From 2012 to Now: Continuing the Fight for Women's Safety and Empowerment

Recent protests in Kolkata echo the 2012 Delhi incident, highlighting ongoing issues of women's safety in India.

On 22 December 2012, our family of three landed in Perth, Australia to spend the Christmas holidays at my sister-in-law's place in Fremantle.

Just as our South Asian cab driver found out that we had arrived from Delhi, he said, “We heard about the terrible incident that happened in New Delhi. Is Delhi really so unsafe?”

The news of the gruesome gang rape of 23-year-old Nirbhaya, a paramedical student in Delhi, had spread faster than bushfires back then. Just like this time in Kolkata.

From massive rallies to demonstrations and candlelight marches— The 2012 rape of the paramedical student had created a nationwide protest, much like what we are witnessing in India today.

The gang rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata has once again exposed the deep-rooted systemic failures in our society.

Women’s rights groups, students and common people took to the streets to protest against the 2012 case. Jantar Mantar had become a war zone so much so that on 23 December 2012, the protests turned violent following cursive actions by the Delhi Police.

Soon after, the perpetrators were arrested, police officials ramped up security, CCTV cameras were a common sight, the Justice Verma Commission was formed, and most importantly, amendments were made to India's criminal justice laws to provide justice to sexual assault victims.

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Massive protests have shaken the country after the Kolkata gang rape incident and the Supreme Court, too, is taking quick action.

While stories of corruption and crime are emerging, I hope the health sector, from primary healthcare centres to private healthcare, is going to take the opportunity to make reforms and bring in amendments for the safety and security of young doctors, nurses, paramedics, frontline health workers and others who work within the healthcare system.

This does not only mean the issuance of masks, gloves and other protective gear for healthcare workers but also the safety and security in terms of their mental and physical well-being must be ensured. They must be protected from physical and sexual assaults.

Like all things, this too will die down. People will go back to their jobs and everyday lives. Hospitals, colleges, offices, roads and public spaces will go back to being spaces where women will have limited participation and will reach only a percentage of their full potential.

This has not changed since my growing up days in the same city (Kolkata) which erupted in protest just last week.

Between the ages of 15 and 25, I experienced all kinds of sexual harassment that one can in crowded transports – brushing against women, groping, pinching, public masturbation, and flashing.

Though I was taken aback initially, I soon learnt to protest, to grind my heels on the toes of the molester, ramming my knees into a groin, and even resorting to slapping one of them repeatedly in a crowded tram. The public, thankfully, always backed the women and reprimanded the molester.

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This has changed. Few people now protest publicly and very few support women. Laws in South Asian countries often fail to adequately protect women and girls from sexual assault. These laws can be inconsistent and poorly enforced.

Victims and their families often experience additional trauma, making them less likely to report crimes. As a result, many rapes go unreported, the justice system moves slowly, and cases are sometimes dropped.

Is it women taking over spaces that were appropriated by men that bring out this kind of reaction? Or is it men resenting women taking over public spaces over which they have a strong sense of ownership? Or is there a strong sense of entitlement and power that says if you are going to be out here sharing our spaces deal with this first?

When women assert their presence in these spaces, it can challenge this perceived entitlement. And finally, patriarchy flashing its challenged fangs?

The fear and resentment often expressed by men in response to women occupying spaces traditionally dominated by the former can be rooted in deeply ingrained patriarchal beliefs.

These beliefs often centre around the idea that men are entitled to certain spaces and privileges and that women are seen as intruders or threats to this status quo.

Societal norms and cultural messages often reinforce the idea that men are the primary breadwinners and public figures, while women are primarily responsible for domestic duties.

When women challenge these traditional roles, it can disrupt deeply ingrained patriarchal beliefs.

The case in Kolkata seems even more nuanced as it is an example of greed, corruption and crimes playing out over a woman’s body because she “dared” to question. We of course don’t know the truth yet. Whatever it is, the answer is to let women fill these spaces.

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Must Ensure Laws on Sexual Harassment in Workplaces Are Strictly Implemented

We shall double down on our work on shifting social norms so that more and more girls feel empowered to step up, seek out the world and work outside of homes, have dreams and aspirations of careers that help them be seen out there, playing, relaxing, taking buses, entering markets, eating in restaurants, giving political speeches in crowded chowks; being doctors, engineers, pilots, wrestlers, plumbers, ward councillors in large numbers.

We have to equip our girls with a strong sense of self, of being masters of their own decisions and lives. We have to train institutions to provide safety nets and implement in all sincerity laws on sexual harassment in workplaces, and provide services that help women seek stigma-free, and essential mental health counselling at workplaces.

We have to make sure police procedures are free from corruption along with swift and accurate investigations and meting out sentences take priority.

And lastly, we have to train men on how to treat their female colleagues as equals with respect and how to ask for consent before they can pay random innuendoed compliments.

Only then, “into that heaven of freedom,” will the women of my country thrive.

(The CEO of Breakthrough, Sohini is a social change enthusiast who has 25+ years of experience in the social sector. Prior to Breakthrough, she co-founded a gender resource centre; worked directly with grassroots communities and built market-artisan interfaces for a national NGO. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)