In 2017, the number of sexual harassment cases against women nearly touched the 1000-mark.
Bangalore, April 8, 2018: Despite the slew of measures taken by the state government over women safety, women in Bangalore aren’t impressed.
Citizens across the city feel that despite the promises by the authorities, the situation hasn’t really improved.
Earlier this January, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) decided to come up with a wearable band, known as ‘raksha band’. It would send the location to police cntral monitoring agency, and alert them when the person wearing the band is under attack.
They also decided to come up with ‘Pink autos’, which would specifically cater to women. The autorickshaws would have CCTV cameras and GPS within. This decision came just a few days after reservation of 20 per cent in parking areas was announced for women.
The very next month, the BMRCL decided to allot the first two doors of its trains for female commuters.
In 2017, over 900 cases of sexual harassment against women were reported, which was much higher in comparison to the 774 cases reported in 2016. Even the rape cases went up from 96 to 125.
Mithuna, a resident of HSR Layout said, “The measures by the government are positive, but they should do more regarding the safety of women. There are still so many areas around the city where we cannot walk after evening.”
Radhika, who lives in JP Nagar feels that the lack of police patrolling across the city is a major concern. She also felt that lighting in certain areas is a problem which the authorities need to tackle.
The fear among the women regarding their safety grew after the New Year’s Eve incident in 2017, when numerous women came forward and complained that they were molested during the event.
The safety issue further grew after a CCTV footage showed a woman getting molested right in the middle of a street.
