In the current clime, where large scale protests over the gang rape of a para-medical student have given way to grief over her tragic death, there is a need more than ever to make public spaces safer for women. New Year’s Eve with its promise of revelry, parties brings with it some obvious apprehensions.

With crowds on roads, alcohol-fuelled senses and general mayhem, it is even more important that women in general feel safe bringing in the New Year, wherever they may be — at a hotel, on the roads, at a private party or simply with people known to them, in any public place at all.