Series: Womens’ Safety

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities The Sexual Harassment (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 was passed by Parliament to address gender specific discrimination in the workplace. The law codified the  Supreme Court’s guidelines in the Vishaka v. Union of India case, but has been marred by implementation and compliance challenges. Sexual harassment of women continues in the workplace, remains under-reported and when reported, is not immune from failed dispute resolution processes managed by the employers.. The reasons for the law struggling to deliver redressal to its intended beneficiaries are many.  But what…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities Every time a gruesome rape incident shakes the foundations of our belief in humanity, a few standard arguments make an appearance. Maybe I am being cynical, but my take is that the comments that follow a headline-grabbing rape seem like the script of a 70’s Hindi movie - standard, repetitive, predictable and, at the risk of sounding extremely insensitive, almost entertaining. “Make every rape punishable by capital punishment.” “We cannot ask the state to commit murder. It is barbaric and a violation of human rights.” “Justice…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities “I walked on the side where the shops were, because they were well lit and there were people around” “I stood near the gate while waiting for my ride, just a bit inside, even though I did not belong to that college” “I never walk next to that tall compound wall” “I am always in a big group when I visit that park.  Too many bushes that make me feel as though someone is hiding there!” These are familiar statements, familiar sentiments that will resonate with every…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities From gender discrimination to sexual harassment and violence, the threats faced by women as they go about their lives are daunting. The roots of many of these critical issues lie in the social conditioning that has been in place for generations and it would be futile to try to address concerns over women's safety or issues faced by women in general without involving one of the most critical stakeholders in this entire piece: men.  Non-profit organisations and community groups working in the domain are, therefore, increasingly emphasising…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities It has taken seven years and numerous rounds of review in different courts to get justice and closure in a case that shook the country with its brutality and almost became a metaphor for the spiralling sexual violence that women in India have faced in recent years. Why has the system failed us despite both POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) and POSH laws in place? Is it only the tardy justice system or a total systemic failure? As per National Crime Records Bureau, as…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities The brutal rape and murder of a young veterinarian and the subsequent police encounter deaths of all four accused in the crime brought Hyderabad into the national headlines for all the wrong reasons. Women in Telangana’s capital face the same safety and security problems that affect women all across the country---harassment, assault, violence in public and private places. But the Telangana police have taken some steps to provide speedy assistance to women in trouble. In an interview to Citizen Matters, Swati Lakra, IPS, IGP Law & Order…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities On January 7 2020, more than seven years after the brutal gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in a moving public vehicle in Delhi, a death warrant was issued against the four convicted. The death sentence in the ‘Nirbhaya’ case as we have come to call it, ordered by the court to be carried out on January 22nd, has been hailed by many who see it as the final delivery of justice in a case that had shocked the nation and led to huge public…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities In any criminal act in which a woman is the target, the police is almost always in the best position to offer help, safety and reassurance to the aggrieved, besides investigating the crime and bringing the assailant to book. Clearly, this calls for a certain level of competence and professionalism, and a degree of empathy, patience and sensitivity towards women. Such qualities on the part of law-enforcers would be the criminal justice system’s most significant contribution towards empowering women and upholding their equal status.  Sadly however,…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities With inputs from Raj Machhan, Shuriah Niazi and Sri Krishna In 2012, the Karnataka government set up ten special fast track courts for trying cases of rape and sexual assault under Section 376 of the IPC. In 2015, Karnataka was allotted a whopping amount of Rs 218.72 crore as part of the Government of India's plan to set up 1800 fast track courts (FTC) across the country. The primary intent behind setting up these FTCs was to ensure a speedier sentence and justice for crimes against…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities The gruesome rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad recently shocked our country. But after the dust settles, the question that would be asked of a dead woman is “What was she doing out so late in the night?” As working professionals and contributing members of society, women shouldn’t have to answer this question at all. But we don't live in a perfect world. Hence the law needed to step in to protect women who work at night. In 2002, state government amended the Karnataka…