Not above what is usual claims of continuous water or power supply will accede to the demands the city’s female voters this time. Ahead of elections next month, Hyderabad’s women are demanding a safe and sound city to live, work and travel in.
In view of the fact that crimes against women having taken a turn for the worse at an alarming rate in the past few years, Hyderabad’s women have safety and security at the top of their minds and will cast their vote for a candidate or party that show all the signs to make the city a safer place.
About 15.11% rise in crime against women last year with 25,998 cases registered in 2013 has been recorded in Andhra Pradesh, and rapes and molestation rising alarmingly.
In the last two and half months, more than 100 cases have already been reported across police stations, which according to activists are nerve-racking statistics.
Political parties will come up with their line of attack next month, but the majority of the political parties, including the Telangana Rashtra Samithi have accepted that women’s security will be a crucial issue at least for the assembly polls.
“I would definitely vote for a candidate or party which brings up the issue of women’s safety in the manifesto, rather than one which doesn’t,” said Sejal Parekh, a resident of Kondapur. “Safety of women in public spaces, including public transport in the city is an issue which needs to be addressed at the earliest. There is no reason why I should be feeling so unsafe while taking a public mode of transport,” she said.
Even with women-driven cabs and autos stepping onto the city streets of late, public transport continues to remain a grey area as far as women’s security is concerned.
Last October, the rape of a 23-year-old techie by two cab drivers shook the city and entirely tarnished its repute of being a safe place.
“My friends always warn me against taking public transport at night. I myself am not comfortable taking public transport at night and end up calling for a hired cab. This needs to change, considering that Hyderabad has such a large population of working professionals which has to work till late hours of the day,” said Bhavna Choraria, president of the Women in Business Club at the Indian School of Business.
The old city at present continues to be a hot bed for crimes against women with daily cases of molestations, abductions and now even a booming bride bazaar—where under aged girls from poverty stricken families are sold off to foreign ‘buyers’.
“We recently did a safety audit where groups of girls – most of them in burquas walked from Charminar to Bahadurpura. The experience was horrific with men trying to molest and grope the girls even though they were in groups. One girl was even picked up from Bahadurpura bus stop by two men but managed to escape with the help of another girl,” said Jameela Nishat, who runs the NGO Shaheen in the old city.
In spite of the magnitude of crime, faith of women in the police is almost non existent. According to Amita Desai, director of Goethe Zentrum, “No amount of policing is going to change things unless the perception of women in society changes. Unfortunately there are not too many political parties which are focusing on women’s safety issues though they should be.”
“My daughter, who is in her 20s, gave me a pepper spray to protect myself which goes to show the safety levels in the city,” Desai added.