Society

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…

A compilation of in-depth articles, resources and opinion, to inspire thought and concrete action towards becoming a safer country for women. Representational image. Pic: Biswarup Ganguly/Wikimedia Commons From December 2012 to November 2019, from Nirbhaya to Disha, from Delhi to Hyderabad -- with Kathua, Unnao, Chennai, Jaipur and countless others in between -- the spate of crimes against women in India continues unabated. Neither a seven-year-long trial ending in a verdict of capital punishment for rapists in the Nirbhayacase, nor the encounter killing of alleged rapists in Hyderabad raises reasonable hopes of stemming the violence and reducing the vulnerability of…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities The Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Amendment) Act, 2019 was hailed by many for the inclusion of certain crucial aspects such as child pornography and death penalty for rape convicts, but predominantly for its focus on speedy trial of cases. To ensure this, the Law Ministry had proposed to set up 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) for the speedy trial of 1.66 lakh pending cases of crimes against women and children across the country. In fact, the POCSO Act mandates the completion of…

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…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities Last November, the Karnataka government issued a notification allowing women employees in factories to work night shifts, along with their male counterparts. Until recently, night shift for women was allowed only in the IT and ITeS (IT enabled services) industries. As per the Factories Act, 1948, women were originally allowed to work only till 7 pm. This law was amended in 2007 to extend timings to 10 pm. With the new notification, factories registered under the Act can employ ‘willing women workers' in night shifts - that…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities In December 2012, it felt like the ground under my feet was shaking. An upheaval seemed underway. True to the sensation, the world around me also began to show signs of an epoch-making era ahead of it: one that would call out the lackadaisical approach to violence against women, one that would witness radical changes in the laws and the security sector in ways that would prioritise justice for survivors of violence.  In December 2019, it felt like nothing had changed. Seven years had passed since…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities An alarming number of women have been subjected to violence and abuse in the private and public sphere over the ages, and the incidents reported are on the rise. Survivors of such trauma often require assistance on multiple fronts,  seeking medical, legal and emotional support.  State-operated emergency helplines that women can dial in times of crisis have been set up at various levels over the years, providing emergency services, police intervention, medical and legal assistance.  In addition to this, Chennai is home to various non-profit organisations…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities In 2018 alone, there were 53 dowry deaths in Bengaluru, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. Bengaluru was also the metro with the highest number of dowry deaths in south India that year, and the city where the highest number of dowry harassment cases were filed. If you suffer dowry harassment, sexual abuse, or other forms of violence within or outside your home, what options do you have? There are many helplines in Bengaluru that offer services like shelter, counselling, legal support, help securing employment…

In a recently-released popular Bengali flick Gotro (The clan), a prisoner who had spent nine years in jail is eventually accepted and welcomed into society, wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, real life is vastly different from such portrayals. Ask people like Aparajita Ganguly Bose, who shudder to think of the time spent in prison. Aparajita had been convicted on charges of murdering her husband and the 50-year-old can never stop lamenting the loss of several years in her prime, for a crime she didn’t commit.  Aparajita’s husband Kunal Bose, whom she married in 1992 after a brief love affair, went missing on May…