It's tough being a woman
It's tough being a woman
India is far from being a safe haven for women. Seema Sinha reports on the hidden dangers of being a woman in this country.
Recently, on her visit to Delhi, actor Gul Panagmade a cutting statement, 'It's difficult being a woman in Delhi', when running at a marathon, she was touched by men in a hurried stampede.
This is a stark reality in a land where we have had charismatic women like Indira Gandhi, the astronaut space shuttle mission specialist Kalpana Chawla, and many more. The hurtful fact in this largest democracy is that we have seven million girls missing since the last decade and a whopping 50 million missing over the past century.
The unsafe truth
In a recent survey, India ranks as the fourth most dangerous country for women to live in!Afghanistan tops the list of the five worst countries followed by Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Pakistan. But the inclusion of India, a democracy known for its growing economic prowess, above Somalia has surprised many experts.
No wonder then, the police commissioner recently remarked that women in Delhi shouldn't go out alone after midnight. Says Monique Villa, CEO,Thomson Reuters Foundation , that conducted the survey and launched their website, Trust Law Woman, "It is a huge surprise that the biggest democracy in the world was the number four in world's countries unsafe for women. There are indirect dangers that affect women and girls more than rape. According to the survey, forced marriage, labour and s*x trafficking added to the dangers for women in India.
A UN Population Fund report said, 'Girls are forced into s*x trade, they are taken to rural India, brought to cities, and also sold as slaves, etc," Says Flavia Agnes , women's rights lawyer, "In fact, Africa is better than India as women are not forced into marriage, they don't have dowry system, or child marriage. There is much more freedom for women." Is male domination still a problem? "Yes," says the gutsy Dr Kiran Bedi, India's first high ranking woman police officer, "Backwardness, lack of opportunities and health services and poor policing lead to male domination. Men take control. Many girls from urbanised villages of Delhi do not attend school because of poor security. Corruption and negative masculinity are two sides of the same coin. Women suffer the consequences."
A UN Population Fund report said, 'Girls are forced into s*x trade, they are taken to rural India, brought to cities, and also sold as slaves, etc," Says Flavia Agnes , women's rights lawyer, "In fact, Africa is better than India as women are not forced into marriage, they don't have dowry system, or child marriage. There is much more freedom for women." Is male domination still a problem? "Yes," says the gutsy Dr Kiran Bedi, India's first high ranking woman police officer, "Backwardness, lack of opportunities and health services and poor policing lead to male domination. Men take control. Many girls from urbanised villages of Delhi do not attend school because of poor security. Corruption and negative masculinity are two sides of the same coin. Women suffer the consequences."
Adds Sonya Gill, state secretary, All India Democratic Women's Association ( AIDWA)), "Only a small percentage of women in India are professionals. A large majority are seen as highly dependent and non-productive as they don't add value to the family. Women also lose out because the property rights are not reformed. Even as we are going for small families, people still ensure that they have a son. There being no regulation in the private medical sector, with no regulation in setting up of sonography clinics."
Ugly side of the story
Violence against women is yet another area of major concern. Big metros like Delhi, Bangalore and Pune have seen many incidents of rape of employees doing night shifts in call centres. Such incidents have forced a number of young women in India to apply for arms licenses. Femicide - or the killing of a woman merely because she was a woman - was six times more likely to occur than homicide, revealed Anna Alvazzi del Frate, senior researcher at the independent Small Arms Survey. The organisation has been monitoring increased armed violence by individuals since 2006 and researched the frequency of small arms and its impact on violence against women. "We are seeing a trend towards women who use arms or want to own arms," she said. Sonal Marwah, a consultant with the organisation's India chapter, added that in Delhi alone there is an average of one woman applicant for an arms license, especially from areas like Noida and Gurgaon.
Time and again our high-profile celebrities too have been harassed in public places. Some time back actress Bipasha Basu was molested when she had gone to attend Durga Puja celebrations. Katrina Kaif also went through a harrowing experience when a mob got close to her and started touching her. "It is really sad that despite four States having women chief ministers, India is unsafe," says actress Minnisha Lamba.
The solution
Effective governance is the key, say the experts. "But corruption does not allow this and women are the worst sufferers. Bring back accountability and performance in public service and all this will fall in place. Priority will shift from business in governance to service in governance," says Bedi.
