Women’s safety

By Arvind Khanna

The recent death of an acid attack victim from Barnala in a Mumbai hospital has once again raised concerns among people about the safety of women in India, particularly young girls. While any attack on a woman is tragic, the tragedy in the Barnala girl’s case was more extreme than anyone one could imagine. The girl was getting ready in a Ludhiana beauty parlour for her wedding the same night. That fate would take such a devastatingly tragic turn, nobody would have imagined, much less her parents who have been left traumatised and grieving.

Only last year the entire nation rose against the brutal gangrape and murder of Nirbhaya, the Delhi medico, which led to the question, is Delhi safe for women? Stringent rape law was enacted. But that did not stop the incidents of rapes and attacks on women. This has only established that merely enacting laws, howsoever stringent these might be, does not serve any purpose as long as these are not implemented strictly to deter and discourage others from resorting to such dastardly acts.

We need to think that a girl or a lady is a daughter, a sister, a mother, a wife and a friend to somebody. We need to change our attitudes toward women. As a parent myself I feel shocked and shaken at the daily reports that appear with alarming regularity about the atrocities against  women. The latest being the gangrape and setting on fire of a girl in West Bengal. These are too heart wrenching. When will the day come when this all will be a thing of the past?

There is no reason why technological advances should not be used in facilitating women’s security. There can be specially devised safety devices for women, besides emergency helplines especially dedicated to women. So far there is no emergency response system for women’s security in India, anywhere which needs to be set up at the earliest. While we have made a small start in New Delhi, Punjab must also make a beginning.

It is sad that we have not been able to set a common SOS helpline number which a woman can dial in distress and receive the appropriate support. We need to make our towns and villages safer and secure for women. We need to create an atmosphere where a girl should feel free to move anytime and anywhere she wants and likes. We need to do this together and not leave it to some social workers across India. When we call for empowerment of women in India it cannot be possible without ensuring the safety and security of women in India.

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