Girl, How safe you are??

Got to know this incident from one of my classmates. Let her name be Rita. Rita’s friend is doing her B.Ed in one of the colleges in the suburbs of Thrisur. One morning the girl was walking towards the college from the bus stop. The road was deserted, and it was then, she noticed 2 middle aged men, in their late 40’s approaching her. They grabbed her hand and tried to pull her into the car. She shouted. But none was there to save her. The man in the car was telling her, “ Let’s go somewhere else today”. Somehow the girl made an escape and later launched a complaint. The story ends there.

Today, I was planning to meet my friend in Thriprayar. It was this story which came to my mind, when I told mom that I would travel alone. And finally the trip got cancelled. Now I have to wait for another month to meet her. It is not the place that matter. I am not saying so and so place is not safe for girls. Rather, I feel, the so called “God’s own country” is not safe for girls. The increasing numbers of crime rates against girls prove this fact.

I don’t think yesteryears were better. But with media, playing a big role, and the accessibility to legal aids, the number of reported cases has increased. Unfortunately they are either buried under the financial and political influence of the convicted or forgotten due to the long procedures in the court.

We need a change. A change in attitude, a change in thoughts a change in our beliefs. A change that should start from the very first school, that is your home, and not from value based education. A change in media, that symbolize women as mere commodity to endorse goods like condoms, deodorants etc...

Hope to see the change soon.