OUR STORY
Almost 11 years ago, our founder Aakanksha, and her mother went to a silent protest for Nirbhaya at Freedom Park, Bangalore. The mood was somber and solemn. on the side, a politician was loudly rallying for votes. The situation was a perfect representation of social justice issues in India. Injustice is either ignored or MEANT TO BE understood as part and parcel of everyday life.
Street harassment is one such INJUSTICE.
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Our Founder Aakanksha was 7 years old when she first experienced street harassment while growing up in Bangalore, India. She was so ashamed that it happened to her that she never told anyone about it. Her story is a very common one. For most, street harassment starts at a very young age. And, it can take on different forms, be it racist, ableist, communalist, castist, homophobic, classist, and others.
After dedicating her time to social justice issues worldwide, Aakanksha co-founded It's Not a Compliment Australia (INAC) and served as its CEO and Board Member for two and a half years. However, after facing numerous challenges, barriers, and inequalities as a first-generation migrant and woman of color, she began to feel resentful of her work. Aakanksha decided to visit her family and friends in India, where she realized that it wasn't the work itself that caused her frustration but rather the location.
This realization led her to establish It's Not a Compliment India (INAC India), which seeks to combat street harassment in India. Through her extensive research, Aakanksha discovered that India faces a pressing need for initiatives that tackle street harassment due to its high levels of gender-based violence and discrimination, reticent police, ongoing casteism, discrimination and non-recognition of the LGBTQIA+ community, socio-economic inequalities, and a broken and overburdened legal system.
INAC India will advocate for underrepresented and misrepresented individuals affected by street harassment through an intersectional approach. Our goal is to promote behavioral change and shift societal norms, which we have learnt is the most effective, organic, and sustainable approach to tackling this issue. No amount of funding, planning for safer public spaces and cities, or initiatives will create the sustainable change we need unless we take an intersectional approach that tackles behavioral change and addresses the root causes that allow street harassment to exist and flourish.
To achieve this mission, we will collaborate with various stakeholders, including citizens, resident welfare associations, academic institutions, government bodies, not-for-profits and other NGOs, civil society groups, architects and urban planners, research institutions, corporates, and more. We believe that developing inclusive and collaborative solutions will build widespread community consensus and support, foster credibility, and strengthen the resulting solutions.