Shakti Society hosted its second community café on sexual violence against women on June 2nd, 2013 at the Bollywood Banquet Hall in Surrey.

This forum was a follow-up to the community café on January 20th which was held in response to the brutal rape of a young woman in Delhi in December 2012. As individuals, we have a moral responsibility to seek answers and push for change. Holding a community café was one small step we took collectively to move towards positive change.

Approximately 100 individuals attended the event. Kashmir Besla, Harpreet Singh, Deepak Gill and Lissa Ward were amongst the panel. Each offered a unique perspective on the issue of sexual violence against women. The small round table discussions generated rich and meaningful discussions and participants left feeling inspired and motivated. MLA’s Sue Hammell and Bruce Rolston also came out to show their support.

A symbol of solidarity to end violence against women was designed by mehndi artist, Sonika Verma, which participants left with as a way to stimulate conversation.

Another concrete step that Shakti Society has taken is to start a public education campaign through our PSA’s. Three public service announcements were released at the conclusion of the café. They were in 3 different languages – English, Punjabi and Hindi. These are professionally made announcements directed to the South Asian audience to increase awareness around the issue of violence against women. These announcements are currently being played on local South Asian Radio stations.

Event organizers Sonia Andhi and Anu Pala would like to thank all volunteers, speakers, facilitators, media sponsors and donors who helped make the June community café a success.