70 per cent women do not feel safe outside
70 per cent women do not feel safe outsideSo much for women's emancipation. The power centre of India is not devoid of its perverts. Here is some piece of statistic for Delhiites.
More than 70 per cent women feel unsafe while out on Delhi roads, commuting in public transport or walking around for shopping.
Out of every five, three women have experienced some kind of sexual harassment while commuting in local buses, autos and what was till now considered a safer option, the Metro.
Public transport, buses and roadsides are reported as spaces where women and girls face high levels of sexual harassment, according to a survey conducted by an NGO.
The most common form of harassment reported is verbal (passing lewd remarks) and visual (staring and leering) and physical (touching/groping, leaning over etc.)
Pushpanjali Singh, a young working professional in south Delhi said, "I have been using public conveyance since college days but I never felt safe. My mother gave me a list of do's and don'ts but nothing worked. So I have started using my car and avoid going out alone."
"Nearly three out of every five women reported facing sexual harassment not only after dark but also through the daytime. But, it is also a good sign that 68 per cent victims either confront the perpetrator or seek help from family and friends," said Delhi Health Minister Kiran Walia, who is also the incharge of women and child development department.
Walia said public transport, buses and roads with faulty street lights are the spaces where women and girls face sexual harassment the most.
"There was a necessity to understand the problem. Now we have realised the problem, we will be able to find a solution. For instance, we will write for installing CCTVs in buses, then will also make sure that sexual harassment becomes a non-bailable offence through changes in the CrPC," she added.
Survey methodologyThe survey, released on Thursday, is based on interviews of 5,010 people, including 3,816 women and 944 men. The rest are common witnesses like bus conductors, shopkeepers and auto drivers, who have a probability of witnessing acts of sexual harassment against women. The study used purposive sampling methods to collect information from respondents belonging to diverse occupational categories spread across public places such as bus stops, markets and shopping malls in all nine districts of Delhi. The survey covered a total of 23 areas and 50 interview sites. The total sample of 5,010 included 3,816 women, 944 men and 250 common witnesses (see below). Men and women above 16 years of age were part of the sample group.
