Page 39 - Masala E-magazine Vol 9 Issue 2 October - November 2017
P. 39

Infrastructure Changes

             Women are often afraid to travel alone in India, primarily due
             to proximity issues between their place of work and home. In
             2015, the government launched a campaign in mid-sized cities
             to improve safety and security. These initiatives involve paying
             attention to ‘problem areas,’ such as the walk between a woman’s
             house and the train station, or the bus stop and her workplace.
             The focus is again on adequate streetlights and CCTV coverage in
             public areas.







                                                                 Safety Apps on Smartphones

                                                                 Technology, when used correctly, has the propensity to improve
                                                                 our safety. There are dozens of recently launched smartphone
                                                                 applications that can easily be downloaded, including the top rated
                                                                 Safetipin, Himmat and Raksha.

                                                                 Safetipin o ers essential services, such as the ability to be tracked
                                                                 by friends and family via GPS pin, storage of emergency contact
                                                                 numbers and directions to ‘safe’ locations. These safe locations are
                                                                 user generated, whereby people are able to give scores to places
                                                                 based on where they feel most safe and most in danger. Hence, the
                                                                 app increases the safety for women in cities with the help of the whole
                                                                 community. There is also a ‘scream’ function and an ‘SOS’ alert in the
                                                                 case of a genuine emergency.
                                                                 Other apps with similar functions include Delhi police supported
                                                                 Himmat, which sends an alert directly to the police, and Raksha,
                                                                 which sends distress signals simply by pressing the volume button
                                                                 on your smartphone.




                                                                  Tips for Solo or Group Female Travellers:

                                                                  •   Be culturally aware of your attitude and how you dress. No
                                                                      one is asking you to cover your body from head to toe, but
                                                                      dressing sensibly when travelling alone or in small groups is
                                                                      important.
                                                                  •   Assert yourself. Indian women and men are known for their
                                                                       rm and assertive nature, so being too polite won’t necessarily
                                                                      get you anywhere. Be tough and con dent instead!

                                                                  •   When sightseeing alone or in small groups, join group tours
                                                                      from well-established tour agencies to ensure your safety.

                                                                  •   Imitate the local women. Our main issue as OCIs is that
                                                                      we generally stand out. So talk in Hindi, dress culturally
                                                                      appropriately, and try to  t in as much as possible.
                                                                  •   Don’t wander to new places alone at night.

                                                                  •   Always get an Indian sim card, know your emergency contact
                                                                      numbers and don’t forget to download safety apps – our
                                                                      favourite is Safetipin!



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