Update 12/31/12 – New Delhi Rape Protests

The woman now known as "India's daughter" as of yesterday has died. It has also now come out that she was on the bus with her fiancé when they were both brutally attacked.

"She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome," Kelvin Loh, chief executive officer of the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore said in a statement announcing her death from multiple organ failure. Media said a rod was used in the rape, causing internal injuries. The fiancé survived.

Reports of up to one thousand people gathered at two locations, demanding justice and the death the rapists. Being the charges have now upgraded to murder, they now will now inevitably will face the death penalty; For now they are just being held awaiting trial.

"For some reason, and I don't really know why, she got through to us," well-known columnist Nilanjana Roy wrote in a blog on Saturday. 

"Our words shriveled in the face of what she'd been subjected to by the six men travelling on that bus, who spent an hour torturing and raping her, savagely beating up her male friend."

Several people have stepped forward to make statements, all saying that her death will not be in vain. Protesters carried posters reading: "She is not with us but her story must awaken us."

Sonia Gandhi, the powerful leader of the ruling Congress party, directly addressed the protesters in a rare broadcast on state television, saying that as a mother and a woman she understood their grievances. 

"Your voice has been heard," Gandhi said. "It deepens our determination to battle the pervasive and the shameful social attitudes that allow men to rape and molest women with such impunity."

I pray not only for India, but for all women who have suffered from such abuse. Please remember that there are people that will stand behind you. These people are placing the first steps towards changes, justice, and help for all of you. Stay Strong.

More info about the protests:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/12/2012123015432890252.html

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/india-protests-violence-against-women-slideshow/demonstrators-shout-slogans-jump-over-police-barricade-seized-photo-103453675.html

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