Trichy: Stressing on the need to give up the notion that women are inferior and subordinate to men, human rights activist Meenakshi stressed on recognising individuals irrespective of their gender.Speaking at a nationwide legal awareness competition organised for university and college students, Meenakshi shared her 15-year experience as human rights activist and member of the fact-finding team.Meenakshi said she has often come across shocking incidents of women being deliberately shown in bad light. However, circumstantial evidence revealed completely a different picture.Saying that women are often degraded for alleged ill-legitimate relationships, she said later fact-finding reports reveal the connection of caste, class intervention and hegemonic intervention of the dominant group in turning the incidents into a different direction.Head of department of women studies at Bharathidasan University, N Manimekalai, explained the UN theme for 2017's International Day for Elimination against women 'Leave no one behind: eliminating violence against women and girls'. She said it indicates that everyone must get involved in eliminating all forms of violence against women.Stating that violence against women must be considered violence against humanity, she highlighted the recent cases of some of the women who have been subjected to caste-based violence and said crimes against women and children are growing.With the help of visuals, William John Bosco from EVR College explained how advertisements which though appear modern in terms of showing women's participation in public life but does not deviate from the social and gender stereotypes.He gave a clarion call to the participants to develop rationality towards questioning such stereotypes in media, in language, and in perceptions.

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