How safe is to travel at night? Should I use this road or go by the main road? Should I call a cab or ask a friend to pick me up? These are some questions every woman living in a metropolitan city asks herself everyday. With numerous reports pouring in each day about some harassment or molestation, women safety is a widely discussed topic, and concern. A recent study shows that for a majority of women, actual independence means to move around around safely. The study with a total sample size of 2,000 respondents covered key Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad. Over 40 per cent of the respondents believed that the true Independence meant to move around safely, to be fearless and to determine one’s own schedule.
Neha Umesh, a student feels it doesn’t matter if your driving yourself or taking a cab, both of them are unsafe. She says, “The current situation is such that it’s not possible to say that women are free to move around without fear. I usually take an auto to college which I still feel is not safe as there has been incidents where auto drivers have commented on my attire. I don’t think taking an auto or driving yourself to work or college is safe. I think the best way to curb this situation is to change the mindset of the people which is only possible through education.”
This IT professional tends to avoid the lonely stretches as the fear is always there that something might happen. Divyashree BL, an IT professional says, “Although I don’t work at night, travelling back home is still a nightmare. Driving back home even at 9 pm, I try not to take shortcuts. I think real independence is to feel that I will be able to trust the person next to me, and also have the confidence that people around me will help when needed.”
This city-based doctor feels that without a change in one’s mindset, nothing is possible. Mariam Zaina explains, “I feel that for a woman to feel safe, the mindset of people should change. Work sometimes tends to extend past the shift timings. Travelling back home, after 8 pm, I prefer taking the main roads. The fear that some incident might occur on these roads prompts me to take the main roads. I think the best way to curb this problem is self-defence.”
In a city like Bengaluru, safety is a major concern, and sociologist Swati says, “A city can be called developed one only when a woman is able to travel at night or day safely. In a country like Bangkok, women are comfortable travelling but that norm cannot be applied to any city in India. Financial independence does not mean safety for women and it also won’t change the mindset of the people. From what I have seen in Bangkok, earlier this wasn’t the situation. The government taught the people that if they continued to misbehave with women it is their economy and livelihood that will go for a toss. I think this is one move that our government needs to adopt.”
