Delhi is not safe, Mumbai is safer. Mumbai is unsafe, Bangalore is better. With the unfortunate incident of the Uber Cab the safety aspect of girls is once again the talk of the town. Hardly a few days had passed when a terrible Acid attack on a lady doctor on the main street of Delhi in the broad daylight occurs. The horrors of 16th December are yet not forgotten, the wounds of that mother have yet not healed and scratching from the past are these horrible rape incidences and acid attacks being reported on the news dailies.
With a number of App based websites mushrooming these days how stringent can the cabby’s police verification be done? Are the website owners doing their duty or is it the duty of the police to safeguard us or is it the duty of the self to make sure that we are safe? Is it really the city that is safe or the public that makes it safe? Is it the awareness that keeps one safe or the law enforcement that makes a city safer?
Let us answer a simple question first. Do we lock our doors from the inside while we go to sleep? Yes, we do. Why? Can we leave it open for the police to guard it? No. Why? Well perhaps because the police cannot guard each and everyone’s door. We need to take the necessary precautions and in case any misfortune happens, police is there for us to help. Listed below are just a few safety tips for girls which if borne in mind would help them in the long run.
1. Knock Knock: Walking down the road you notice you are the lone traveler. You notice a bunch of guys might be following you. Don’t panic. Time to act smart. Knock on the first door you see or ring the bell of the first house you see in the lane. Wait for them to open up and stay there confidently as if it were your own house. If need be you could give a fake cry “ Mom, Open the damn Door”. This way the teasers may be discouraged by thinking that you have reached your own house.
2. Walk The Opposite Lane: While driving in the opposite lane is a strict no, the walk must always be in the opposite lane, especially if you are a girl. This way you can be sure of what’s coming. While walking in the correct lane the vehicles come from your back, leaving you totally unaware of the imminent danger; when you walk the wrong lane, the oncoming vehicle are always a pre-assessed move.
3. A Little Far Is Better: You are living alone in your apartment. You get late in night and take an auto or a rickshaw. Tell him to stop a few places before your house and not exactly where you live. This place should be no farther than twenty steps from your home. May be the house of your well known neighbor. This way the rickshaw man doesn’t know which place you finally go to. Let him leave before you open the door to your home. A little smartness won’t cost much.
4. The Fuller The Better: Picture yourself late into night once again hitching a ride. Try taking a bus rather than the cab. Try taking that conveyance mode which is fuller and has a lot many people. If you doubt the crowd, skip the bus too. Try calling someone you know from your home or a friend. If taking a cab is a must, call your friend and tell him the cab number and make sure the cabby hears your conversation. It should be loud and clear to the cabby that someone is aware about your whereabouts.
5. Pepper Spray: This is one of the most indispensable tools ever made for girls. Keep it in your handbag always and make a vow on bible to make it an inseparable part of you. Try to Google about the proper use of it and mannerism in which you would be using it on your attacker. It is important that you not only have a pepper spray but also know how to use it in a bizarre situation if need be.
We can definitely teach our boys to behave well and police can definitely prevent the misconduct as well as punish the guilty. But that locking of the door we have to do by ourselves. Take a few steps further towards your own safety and let other steps be taken by the law. By taking precautions for self does not mean that that law doesn’t have to function here. On the contrary the law should be as stringent on the guilty as the acid on its victim.
Fear of being punished can be a major factor in controlling crimes. There is no fear of the law which causes the cyclical returns of the horrors. Hoping a government which has a wide coverage throughout India tallying upto 90% of Indian geographical presence, can come to a consensus for bringing up a law that promises to become the bandage to the wound.
Thatslyf deeply mourns such unfortunate incedences…coz that’s not a lyf..!!
