Blank Noise began in 2003, in response to street harassment, at a time when the issue was invisible.
Over the fifteen years, it mobilized thousands of citizens to become ‘Action Heroes’; and take agency tackling street harassment. Blank Noise has worked to affect public consciousness. It builds testimonials of sexual assault. It is built through community listening and furthers public knowledge. Blank Noise is working on attitudes that connect spaces and geographies of violence; and victim blame. Most women, girls, in India and beyond, have been raised in an environment that warns them to, ‘be careful’, to ‘protect yourself ’, to not draw attention to yourself. This translates to: ‘If you’ve experienced sexual violence, you weren’t careful enough and you deserve it.’ As a result, most experiences of sexual violence are silenced, due to the fear of being blamed. An environment of victim blame justifies and perpetuates sexual violence.
