DETERIORATING SAFETY

20 million women,

the combined population of New York, London and Paris — have left the workforce of Asia’s third-largest economy since 2005, World Bank data shows, partly due to their poor treatment. Only 27 per cent now work. AN AIR INDIA FLIGHT attendant made headlines in May when she took to Twitter to accuse a “predator” senior officer of sexually harassing her over six years, describing him as “Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby put together”. A 2017 SURVEY by India's National Bar Association found nearly 70 percent of sexual harassment victims did not report their cases. GOVERNMENT DATA shows reported cases of crime against women rose by 83% between 2007 and 2016, when there were four cases of rape reported every hour. The government should form a team of experts with officials and even psychologists, pediatricians and psychiatrists to be able to narrow the problems a girl child faces from her birth. A series of interviews will be conducted with perpetrators to find out why they committed crimes against women so that those issues can be addressed in future cases and correct counselling given. — Nannapaneni Rajakumari, Andhra Pradesh Women Commission Chairperson To change the mindset of people, we should address the problems dealt by women from a young age. There needs to be an addition in the curriculum at a school level that teaches respect and questions cultural practices against women. — Tripurana Venkataratnam, the advisor to the National commission for women THE SURVEY ASKED respondents which five of the 193 United Nations member states they thought were most dangerous for women and which country was worst in terms of healthcare, economic resources, cultural or traditional practices, sexual violence and harassment, non-sexual violence and human trafficking. RESPONDENTS ALSO ranked India the most dangerous country for women in terms of human trafficking, including sex slavery and domestic servitude, and for customary practices such as forced marriage, stoning and female infanticide. THE POLL of 548 people was conducted across Europe, Africa, the Americas, South East Asia, South Asia and the Pacific. THE 2012 gang-rape of a young woman in New Delhi was seen as an inflection point for women’s safety in India, sparking widespread protests and calls for change. As a person closely associated with rehabilitating sex trafficked victims, I can safely say that women take the brunt of everything and the safety of women is shrinking. The increasing sexual violence in India is reaching an epidemic level. — Sunitha Krishnan, an anti trafficking crusader