80 percent women fear for safety in Delhi: Survey
By IANSThursday, July 8, 2010
NEW DELHI - Nearly 80 percent of Delhi women fear for their safety in the city, a new survey says.
The Delhi government’s women and child development department, NGO Jagori and international organisation Unifem conducted the survey.
The survey, released Thursday, is based on interviews of 5,010 people, including 3,816 women and 944 men. The rest are common witnesses like bus conductors, shopkeepers and auto drivers, who have a probability of witnessing acts of sexual harassment against women.
“Nearly three out of every five women reported facing sexual harassment not only after dark but also through the daytime. But, it is a good sign that 68 percent of the women deal with harassment in some way like confronting the perpetrator or seeking help from family and friends,” said Delhi Health Minister Kiran Walia, who also looks after women and child development department.
Walia said public transport, buses and roads with faulty street lights are the spaces where women and girls face a high level of sexual harassment.
“There was a necessity to understand the problem. Now we have realised the problem, we will be able to find a solution. For instance, we will write for installing CCTVs in buses, then will also make sure that sexual harassment becomes a non-bailable offense through changes in CrPC,” she added.
