When the moderator of a panel discussion on Wednesday at United Nations Headquarters in New York on how to end violence against women looked a little disappointedly at her virtually all-female audience, she called out Only a sprinkling of men could be found in the room, but among them was Bollywood actor-filmmaker-singer Farhan Akhtar. Akhtar was there on behalf of the “Men Against Rape and Discrimination,” or MARD, a social campaign he launched two years in India “to make people think more positively” and work toward women’s empowerment in India and the need to end gender inequality. He spoke about the inspiration for the initiative that came when someone he knew was sexually assaulted and then killed by a security guard in her own home. MARD, he said, is an acronym for his initiative but “mard” also means “man” in the Hindi language. Recognized by the UN for his commitment to end violence against women and girls, Akhtar was appointed last year as a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

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