From CNS, Staff and other sources
Violence against women in India has been a problem for centuries, but the news of the gang rapes of several young women have provoked shame, outrage and now perhaps action. The Women’s Commission of the Archdiocese of Bombay (Mumbai) is one of the leading lights in this fight with its new campaign, called 37 Million Diyas: Say Yes to Love, Say No to Violence. The 37 million is the difference between the male and female population of India, one of the biggest factors in the violence. This differential is a result of the widespread practice of abortion for sex selection. Parishes across the archdiocese held an hour of prayer and remembrance for women victims of violence. Before parishioners, Cardinal Oswald Gracias vowed prayer and work on behalf of women and said, “It will continue for as long as it takes for you and me to bring about change.”