The rape and the barbaric assault of a 23 year old girl in a running bus leading to her death had jolted the entire nation in December 2012. People came out in groups of thousands to protest against such an inhuman incident and also to ensure that the safety of women in the nation was upgraded to a whole new level.
Have things really changed one year later since the 16/12 Delhi rape? Have the attitudes of the citizens of the Capital improved towards women? Have the measures implemented after last year’s incident been adequate to make this city safer for women? Has Delhi really become safe?
This week, the FIIB Debate series explored the topic “Has Delhi become safer for women?” and received mixed reactions from members of the Institute. While 60% of the members said that in their opinion Delhi has not become safer and 20% were undecided about it, 20% of the members believed that measures are being taken which makes the city a safer place. Read some excerpts below-
Bharti Khurana, a 2nd year student expressed her disagreement about the safety of women in Delhi and suggested that it should be mandatory for women to learn self-defense. People should be taught on how to respect women. These measures should be implemented urgently. Goodwin Iyall, a 2nd year student was of a similar view that “women in Delhi can’t live as freely as men do. Every year thousands of women become victims to sexual violence and the criminals roam around freely due to lack of evidence.”
Jacob Poochakkattil, a 1st year student, was of a different opinion that “There has been a tremendous change in the behavior of the public and the administration. The Delhi Police have become more vigilant and there are regular police patrolling vehicles shuttling after dusk all over the city. Women helpline numbers have become more effective and there are prompt responses to any distress call in today’s time.”
However, many others like Mridula Raghav- a 1st year student, are skeptical if enough measures have been taken- “I could only observe increased PCR vans in my area but that does not mean that Delhi has become safe!”, the young 23 year old said.
The burning question still blazes: Are we going to experience a safer National Capital in the near future? Will a time come when a lonely woman will be able to walk on the roads of Delhi without any sense of fear? Let’s wait and watch!
Disclaimer: The article has been written by a member of Corporate Communication team at Fortune Institute of International Business-FIIB, but the views in the article are that of the students and do not reflect the views of the Institute. The article is a part of the FIIB Debate Series that is conducted regularly on the topics relevant to significant current affairs.