Millions Of Women In Kerala, India, Stage 385 Miles Long Protest Over Menstrual Discrimination
On New Year’s Day 2019, while many women in other parts of the world busied themselves with love of family, cooking and cheering, millions of women in Kerala, India aimed to put an end to the gender bias that prevents women of menstruating age from entering one of India’s holiest sites, Sabamirila Temple.
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Lasting about 15 minutes, millions of women joined hands to form a human chain that they called a ‘women’s wall’ spanning almost 385 miles to protest the practice that prevents them from accessing the revered temple for most of their lives.
In September India’s Supreme Court struck down the ban, which included women from the ages of 10 to 50, according to CNN.
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According to reports, a woman, Suvarna Haridas, who took part in the human chain, told BuzzFeed News:
“It was electric! The excitement was palpable, everyone truly felt like they were part of a special moment in the history of our tiny wonderful state.”
Following the protest, two women, both in their 40s, entered the temple for the first time on Wednesday. Bindu and Kanaka Durga walked into the temple supported with protection from police.
After their visit, the temple was reportedly closed for an hour so that priests could purify the space. Following their visit more protests broke out, and police used tear gas to disperse crowds.
See video from the event shared on Twitter below:
https://twitter.com/rizvan_in/status/1080091881646637057