The horrendous case of a young woman being dragged by five men in a car for several kilometers on January 1 is a terrible start to 2023. There are so many elements of this incident that are problematic. First, the men were reported to be inebriated to such an extent that they could drive for 4 km, dragging a woman by their car without realising it (or being bothered by it). Second, the driver of the car hit the woman who was riding a two-wheeler, but did not bother to stop or help her. Instead, he drove away quickly. According to one report, the men stopped the car later, removed the woman’s body, and fled. They were callous and insensitive, with no concern for having caused a death. They left her to die on the road because they were more worried about protecting themselves than saving another person.
The police were intimated of the incident by passersby. The car was identified through CCTV cameras on the street. Further, since the woman was found lying naked on the road, the likelihood of sexual assault is under investigation.
The woman was a 20-year-old returning home from work. It is heartbreaking to think of this horrific death and the predicament of her mother and other family members. Road safety is a big concern in India, and the more vulnerable face greater danger. There are many cases of people being hit or run over by speeding cars when sitting or sleeping on the pavement.
Over 1.5 lakh people died from road accidents just in 2021, and this has been the trend for several years. According to NCRB data from 2021, driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol contributed to 1.9 per cent of deaths from accidents. These accidents have resulted in injuries to 7,235 persons and caused 2,935 deaths in the country. Further, nearly 90 per cent of deaths on the road were due to speeding, overtaking, and dangerous driving. According to the World Bank’s data from 2019, India ranked first among the top 20 countries for road accidents.
In addition, for women the fear of sexual assault is another cause for concern when they traverse public spaces after dark. While there may be no sexual assault proven in this case yet, the fact that it is a possibility speaks to the reality of assault as an added worry for every woman in this country. It is pertinent to mention that the National Commission for Women has specifically asked that this angle be looked into here as well.
Violence significantly affects women’s choices and abilities to access opportunities that the city offers. Research from the UN and ICRW confirms that women face multiple forms of violence and sexual harassment in cities such as catcalling, groping, and stalking along with more serious crimes like rape and sexual assault. This everyday violence and harassment frames women’s experience of public spaces in the city. Their mobility is hampered by violence and fear, as well as poor public transport services. Transport planning generally focuses on male travel patterns during peak hours to work and back. Meanwhile, the World Bank’s report on women’s mobility in India has shown that women’s travel patterns can often be quite different due to their caregiving roles.
The same report shows that 84 per cent of women’s trips were estimated to be by public transport, and more women tend to walk to work compared to men — 45.4 per cent versus 27.4 per cent respectively. Also, more women travel by bus and are likely to take affordability into account when travelling, the report said, adding that they often choose slower means of transport since faster modes are expensive.
While a larger percentage of road accident victims are men, this primarily shows that men are more likely to go out, own a vehicle or travel at night as compared to women. Women’s restricted mobility comes from a fear of violence, patriarchal socio-cultural norms, and the burden of care work, and is reflected in their low participation in the workforce.
India has the highest rate of fatality in road accidents in the world and a high rate of violence against women in public places. Our streets must be safer in terms of both accidents and crime. Designing streets for safe pedestrian movement rather than faster moving cars would significantly change our cities. The current model plans for cars to travel faster, leading to more flyovers, overpasses, and dimly-lit roads making pedestrians vulnerable to injury and violence. Safety audits done by Safetipin across the country show that busy, well-lit streets with good pavements and the presence of street vendors, shops, and cafes with surveillance are most conducive for women to feel safe. Similarly, providing infrastructure for cycling and making public transport accessible and affordable will reduce and slow down traffic on the streets. These steps can make our streets safer, more accessible, and more inclusive.
The writer is the co-founder and CEO of Safetipin and an expert on gender and urbanisation
