Our world has long acknowledged the need to address the widespread violence entrenched in our societies, yet existing systems still fall short in supporting survivors of such violence. Far too often, survivors seeking healing, justice, or even basic support through both state and private systems encounter barriers that compound their trauma instead of alleviating it.

To dismantle these systemic issues and disrupt the insidious rape culture that permeates every level of our society, we need to transform how we approach and address sexual- and gender-based violence. This means treating it as a systemic issue and demanding change where it matters most: in our courts, our hospitals, our workplaces, our public spaces, and our homes.

In line with the UN’s theme for 16 Days of Activism, ‘Recommitment, Accountability, Resourcing Towards Beijing+30: Unite to End Violence Against Women and Girls,’ we are carrying forward the work we began earlier this November for the upcoming Beijing+30 Review. This campaign is about more than awareness—it’s about action. Together, we’ll work towards strengthening healing and justice systems; ensuring that survivors have meaningful access to gender-responsive care; and fostering a zero-tolerance culture toward violence in our everyday spaces.

Join us in in this sixteen-day journey as we cultivate trauma-informed, socially just, and survivor-centred #SystemsThatCare. This is your chance to reimagine our world and contribute to building a society that supports survivors, centres healing, and demands justice.

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“What if we lived in a world that radically cared about survivors?”

This question kicked off our campaign through an online Community Healing Space, where participants doodled their visions of such a world. One participant remarked how the prompts stuck with them, especially as they reflected on how institutions could truly serve survivors. They noted how these reflections would shape their work with children, underscoring the importance of spaces like this for sparking lasting change. Art, conversation, and care—this space was a little step toward re-envisioning our systems.

"Each time a crime against a woman happens in a public space, the first question that is asked is, what was she doing there? Why was she not at home? What was she wearing? Why was she being so adventurous, so reckless? And each time, the fear narrative is put in us, that if you go out, this will happen to you too, so you should stay at home. But that doesn't solve the problem at all. So instead of going back into the homes, we need to go out, in larger numbers, and exercise our right to risk and pleasure. And just be out in the open, just feel the breeze in our hair, just smile at strangers, and sing and dance and lie down on the grass because this city belongs to us as much as it belongs to anybody else. And nobody has the right to question why we are out in a public space at whatever time we feel like."
— Neha Singh, Founder of the Why Loiter Campaign

Public spaces are deeply intertwined with the fabric of our societies, influencing not just how we move but how we form relationships, build communities, and exercise our rights. Yet, we often occupy these spaces only with purpose: commuting, running errands, or completing tasks that keep our routines flowing. With this in mind, we collaborated with Global Shapers Gurugram and the Why Loiter Campaign in Delhi and Mumbai, respectively, to organize walks that were about being present without any specific purpose—to reclaim public spaces as places for leisure, joy, and community. These walks challenged societal norms that tie our worth to productivity and reinforced our right to simply exist in shared spaces.

Our society often cloaks surveillance in the guise of safety, dictating who belongs where and when. Rules around public spaces—curfews, restricted activities, and visible security—often stem not just from concerns of safety but from attempts to enforce morality and control. These measures do not make spaces safer for marginalized communities; instead, they limit access and instill fear. Through these walks, we turned the safety narrative on its head. Instead of asking for more surveillance or protection, we asserted our right to take risks, experience these spaces freely, and redefine what safety means for us as women and queer individuals. It was a celebration of our right to loiter, linger, and live without asking or justifying—a statement that cities belong to all of us, unconditionally.

Our #SystemsThatCare campaign is being run in collaboration with Asmita Ghosh, a digital campaigner.