‘Beta Padhao, Beti Bachao’: Indian Women in UK to PM Modi

Indian women in the UK met PM Modi and shared their concerns about the growing violence against women in India.

During his visit to the United Kingdom last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the members of women’s social group ‘Indian Ladies in United Kingdom’ (ILUK).

Concerned about the safety of women in India after the devastating Kathua and Unnao rape and murder cases, members of the ILUK presented PM Modi with a box, which comprised of letters collected from several Indian women in the UK expressing the need for a safer, more secure India.

The members of the ILUK told the prime minister that their campaign, ‘Beta Padhao, Beti Bachao’, is an extension of his own initiative ‘Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao.’ Their campaign lays emphasis on the importance of educating men about subjects like the reproductive system and menstrual health.

Founded in 2015, ILUK is a not-for-profit organisation that began as a social media group to connect first generation Indian women in Britain. It now has over 27,000 active members.

The group posted about its members meeting Modi on their Facebook page. “It was a sense of accomplishment as their hard-work was paid off when they were able to voice out their concerns to PM Modi directly,” the post read.

Ahead of the Indian prime minister’s visit to London, the group organised several activities to spread awareness about the vision of their group and encourage women to actively participate in providing the victims of violence justice.

As part of their message collection drive, the ILUK launched a social media campaign – #WomannKiBaat – which called in for letters from Indian women from across the UK expressing their concerns and stating their solutions about the situation in India.