The s**t walk was first organized on account of a Canadian police officer who made the statement that if women did not want to get raped, they should not dress like s**ts. It is one thing for a frat boy or a layperson to speak in this manner. However, for an officer of the law to make this statement was rude and derogatory. An officer of the law should know that according to the law rape is a matter of age and consent, not who the person is or what they wore.
It caught on across the world because this is a serious issue. In many instances genuine rape cases were not investigated or charged because police or lawyers deemed that the woman brought it on herself because of what she wore. Many people firmly believe in the notion that if a woman does not meet their norms of modesty, she is asking for and deserves to be raped or molested.
The s**t walk basically draws attention to a these issues. Firstly, a s**t is a derogatory and disrespectful term. People, especially people in authority with responsibility should not be callously referring to anyone as a s**t because she wore a dress that may be deemed by some as provocative. Secondly, there is absolutely no excuse for rape. None at all. Especially an excuse as flimsy as the other person's clothing. Any physical intimacy should be 100% consent driven no matter what.
Women in this movement are not claiming to be s**ts and that its ok to be a s**t. They are re-appropriating the term because its being thrown callously. It is like how gay people embraced queer, even though people used it in a derogatory way and tried to change the meaning. Or environmentalists embracing the term treehugger, even though people throw it as an insult.
That being said, the movement is questionable. It might be too aggressive and over the top feminist for many people. The name itself can draw incorrect attention and response. It draws attention to a bunch of women asserting their sexuality and freedom, and the real issues are ignored. Social change needs to be done slowly giving people a chance to digest why it is important and necessary. We cant expect people to accept notions overnight. Especially in India where the social culture and perception of women is very different. The culture in USA and Canada is different and an aggressive movement can drive a point. I'm not sure if we can just take something that started in the west and expect it to work in India. Our culture is different and we need to address our culture and people in different ways.
And yes we can debate on appropriate attire for women. There are dresses which women wear in the west that I don't like and probably would never wear. They do wear clothes that make go W*F is she wearing. We can probably discuss if it is moral for women to do that, or even wonder the fashion culture, peer pressure and other aspects that make women wear such things and if it is acceptable. However, they still are human beings with feelings and nice people. You cant just look at a dress and label them s**t or wh**e. And most importantly, you cant just assume they are begging to be raped because of what they wore. That is one thing I feel strongly about.