It's often called the 'biggest democracy on earth' and it is, sort of, but India remains one of the five worst countries in which to be a woman - right alongside Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Congo and Somalia. In India, a woman's lot often leads to sexual harassment, rape and abduction. Now Indian women may have had enough. One sign of this is the "Slutwalk" protest staged today in the Indian capital, Delhi.
The BBC's Mark Dummett in Delhi says the organisers are trying to challenge the mindset that the victims of sexual violence are to blame for the crimes committed against them.
He says Delhi can be a very difficult city for women, with sexual harassment commonplace, and rapes and abduction all too frequent.
And according to a recent survey, India remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women.
One protester told our correspondent: "Every girl has the right to wear whatever she wants, to do whatever she wants to do with her body. It's our lives, our decisions, unless it's harming you, you have no right to say anything."
Another protester said: "There are a lot of problems for women in Delhi because a lot of women do face sexual harassment and just a couple of weeks ago the chief of police of Delhi said that if a women was out after 0200 she was responsible for what happens to her, and I don't think that's the right attitude."
India recorded almost 22,000 rape cases in 2008, 18% up on 2004, the National Crime Records Bureau says.
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