KASARGOD: The second most unsafe place is when they take public transport, with 13 per cent of the women facing various forms of crime. The mapping found that in 77 per cent of the incidents the crime was perpetuated by one person and in 41 per cent cases, the perpetrator was drunk.
Valsalakumari said the most startling finding was that women aged between 35 and 49 faced 48 per cent of the crimes, that is, married women are the most vulnerable group in Kerala. Most of those crimes and discrimination happen inside the house, considered a safe haven by the womenfolk. Women between 18 and 34 years faced 32 per cent of the crimes.
This finding is likely to be skewed because majority of the participants may be middle-aged or the young women may not have opened up, felt Devika J, Associate Professor, Centre for Development Studies. That is substantiated by the Crime Mapping which found that women above 50 years faced 20 per cent of the crimes.
“This mapping is important because not many crimes against women are reported to the police or other authorities due to various reasons. The Crime Mapping will reflect the real picture because women in distress are more likely to open up to women,” she said. Over 30 per cent of the crimes against women were perpetuated by friends, family friends, domestic help, relatives and husbands.
The mapping also found out that 43 per cent of women put up a fight against the perpetrators. Nearly 23 per cent did not resist fearing isolation by society. The participants shared their experiences in writing or verbally. Some of them pointed out experiences of their relatives, friends and neighbours. In all cases, their privacy was ensured, said Valsalakumari.