No govt has taken steps to ensure women safety: DU students

With the National Crime Records Bureau report, 2018 stating that there were 15 cases of acid attack in Delhi, ETV Bharat spoke to several young girls studying in the national capital at Delhi University to understand their perspective on the issue.

New Delhi: The National Crime Records Bureau report,2018 which states that there were 15 cases of acid attack in Delhi, and the recent release of Bollywood film 'Chhapaak' in which actor Deepika Padukone has played the real-life character of Laxmi Agarwal - an acid attack survivor - have renewed the debate around women's safety in the national capital.

ETV Bharat spoke to several young girls studying in the national capital at Delhi University to understand their perspective on the issue.

Mudita, a student at the varsity said, "The data on crime against women clearly shows that there is no decline in crime committed with women. The reason is that no government is taking any strict measures to ensure the safety and empowerment of women. When elections come closer populist steps such as making metro travel free for women are introduced, does that ensure a woman's safety? The University campuses are assumed to be safe places for women, but we have to face hooliganism outside the campus in the evening hours."

When her views were sought on acid attacks on women, she said, "When a girl steps out of the house, she is exposed to several risks, and this fear instilled in us is an attack on our self-esteem. These attacks target women mostly belonging to the vulnerable sections of society, the ones hailing from better-off families or upper class have been provided with various facilities and privileges to protect themselves from such attacks. Empowerment of women must begin from bottom-up."

Echoing her views, Kalpana, another student at the DU, said, "The movie was particularly banned in states where the ruling government at the Centre has formed state governments, and this is representative of the government's perception of women. The victim of acid attacks, sexual abuse, or domestic violence is often asked to keep mum, and when the pressure comes from both the government and the society at large, we must understand that the atmosphere is becoming regressive for us women."

"Isn't it government's responsibility to promote such a film, " added the young student.

There were 240 victims of acid attacks in India in 2018 according to the National Crime Records Bureau report released in January 2020. Out of the 240 victims, 57% were women. Compared to 2017, the number of acid attacks and victims have come down in 2018.

In 2018, 228 incidents of acid attacks were recorded across the country against 240 victims. Of these, West Bengal recorded 50 incidents involving 53 victims. In 2017, 244 acid attacks were recorded across the country.