Charmaine Pereira

“I learned first-hand about the challenges of trying to stay intellectually alive in a university context that was eroded in many ways. I learned about the pervasiveness of sexual harassment, particularly for female students. And the feeling of combined rage and powerlessness that I had about being unable to change the situation stayed with me for a long time.”

“Victims of such violence should be entitled to comprehensive medical, psychological, social and legal assistance by accredited service providers and government agencies, and their identities must be protected during court cases.”

“It is recognized that the existence of the law itself would not on its own put an end to Gender-Based Violence, some of which is borne out of deep cultural and traditional practices.”

“One of the outcomes of our effort was the change in the name of the draft bill from the 'Violence Against Women Bill' to the 'Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Bill.' This was to ensure the protection of a greater number of people and gain wider acceptance for the passage of the bill into law.”