A city ruled by women, unsafe for them

OVER THE last few years, the national capital Delhi has witnessed a rising concern for the issue of women’s safety in the city. The national capital seems to be finding itself in dire straits as far as shrugging off the image of being the ‘rape capital’ is concerned with over 330 rape and molestation cases reported in the first quarter of 2008.

In a report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Delhi is the most unsafe place for women with highest rate of crime against the weaker sex. Women are certainly unsafe in Delhi streets, going through the trauma of harassment, attack, assault, rape and murder. Moving through the city of Delhi on foot, by public transport or on personal vehicles has always been fraught with sexual danger, as prowlers seem to be waiting for their prey in every corners.

One does not need to look at the statistics collected by the NCRB to concur that women in Delhi are subject to high levels of violence, going by daily newspaper reportings, one could easily find out the facts of inhuman behaviour against them. The incidents of rape and violence against women in Delhi in the last few weeks has once again ignited the debate on law and order in the city and the need for reform to curb those practices.

In the heart of the city, two salesmen in Delhi’s famous Palika Bazaar raped a 23-year-old girl when the girl was buying some clothes for her in their store. In another incident, a school going girl was gang raped by her class mate and his friends in a photo studio where they had gone to take photographs for their exam forms. Similarly, a minor was raped and murdered by her neighbour sending the public in tizzy. These are merely a few examples which came into public, whereas a number of such incidents don’t even come to the fore.

The president of National Commission for women, Girija Vyas, was quite apprehensive in her remarks about women safety in Delhi. She asked the government to come out with much more essence and urgency to check the indecent behaviour against women folks, and the need to chart out stern measures on the part of administrative authorities for curbing down such events.

It is a matter of pity that a city ruled by women is a sort of graveyard for women folk. The city boasts of a female President, Pratibha Patil, a female chief minister, Dr Sheila Dixit, a female mayor, and also the head of the ruling party in Centre (Congress) is a female. A city run by women is not in a position to provide safety measures to women! It is quite an embarrassing fact for the residents of Delhi that even elderly women are subject to misbehaviour and sexual abuses.

While serious law reform is the need of the hour, it also should be taken into consideration that the planners, administrators, and law enforcement agencies work efficiently and diligently in that direction. If those concerned for delineating safety measures turn out to be non functional then the picture turns gloomier. What would you describe the acts of the Delhi traffic police constable who was charged against the crime of raping a minor? The means and mode of policing in Delhi leave much to be desired.

There have been umpteen theories pouring in stating that all these indecent acts could be stopped if women are properly educated and trained. But in actuality, this will not suffice the cause unless and until awareness is raised. The gender and women rights advocates have opined the same obligation of raising awareness in the communities where we live. Violence against the weaker sex brings out the manly demeanour of our society where oppression of women is deemed as a custom.

The parameter of judging a city’s decency can be discerned in the level of treatment its women are put against. It is high time that the citizens of Delhi wake up to the alarming signals of gender based social disintegration. People need to come out with determination against such evils and not be a moot spectator wherein a daughter, or a sister, or a wife, or a mother is crying for alms. Wake up Delhi unless it is too late!