Tackling Injustice and Harassment Through Story
Wattpad empowers communities around the world by acting as a home for self-expression and social commentary. When protests broke out in India last month over the racially-motivated killing of student Nido Taniam, Delhi police encouraged Indian students in the northeast to use Wattpad to share their experiences with racism and harassment.
The versatility of Wattpad means that this isn’t the first case of Wattpad providing an outlet for dialogue and support to the people of Delhi. After the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, Wattpadders were motivated to share stories about rape and female empowerment in India. In “Fearless,” Aurelia_B imagines she was accompanying the victim of the 2012 case:
Another user, kkhaehae321, dedicated her story, “My Worst Nightmare,” to the “thousands of women who have been abused and tormented because of the lack of equality they have faced in their countries.” In “A Burning Issue: Rape in India,” thatwritergirly laments the shame and embarrassment that survivors experience. Angered by how long it takes to find and punish perpetrators, she concludes:
Wattpadder Unprecedented writes “it’s a shame living in a country where the women don’t feel safe and protected by their own ‘countrymen.’”
However, the stories written on Wattpad about the people of Delhi are not without hope. In the story Delhi: The City With A Golden Heart we hear about the strength of the concerned citizens of Delhi and how they can rally behind each other.