Woman in the White House?” She is a frequent commentator on radio and television and a regular contributor to Ms. Magazine.

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The poll asked just over 1000 recent voters to weigh in on an immigration reform bill this year and 73 percent of respondents said they support a path to citizenship. Just one in five respondents said they undocumented immigrants should be forced to leave the country.

The poll adds new weight to a push for immigration reform that’s already gained significant momentum in Washington and sends a message to wary Republicans that their constituents support action. In the past, many conservatives on the fence about immigration have decided not to support reform because of fears that they could put off primary voters. Advocates said today that the poll—conducted by Democratic Hart Research Associates and Republican Public Opinion Strategies—would help put these fears to rest.

The poll shows broad support for “rational immigration policy that serves the interests of every American and their family…. Reform that ensures our security and respects the rule of law,” said Jeb Bush Jr., the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sr., and a board member for National Immigration Forum, which co-sponsored today’s press conference along with SEIU and America’s Voice.

Over half of those polled said they would be more likely to vote for a Congressperson who supported immigration from. Only 8 percent said an elected official’s support for immigration reform would drive them to vote against a candidate.

“We have firmly believed that fixing the broken immigration system is not just a Latino or immigration priority but in fact it is a priority for the American people,” said Eliseo Medina, secretary-treasurer at the Service Employees International Union. “The poll tests that theory…. I am absolutely amazed by the level of bi-partisan support.”

For most of the last decade, many Republicans have demanded that before adding their support to an immigration bill, the government must first bolster border and interior immigration enforcement. Poll respondents pushed back against this two step approach, saying clearly that they support immigration reform that creates a path to citizenship along side changes in enforcement practices. Half of Republican respondents said a path citizenship should be coupled with immigration enforcement in the same bill.

Most respondents said that an immigration reform package that creates a path to citizenship should require that undocumented immigrants pay taxes owed and that employers should be forced to check immigration status of those they hire. Two thirds of respondents also said an immigration reform bill should prevent employers from lowering wages by hiring workers. Over half of respondents said immigration policy should reunify separated families.

In the past, Republican lawmakers have proposed reforms that provide a route to residency that does not end in citizenship. But only a third of those polled said they would prioritize an immigration bill without a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Washington lawmakers from left to right have promised immigration reform this year, and the president reiterated in recent weeks that the issue is at the top of his agenda. But adviocates are nonetheless clear that there remains work to be done.

“We will continue to build support throughout the country and keep reaching out to all sectors of society,” Medina said. “We believe the time is now, and we look forward to getting it done.”

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There are still 987 years left in this millennium but the editors of GQ just unveiled “The 100 Sexiest Women of the Millennium.”

Beyoncé Knowles tops the list and is followed by other notable actresses and models like Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston and Sienna Miller.

But here’s where the list is creating a stir: a handful of women were categorized by their ethnicity or nationality.

“Hottest Indian Chick”: Freida Pinto
“Hottest Pregnant Sri Lankan”: M.I.A
“Hottest Italian Chick”: Monica Belluci
“Hottest Chinese Chick”: Zhang Ziyi (sometimes credited as Ziyi Zhang)
Interestingly enough, the magazine included black and Latina celebrities on the list but they were not identified by their ethnicity or nationality.

For example, Beyoncé was “Miss Millennium” but not “Miss African-American Millennium. Eva Mendez, Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Rosario Dawson and Shakira are also included on the list with no mention of their race.

But when it came down to Freida Pinto she was labeled by her ethnicity.

“If the magazine were saying, ‘These are all the beautiful women from every country in the world’, that would be a bit different; that’s what the Miss Universe pageant is all about,” Ruth C. White told Yahoo’s “Shine” blog. White is an Associate Professor of Social Work in the Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work at Seattle University.

“But by calling out certain women’s ethnicity and not others, what they’re implying is that these women are not beautiful simply because they’re beautiful; they’re only attractive within the context of their own ethnicity. This is qualifying their beauty and dismisses the idea that beauty comes in many different forms.”
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