Women Safety Workshop

                  Women Safety Workshop for 200+ Female Students of Govt Degree College, HSR Layout

Incidents of crime against women have been on a rise in India for last few years. More and more women are joining the urban workforce and safety of women continues to be a critical area of concern, in spite of many laws laid down by the Government.

In key economic hubs like Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune, there has been a steady increase in the number of cases of harassment and molestation being reported. However, the conviction rates are poor because of the poor judicial system, lack of awareness, faulty methods of collecting forensic evidence and limited use of modern technology.

Most cases of sexual harassment at home, work or public places are often not reported due to cultural inhibitions in many parts of the country; where the stigma is attached to the victim/survivor rather than the perpetrator of the crime, who often gets away.

Sadly an increase in brutal crimes against women across the country (both rural and urban) is going to have a huge impact on women playing a major role in the economy if the country. One can debate and nuance the cause of increasing crime against women, but mobility and freedom are indeed a key factors that determines the level of participation of women in the economy, politics and social structure. The fear is that the increase of violence against women will deter participation of women in all fields and will end up pushing India 15-20 years backwards.

Yes there is a lot that the Governments have to do to create a safe environment for everyone irrespective of gender. Our society should indeed take more responsibility in not just condemning the crimes against women but also grooming the boys in their homes to respect women and treat them as equals, and more importantly as humans.

Is that enough? No, women need to start taking control, unless they become confident about themselves and be prepared at all times, they will end up being curtailed with restrictions and fears. 

At Kaagaz Foundation, we have been propagating the concepts of women's safety which increases awareness to deal with any unsafe situations, also also teach women how to protect themselves against a physical attack using commonsense and basic self-defence techniques. 

Kaagaz Foundation in association with B.PAC #BSafe programs has been organizing Women Safety Workshops in Schools and Colleges collaborating with organizations like Parihar, Durga, Enfold etc. 

Nanna Olage Indira, a women safety handbook is a step towards making the environment safe for women, to empower women so that they can continue to contribute towards India's progress was also distributed free of cost to the participants of the workshop. 

- Kavitha Reddy
Trustee Kaagaz Foundation