In an Exclusive Survey conducted by FWD life across three major Indian Cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and in three cities in Kerala – Thiruvanathapuram, Kochi and Calicut, about the safety of the women while travelling alone at night. The results are both revealing and surprising!

The poll was conducted among students and professional between the age of 22 and 45. While 50% of them were people who have spend some time in major cities in India, the other 50% have stayed only in one of the location.

30% of the women polled in Delhi thought it be ok walk alone while the over whelming 70 thought it insane to walk or even in a group in Delhi after 6 p.m. Also a over whelming 72 % sees Delhi as a tough city for single women.

73% of the women surveyed in Mumbai feel safe walking alone after dusk but most of them admit to have faced some kind of harassment. And 40% thinks it’s a tough city for single women.

Surprisingly only 53 % of the women surveyed in Bangalore feel safe to walk around alone after dusk but an over whelming 78 % thinks it’s a good city for single women.

Kerala All together about 80 % of the women surveyed feel it’s not safe to travel alone after dusk. 60% of the women thinks it’s a tough place for single women.

Prema Sankar and her friend stepped out of an uptown night club in Delhi “ We decided to take a cycle rickshaw back home. A few minutes later we observed a SUV following us. Keeping a distance from the rickshaw, it made no attempts to overtake and drive off. The rickshaw driver asked us to call up someone at the destination. Since the house was very close to the destination we reached fast and on seeing us stop the car drove off”

Mumbai

Vasundhara Karun takes the suburban rail regularly from her home. She claims that “ Mumbai is certainly more women friendly than most other Indian cities. It’s not like I haven’t faced some kind of harassment in Mumbai, but then never felt threatened here. There are always people travelling around and the trains have secure women compartments. Once when a drunken man tried to force his way in, the response time from other men passengers to remove from the scene was commendable.

Bangalore

Lakshmi Nair born and brought in Bangalore talks about an interesting incident. “Church Street is where we hang out regularly on weekends. Walking alone at the most brings a few catcalls or whistles. It’s a different case when you are wearing a short skirt or a revealing top. It’s also weird while smoking outside or buying liquor from a store.”

Mrs. Preeti Sreenivasan (Faculty -St.Teresas College, Ernakulum)

I would definitely not dare to step out of my home after 6pm.Its not because I fear what the people are going to tag me if I do so but I’d rather want to be on the safer side. The city may be developed but it’s not yet seeped into the minds of the people. It’s when the young men in the society start acting like the moral police and realise and respect a women’s opinion, her ideas and her liberty on what to wear, when to come and how to live her life like men that we can claim we are developed.

Ms. Gayathri:

I have no special opinion about this but just one thought that it all depends on the area of residing and the attitude that one carries. One should be bold enough in challenging situations. It’s high time to break these stereotypes. But one should definitely not deny their ethics.

Ms. Viditha Madhu Balakrishnan:

Compared to foreign countries Kerala is much backward. Cochin is developed but only at the peripheral level. I’d go out after 6pm if and only I’m accompanied by someone. So the need of the hour is that both men and women are made aware.

Mrs.Jyotsana Radhakrishnan (Playback singer)  

It’s very sad that we claim to have developed but still the attitude towards women in the society remains bad.Double standards prevail when it comes to men and women way of life. It’s when we start giving mutual respect to each other that we can claim to be developed.

Time to Cast your Vote:

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