90% women feel unsafe in city, says survey

Nearly 90% of the women do not feel safe in the city as they fear harassment and sexual abuse at public places, a survey revealed.

The agency ‘Save the Children’ released its report on ‘The Issue of Safety of Girls in Karnataka’ based on an online survey. More than 90% of the 3,000 girls and women living in Bengaluru said they fear daily harassment, including lewd comments, inappropriate touching and other forms of sexual assault, in public spaces.

More than 86% of the respondents said they feel unsafe while using public transport, especially when alone. Further, eight out of 10 women fear to talk about abuse or fear of abuse as they believe it would prompt their families to place restrictions, a factor that makes them suppress their unpleasant experiences.

Shockingly, nine out of the 10 respondents, including women and men, said they would rather not report any harassment to the police.

The report was released at an event at Mount Carmel College on Wednesday.

Former chairperson, Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Kripa Alva said safety figures in Bengaluru show a grim situation. “It is important that the youth stands united to the cause. Unless this is done, the future of its youngest citizens, children, will be in peril,” said Kripa, who took part.

The NGO’s ‘Changemaker Series’ seeks to create awareness among youngsters about the issues in the country related to women and child abuse, and urge them to stand up against the problems that make India unsafe. Senior police officer Kala Krishnaswamy said all-women squads have been formed in various station limits to curb offences and create safe public spaces for women.

“The Hoysala attempt to reach the spot within five minutes of receiving a distress call has been successful most of the time. The main problem we face is that the public do not trust the police,” she said.

Activist Geetha Menon urged the citizens to unitedly work for safety since it is a collective responsibility.