Laws alone are insufficient to address women’s safety. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Millions of women live in India’s congested streets, busy marketplaces, and even peaceful homes with a silent anxiety of being in danger in places where they ought to feel safe. There is always a risk of violence or harassment even at home, not to mention when taking a stroll or using public transport. Safety is a daily struggle for many women, fought in whispers and caution, and it frequently goes undetected by others around them.
Even with India’s advancements in a number of areas, the protection of women is still a major national concern. High-profile incidents of violence against women often spark public anger, but fade too quickly from public memory. Women who experience pain after harassment, abuse, or violence but choose to keep quiet out of fear of social stigma, humiliation, or lack of support are innumerable and unheard.
Laws alone are insufficient to address women’s safety. There is the utmost requirement of a change in society — a mentality that all women are equal to men and should be respected from an early age.
There is a need of creating an atmosphere allowing women to feel free to walk alone and raise their voice and share their concerns without worrying about repercussions. As a society, we have to choose between allowing fear to continue to control the lives of our mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends, or establishing a country in which women are free to live, work, and dream. If we bring in change within our society, the day is not far when women can walk freely and fearlessly with every voice raised, hand offered in support, and action taken to ensure their safety.
Women’s security is not just a women’s issue but it is a human concern. It is an utmost necessity to replace the silent cries of women by their loud courage reverberating throughout a country that unites for their safety and security.
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Published – December 01, 2024 04:04 am IST
