Vogue India's Campaign To End Abuse And Rape- Video

India has a major rape culture and domestic violence problem, and it's not just Muslims who are the perpetrators.  Vogue Empower is tackling the issue with the release of a short film titled "Boys Don't Cry."  Directed by Vinil Mathew of Bollywood fame, and produced by the Managing Director of Conde Nast India, Alex Kuruvilla, it focuses on how teaching young boys to not cry can eventually lead to violence as adults.

The hard-hitting film features an endless cycle of parents scolding their sons, from toddlers through adolescence, for crying. It then powerfully culminates in an image of a man holding back tears. The camera shot then pans out to unveil that he is converting his emotions into violence by physically abusing his already battered female partner.

At the end of the video, a woman says: “We have taught our boys not to cry. It’s time we teach them not to make girls cry,”

Kuruvilla was inspired to produce the film after a Susan Sarandon comment at the Goa Film Festival:

 “If you want to make a change, start with the boys.”

He said:

“The idea of the film is centered around the fundamental truth that women’s empowerment is not about women alone, which is why I pledged to create a short film that communicates clearly the need to change the mindset of boys before they become men."

[snip]

“When we teach young boys at an early age to not do something ‘like a girl’ – the distinction that what a girl does is insignificant is imprinted in the young boy’s mind. Growing up, when these boys don’t see eye to eye with their partners they feel the need to enforce their views through aggression.”

More on Vogue's attempt to empower women and educate the men.