HYDERABAD: Nearly a month after three gruesome gang rape and murder cases were reported in the State, a collective of working women from the State met on Sunday and formulated a charter of 13 demands for the government to ensure safer spaces for women.
The collective called the ‘Working Women’s collective for safe spaces’ saw nearly 125 women from diverse working fields discuss and arrive at 13 points such as more coverage of CCTV cameras, shorter response time for Dial 100, etc.
“These demands have been deliberated upon by several working women, activists and academicians as the key requirement of the State. We want these to be immediately implemented in order for a safe space to prevail,” said Pravallika Achyuthuni, member of Half the Sky, Half the Earth, an organization which was part of the collective.
“There is no one demand that’s more crucial than others. After the rapes were reported, many were asking for better street lights and more patrolling. But what is the point if we reach our offices safely, and encounter a workforce which is not gender-sensitive. Which is why one of our demands is strict enforcement of anti-sexual harassment laws in all organisations and educational institutions,” she added.
Some of the other demands of this collection include the strict provision of transport to female employees, female drivers and security personnel to be deployed, the facility of crèche and nursing rooms, and sick rooms in all institutions, public transport with CCTV cameras etc.
The collective will now take these demands to the public and seek signatures. They are looking for nearly 10,000 signatures both online and offline and the same will be presented to the Home Department and Department of Women Development and Child Welfare on Women’s Day, March 8.