There’s a deafening cacophony in the air. Shrill calls for the death penalty and castration. Neither of which will make cities more accessible to women. Narratives of danger proliferate. Delhi is once again being labelled the ‘rape capital’ a slur that will only mean that women daring to step out, especially at night will be castigated, for only the crazy or the morally reprehensible would venture out into the ‘rape capital’. More stringent punishment has never meant more conviction nor has it been successful in curbing crime. A few thoughts, by no means conclusive, on how we might think about this crime and what it means for our cities.

One, we need more people out on the streets, not less. We are safer when there are more women (and more men) on the streets. When shops are open, when restaurants are open, when there are hawkers and yes, even sex workers on the street, the street is a safer space for us all. All of these protests taking place are often after dark, and there are many women and men but numbers make it safe. We need to populate our streets. In order to do that we need to make them more inviting and in order to do which, we need the mindset of the city to change from desiring empty streets to wanting people on the streets. We must ensure that this gruesome gang-rape does not go out as a message that “women are in danger and should stay home”.