India: No country for women tourists

Before we begin herersquos a disclaimer None of the six foreignnationals we spoke to mdashboth tourists and those living in India for a few years mdash agreed to have their photographs printed in the newspaper along with their quotes Not even one And unreal as this sounds all seven unknown to each other gave us the same reason for remaining incognito they said the only result of their photographs appearing in print would be cops knocking at their doors to harass them and that changing the mindset of people would need more than six quotes Illustration Amit Bandre Last week British national Jane Kettle was in Mumbai on a holiday On her second day out in the city a young man in front of the Gateway of India approached her as she emerged from a restaurant nearby The man claimed to be a governmentapproved tour guide and offered to show Kettle around South Mumbai for Rs 5000 a day When the Lancashirebased journalist politely refused saying she could manage by herself and would rather save the money on something else the ldquotour guiderdquo revealed his ldquoside businessrdquo and said he could introduce her to wellheeled men for a good time for the same Rs 5000 ldquoI have travelled pretty much around the world and women do face such men everywhere No place for tourists Most tourists SMD interviewed spoke about being ogled at in public places being subjected to sexually explicit comments because of their clothes and feeling unsafe on the streets In many cases they said cops harassed them too Pic Bipin Kokate So I was not too worriedrdquo recalls Kettle But all that changed when she decided to complain to the cops standing nearby ldquoThey took both the man and me to the police station and while the man was let off after a scolding in Marathi which I did not follow I was kept back at the station for two hours State Tourism Minister Chhagan Bhujbal The cops not only questioned me about my reasons for visiting India and names of friends here but also asked insulting questions about whether I consume alcohol why I had so many tattoos and what I was doing alone in the evening It was as if I was the culprit and not the man they let off Finally they let me go with unsolicited advice about my dress sense and smoking habit It was humiliating and I havenrsquot faced this in any other countryrdquo says Kettle For the record the 36yearold has visited 22 countries so far half of them in Asia and Africa Kettlersquos experience is by no means a unique one Tired of dealing with not just dirty roads people spitting like natural springs and open urinals but also badlybehaved men ogling bystanders unhelpful cops and a recurrent fear that if attacked mugged molested or abused by a local they would be unlikely to get help from the protectors of the law mdash tourists are deserting India and they are doing so in hundreds and thousands Better than the rest Most tourists agree that Mumbai is still one of the safest cities in India Cafe Mondegar pictured above is one of the several places where tourists and foreigners living in India meet regularly Pic Shadab Khan Hall of shame Consider the following The United Nations has named India the most dangerous nation in the world for a girl child Last week the Business Insider website visited by a staggering 45 million visitors every month named India one of the eightmost dangerous nations for women travellers If you are quick to dismiss these as biased and motivated surveys conducted by developed countries with an agenda to malign India here is what our very own The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India ASSOCHAM has to say In a survey carried out last month and reported widely in newspapers and magazines across the world ASSOCHAM researchers spoke to 1200 tour operators to find out that there had been a 25 per cent drop in tourist inflow in the first three months of 2013 compared to the same period last year Worse there had been a 35 per cent drop in female tourists during the same period after many countries advised women not to travel to India Why Because universally tourists feared for their safety and security in India Unfounded fears We think not A Swiss cyclist was gangraped in Madhya Pradesh last month while a South Korean tourist was drugged and raped in the same state in January by the son of the owner of a hotel she was staying in In Agra a tourist jumped out of her hotel window to avoid being raped A British tourist was killed soon after ldquoThese incidents have raised concerns about the safety of female travellers to the countryrdquo DS Rawat secretary general at ASSOCHAM said while releasing the report Perhaps these tourists are not overreacting According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau NCRB figures a woman is raped in India every 20 minutes That makes it 26200 rapes a year Whatrsquos wrong Whatrsquos rotten Jacques Martineau a financial consultant who has made India his home for the past 10 years jokes when we ask him to explain the reasons for tourists skipping India this year ldquoIndia is becoming expensive Costs are spiralling Maybe thatrsquos why less people are visiting the countryrdquo he says Then he launches into a tirade ldquoHonestly for any foreigner India is increasingly becoming a frustrating country to visit or live in especially for women Getting robbed mugged or harassed is common in many countries But tourists donrsquot shy away because of that The US and South Africa records more rapes than India in any given year But in most countries you know you have the law to run to for help That if you reach the police station or the tourist information bureau somehow you are safe But sadly in India the protectors of the law often become the biggest source of fear If a foreigner approaches a policeman the first thing he asks for is money even before asking whatrsquos wrong or running after the culpritrdquo Maria a 21yearold who has been in India for the past six years with her parents echoes Martineaursquos sentiments ldquoTo get a driving license in India I had to pay bakshish bribe Why Only because I am a foreigner It is not correct that every foreigner is a millionaire If you are foreigner especially a white woman driving a car you will surely be stopped by traffic cops at every other intersection and asked a briberdquo she says speaking from her own experience The insecurity therefore is not just about stalkers wolf whistles crude comments and potential rapists The biggest insecurity comes from the feeling that they have little or no protection ldquoYou cannot rely on a system that is rotten to the core There is corruption in many countries but seldom at the cost of human livesrdquo adds Mia Berg a Norwegian tourist who is on her second visit to India but says she wonrsquot recommend a trip to her women friends any longer A mindset revolution But isnrsquot it unfair to push all the blame on cops How much can a police force do in cities and towns where a notsoinsignificant number of people beat up women at home think using abusing language is their birth right and generally treat anyone seen drinking or smoking as easy targets ldquoThe laws are strict but they need to be enforced and executed Punishments should be swift Above all rapists and molesters will stay away if they see policemen and policewomen patrolling the streets or in jeeps If I see six cops on the street I will feel safer But where are theyrdquo asks Kusum George a Kenyan of Indian origin who is on a trip to visit her grandparentrsquos hometown Mumbai As others point out it is the average manonthestreetrsquos perception about ldquoforeignersrdquo that has to change ldquoJust like foreigners who come to India thinking that every Indian street has a cow or believe in the Indian rope trick need to change their stupid mindset similarly the perception that if a woman is seen enjoying a drink or walking alone at night she is available has to change Wearing a spaghetti top doesnrsquot make one a slut and a man sporting long hair and wearing shorts is not necessarily on doperdquo says Joe an advertising professional from Texas who is in Mumbai on work Joe says he has been offered hashish or called a ldquohippierdquo by total strangers at bars and his girlfriend has received offers of a different kind simply because of the way they look and dress Truth as they say is stranger than fiction A way out Admittedly Mumbai is no Delhi or Haryana By and large tourists have less complaints about the financial capital compared to the national capital which according to the NCRB records the maximum number of rapes every year But then again Mumbai is no angel land either Over 250 rapes were recorded in the city last year alone over and above 350 cases of molestation A small but not insignificant number of victims were foreign tourists So what do those who make laws and execute them have to say State Tourism Minister Chhagan Bhujbal feels Mumbai is the safest city in India for women and he quotes a recent survey to substantiate his point ldquoMaharashtra is safe for women When it comes to tourism the way the media portrays a city is crucial for a tourist I feel nonstop media coverage about the recent incidents of rape has certainly had a negative impact on the industry But the scene is not that bad today There were certain wrongs that happened but it is for the media to assist us to project Mumbai as a safe tourist destinationrdquo says Bhujbal But what is the government doing so that the media can project a better image ldquoIn a bid to improve our image the department of tourism is doing its best to provide better facilities at major tourist attractions such as Aurangabad The situation is not such that women have been under constant threat of sexual assaults But to create a sense of security among tourists we have introduced the concept of tourist police This safety umbrella can be strengthened further by providing a dedicated police force at major tourist sites But it must be noted that in a country like India itrsquos not possible to provide police security everywhererdquo he says Not much hope there But finally he hits the nail on the head when he says ldquoWhat we need to do is to encourage locals to behave nicely towards tourists with a sense of Atithi Devo Bhava Because a tourist also brings with him or her a surety of business for the locals This has to be driven inrdquo Bang on sir Predictably Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Eknath Khadse takes a dig at the state of affairs today ldquoFor a tourist the knowledge that he or she is safe to visit a place comes first He cannot roam freely in an atmosphere of threat to safety Foreign tourists provide huge opportunities for business They become our tourism ambassadors when they return home So a sense of insecurity is a threat to the tourism industry My experience tells me that in most foreign countries police as well as locals are alert and always helpful towards tourists Any problem for a tourist is bad for the image of a nation It is high time we learnt a few lessons in manners from some of these popular tourist destinationsrdquo he says He too believes that respect towards tourists foreign or domestic is a key to successful business ldquoFor women tourists a sense of security attains highest importance But sadly we rarely offer respect and priority to tourists This is common courtesy and essential to promoting tourism We need to understand that any bad treatment or a bad experience will harm our business prospects and create a bad image for usrdquo he concludes At the receiving end of much of the anger the Mumbai Police force however has proved itself to be more helpful and more courteous than its counterparts in most other metrosu00a0Speaking to SUNDAY MiD DAY the forcersquos official spokesperson DCP Satyanarayan Chaudhary says ldquoHonestly we have been taking many corrective measures pertaining to crimes against women All cases of crimes against women are being supervised by officers with the rank of deputy commissioner We have been sensitising our staff as well on how to handle cases pertaining to women in the city irrespective of their nationality As you may have noticed the presence of police personnel has also been increased on the streets in the last few monthsrdquo Chaudhary says the force has undertaken various innovative campaigns for the safety of women since this March ldquoWe have been promoting our helpline numbers for women by displaying these numbers all over the city We are also setting up special teams to constantly monitor areas known as tourist spots or those identified as unsafe areas after darkrdquo Clearly Mumbairsquos conscience has been pricked But while efforts from the government and its police force are a welcome change it is the man on the street who has to reform himself first Perhaps as Jacques says ldquoIt is only when a community understands that every time they assault misbehave cheat or rape a tourist one member of their own family loses his or her job because tourists stop coming will a mindset change take place Once that happens India has the potential to become a genuinely incredible tourist destination with a variety on offer that no other country in the world can boast ofrdquo Goa takes the lead goa Tourism has announced strict measures to ensure tourist safety especially for womenu00a0Millions of tourists from across the world land up in Goa each year most of them flying in via Mumbai In the aftermath of multiple incidents involving crimes against tourists in the state and travel advisories issued by multiple countries against India the Department of Tourism Government of Goa has constituted strict measures to safeguard tourist safety especially women travellers One of the initiatives taken by the department specifically for women is setting up of a Tourist Police Force comprising 200250 IRB Indian Reserve Battalion Police Around 50 of them will be lady constables Tourism Minister of Goa Dilip Parulekar has said that the department is also contemplating formation of an allwomen police team for night patrolling to instill confidence among women tourists and to intervene in emergency situations Apart from this the department has also appointed night patrolling teams with one team deployed each in North and South Goa The team comprising one PSI Police Sub Inspector along with supported staff of six to eight constables will operate from sunset to midnight every day of the weeku00a0Other measures include constitution of two flying squads one each for North and South Goa ldquoThey have been conferred Executive Magistrate Powers which means they have the power to take action or pass orders on the spotrdquo Parulekar saidu00a0 With inputs from Ravikiran Deshmukh and Bhupen Patel u00a0