The “I Never Ask For It” mission is a long term effort to end victim blame by building testimonies of clothing. Most women and girls across the world can recall the clothes they wore when they experienced any form of sexual violence. The #INeverAskForIt mission (2004 - ongoing) invites women, girls, persons to share the garment they wore when they experienced sexual violence. The garment bears memory, is witness and voice to that experience. In end 2023, we envision 10,000 garment testimonials standing united at sites of public significance. Together, they will resonate #INeverAskForIt.
We want the building of this mission to be a process of healing; where survivors of violence feel heard and believed. The opposite of being blamed is being believed. The opposite of blaming is taking collective responsibility. We want the #INeverAskForIt mission to meet both these futures.
“ I Never Ask For It ” will work towards creating a new public memory and public reference where thousands of testimonies of garments speak their story.
Between 2004- today , thousands of Action Sheroes, women, girls, non binary persons, feminist allies, institutions, have contributed to the making of I Never Ask For It. View our #INeverAskForIt Herstory archive here. I Never Ask For It has been featured by numerous publications in India and internationally, including BBC, Times of India, Now This, Bitch Media, Toronto Star and more. View more here.
What makes women , girls , survivors world wide, remember the clothes they wore when they experienced sexual violence?
I Never Ask For It is a long term mission and commitment to end victim blame by building testimonies of clothing.
Your garment is your memory, witness and voice.
Mission I Never Ask For It culminates towards a large scale public installation in 2023, where 10,000 garments will stand united in sites of public significance.
Each garment stands, resonating,
I Never Ask For It.
We are motivated by the conversations, solidarities, and collaborations, it takes to build this mission together. to build a new public memory.
We are motivated by the healing it could offer , both personal and collective.
The opposite of feeling blamed is feeling heard and believed.
We are motivated by the process of building #INeverAskForIt,
as that which creates empathy and our capacity to offer Listening.
garment testimonies are archived through a range of processes, including street and campus interventions, exhibitions and workshops.
We are also motivated by the idea that building I Never Ask For It, requires us to be each others safe space. Step in. Offer listening. Co-create. I Never Ask For It.
Build the I Never Ask For It Mission Together.
Blame permeates across spaces and identities experiencing violence.
I Never Ask For It is informed and built through multiple processes, campaigns, and sustained engagement in the form of street interventions, workshops, collaborative research, with communities, partners, allies, and citizens / Action Sheroes/ Heroes/ Theyroes across environments including workplace, campus and the streets.
I Never Ask For It, Exhibits: 2005 - ongoing
Action led by Kolkata Action Sheroes/Heroes/Theyores on March 8th , 2007. photo credit: Saptarshi Chakrabarty.
