Night walk planned in Kerala to highlight women’s safety

Thiruvananthapuram: In the backdrop of a series of fatal assaults against women across India, including Kerala, the state directorate for development of women and children will organise a night walk to highlight the importance of women’s safety.

The night walk will be held in the state capital and other locations on December 29. The date has been chosen for participants to recall the brutal assault on Nirbhaya, a woman who was sexually assaulted and murdered while travelling in a Delhi bus during the tenure of the previous United Progressive Alliance government. Since then, India marks December 29 as Nirbhaya Day.

On that day, night walks are proposed to be held in different parts of the state in addition to the walk in the capital city. Reports indicate that the walk would be replicated in about 100 towns across the state.

The night walks will be coordinated by women staff of the directorate of women and child development.

To increase awareness about women’s safety and to improve awareness among the general public about the attitude towards women, the night walks have been proposed to be conducted once a week until March 8, which is observed as Women’s Day.

Earlier this month, local media quoted police’s crime records bureau statistics to report that a total of 10,516 cases of atrocities against women were reported until September this year, of which 1,537 were rapes.

Kerala Women’s Commission chairperson M.C. Josephine said despite stringent laws, women were facing new forms of crimes and atrocities, pointing out that five women had died in petrol attacks in Kerala over the last six months.

She said fast-track courts, speedy trial, women-friendly police stations and grass roots level awareness drives were the way to tackle the increasing atrocities against women.