Women are Unsafe in India

Being a woman myself, I can freely declare that women are unsafe in India. We lack security here, especially the ordinary women in society who use public transport to travel and do not move about in lavish cars with drivers. Cases of molestation are the most reported incident in India. Not only do people give dirty stares to you when you are on the road, but some even dare to touch you in uncomfortable places. This happens more so when you are in a bus, train or metro, jam-packed with people. There are commuters who will simply touch you in the wrong places, pretending to be stifled by the crowd. They will make you feel most uncomfortable. If you try to protest they will not only deny and hurl abuses at you but they might simply slash you with a blade on a later date when you are travelling on the same route! If you go to the police to report something, they will harass you in turn and in some cases, as recently happened in Kolkata, they might even refuse to take your complaint even if you say you have been raped! Yes, it is true though you may be horrified to read this. This is the harsh reality women in India are living with. Travelling all by oneself at night is one of the most dangerous things that a woman might have to do since you can be molested, raped or even gang-raped at any stage!

Where is the respect for women in society? Though we are in the 21st century, women still are vulnerable to the tortures of men. Female foeticide is rampant in India and no matter how much the government tries to ban illegal methods of foetus detection, it still has not stopped and a girl child continues to be deprived of the light of day by being killed in the mother’s womb itself. Girls living in the poorer sections of society are lured with the prospect of jobs and then trafficked into red light areas. They are forced to work as prostitutes for the rest of their lives. Child marriages are still common in India where the girl child is forcibly married off at a tender age when she should be allowed to play and study. Even educated women in many homes have to face the verbal and physical assaults of their husbands and in-laws. Many protest; many don’t. If this is still the case in urban areas, imagine the situation in rural areas of the country. Domestic abuse is such a familiar name in this country. It is mostly dowry-related. Though the government has banned the dowry system, everything seems to go on right under its nose. Of late, the daughter of my plumber got married. Besides gold ornaments for both the bride and groom, the family also had to pay Rs.30000 (INR) in cash. It seems being born as a woman is a curse in this country. Though there are women leaders in top positions and women police officers, the condition of the ordinary woman is grave. Crimes against women refuse to reduce and the politicians keep fighting among themselves instead of taking some firm action so that women feel safe in this country.