The increase in the incidents of crimes against women continues to remain a cause of major concern in various part of the country. From being asked to dress “appropriately” to coming home on “time”, women across the world are often subjected to moral policing in the name of “protecting” them from getting sexually abused. While there is no data available on whether people consider their neighbourhood to be safe or not, IDFC Institute conducted a survey to gauge the behavioural changes people have undergone to keep themselves safe.
From understanding what people feel when women are out late in at night to how people in various cities cope with the fear for their safety, here are the results of the survey:
1. 87% of people living in Delhi get anxious if a female member of the family stays out of the house after 9 pm. Meanwhile, as for Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai, the percentage is 54%, 48% and 30%.
2. The cause of concern is not just limited to the female members of the family. 95% of people in Delhi get anxious and start worrying if an unaccompanied male member of the household does not return home by 11 pm. Whereas only 20% people in Mumbai get anxious if the male household member who has been out alone and has not returned at any point in the day.
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3. On being asked about the precautions they take to be safe, 60% of people in Chennai said they avoid walking alone and more than 30% people in Delhi affirmed that they avoid going out at certain times of the day.
4. Other adaptive measures that people take to keep themselves safe include using licensed taxis, travelling in crowded public transportation and putting away personal belongings. Also, dressing “appropriately” in a bid to adopt the societal norms was also listed among the precautionary measures.
5. The survey further revealed that low crime rate in a particular city does not imply that the city was safe. It could also mean that the people living in the city had adapted to a certain lifestyle to keep themselves safe.
Source: Business Standard
