A day after Ramesh B Zalki, principal secretary to the Women and Child Welfare Department, stated that restricting the movement and activities of women would lower crimes against them, women activists in the city lashed out at him, terming his statement ‘rubbish’ and ‘foolhardy’.
During a workshop on ‘Tackling the Menace of Crime Against Women’ organised at the M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology by the All India Council for Technical Education on Thursday, Zalki had said that restrictions on women walking alone at night or stepping out of their hostels after 10 pm would prevent crimes.
Explaining that imposing more restrictions on women would only increase crimes, Shakun Mohini of Vimochana, a city-based women’s rights group, said, “So-called ‘experts’ and ‘experienced’ bureaucrats never think of imposing restrictions on men and boys. Instead, they go around controlling the mobility of women.”
Shakun said that before appointing officials to such a high positions in a department meant to protect and empower women, their aptitude has to be properly checked. “It is ironic that a department that talks of the empowerment of women is restricting them at the same time.”
Meghna Suryakumar, a lawyer, said: “Such statements only reflect the attitude of lazy politicians and IAS officers who do not want to do their job. We have a lazy police system and politicians who want to find the easy way out. It is their job to ensure public safety. If the city is unsafe post 11 pm it is a lapse on the part of cops. We can’t just stay at home fearing such crimes,” she said.
Activist Geetha Menon rubbished Zalki’s statement and said women are as unsafe during the day as at night. “Women are being violated throughout the day. There is no confidence in their mind because perpetrators are lurking even in homes. Men think they can do anything to women and get away with it. It seems like the real issue, which requires men and women to change their notions of sexuality, is being evaded,” she said.