Safety Is A Luxury That Almost No Indian Woman Can Afford

How many times have you been touched inappropriately in public transport, asked for sexual favours in return for a work, eve-teased in public, or have been at the receiving end of sexual violence? I am certain that every woman can recall at least one incident when she had to go through such exploitation, which is so common that even infants and elderly women are not spared.

¡®Keep quiet or my friends will gang rape you¡¯

A 26-year-old Bengaluru woman en route to the airport was taken on a detour by her Ola cab driver, who held her hostage, molested and took pictures of her in the car in the early hours of June 1.

The woman said in her complaint that she had booked the Ola cab at around 2 am. Once on the road, she found that the driver had taken a different route. When she enquired, he claimed it would be faster and free of toll.

Near the airport, she realised that the driver had taken a secluded road and asked him to turn around. But the driver stopped the car, locked the doors and molested her. When she put up a fight, he threatened to call a group of men and get her raped. He also snatched her phone and threatened to kill her if she screamed for help.

The driver asked her to strip as he wanted her pictures. He also tried to strangle her when she refused. Fearing for her life, the woman complied and gave him the photos he wanted. He clicked the pictures on her phone and shared it through WhatsApp to his phone number. He also threatened to post her photos on social media if she complained.

The driver has now been arrested.

But does it stop here? With the spike in reports of sexual assaults, molestation, eve-teasing, blackmailing, one thing is clear ¨C women are not safe even in their homes or let alone on roads.

I clearly remember the day when I was groped for the first time and how some 10 years later, I came to realise that I too have been sexually harassed as a kid. I must be in class 3 when a guy who lived close to my house and whom I knew personally lured me to follow him through the closed doors of a room. He offered me sweets and told me that we could steal it since nobody was there. When we entered the room, before I could gather that the sweets were nowhere to be seen, he groped me, pushed me towards the wall and began touching me all over. The act would have lasted for 8-10 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. In fact, one can say that it took me that long to figure out that I was being touched inappropriately and that I had to find my way out. -- Shewali, 29, a Journalist.

The 2015 National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data on the proximity of offenders to victims (the most recent data available) shows that in 95 per cent of all rape cases, the offender knew the victim.

I was 17-year-old, when a man almost thrice my age, followed me and blocked my way to home. It was monsoon season and I was enjoying the cool breeze after a tedious Maths class. I chose to walk back home that day and soon I realised that I was being followed. The lane to my home was dark and quiet. He stopped his bike in the middle and scratched his bare private parts. I called my mother for help but her phone was not reachable. Terrified, I ran to the nearest market to hide among people. Regardless, he followed me but somehow, I managed to escape. -- Divyani, 23, Advertising student

On January 1, 2017, the country was shocked when women were openly grabbed, groped and abused without any hesitation on the streets in India¡¯s third safest city. They were out on streets to celebrate New Year and despite as many as 1,500 policemen being present on the streets, they were not able to avoid an incident of this nature.

The shameful display of sexual violence shook the nation when drunken hooligans tried to molest them.

The incident took around 8.30 pm in Noida when I was coming back to my PG after buying few groceries from a nearby store. A man of my father's age stopped his car to inquire about an address. Since I was staying in a PG, I didn't know much about the area. I said, ¡°Uncle I am not sure about it and I decided to leave from there. As he saw me leaving, he stopped me and said, "Beta, Ek baat batana, yahaan koi doctor l**d hai jo doctor C***t ka ilaaj karte hai.¡±

I was appalled and my body went cold. I made disgusting gestures with his hands. I sensed his intentions and abuse him as much as I could and immediately ran away. -- Preeti Tiwari, 29, PR Professional

With increasing numbers of women professionals, cabs have become an instant favourite for all. However, it does not guarantee safety. Public transports are anyway among the most unsafe mode of commute with young and old alike, leaching at women and college going girls. Men touching women inappropriately while hiding behind the crowd and leaving no chance to rub their organs even while standing among 50 other people, discreetly abusing young boys in public buses are among the worst nightmares.

Talking to a cross-section of women in metro cities, you find that a large majority is hugely concerned about their security while they commute by cab or taxis.

The outbursts against rapes and molestation have become louder coming from all sections of the society and genders, yet the number of disgraceful incidents is not declining.

We, as a society, have reached the lowest point. Being safe as a young girl and woman in the country, that is the ultimate luxury.