Mumbai: Hailed for women safety, Mumbai, the city of dreams, is slowly turning out to be a nightmare for them. Crimes against women have increased in the past few years and the recent molestation incident onboard a local train have further aggravated the pressing concern. Be it taking public transport, living in a hostel or working in an office, women have grown increasingly wary of these routine affairs in the wake of serious offences being committed by those least suspected.
Though crimes against women make headlines and even attract the attention of women political leaders, no concrete step is taken. Located in Bandra East, the Maharashtra State Commission for Women was established on January 25, 1993, with the main focus on eradicating violence against women. However, we rarely see the Commission taking a strong stance on matters of sexual assaults.
Talking to the FPJ, Commission Chairperson Rupali Chakankar conceded that the number of girls going missing has been on the rise across the state. Pointing out the lacunae in the system, she emphasised on the need for strong organisations like Bharosa Cell, 'Damini Pathak' and the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at workplaces.
When queried about the steps taken by the Commission to curb the menace, Chakankar said, “In the last 16 months, we have been trying to appoint an ICC committee. I have visited 16 districts and made efforts for it. The Commission has done satisfactory work, but we can't claim to have achieved 100% of our goals. We have a lot of work to do in the future.” Besides the anti-harassment awareness programmes, concerted efforts are underway for appointment of a dedicated force for the security of women. Unfortunately, people with different ideologies come to the mantle of power when there is change of guard in the state. “This hinders our progress,” she averred.
Answering whether her affiliation to a political party clashes with her role at the Commission, Chakankar said, “Seven of my predecessors at the Commission belonged to political parties. I resigned from my political post after being appointed the Commission's Chairperson. I believe that every woman politician should raise the issue of crimes against women.”
However, it has been evident that the State Women Commission was at the forefront when the victim was a celebrity. But, who stands for common women?
Tally of statewide cases registered at Women Commission
March
Marriage conflicts
264
Dowry
0
Rapes and social issues
325
Property problems
97
Harassment at workplace
73
Other
327
Total
1,086
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April
Marriage conflicts
274
Dowry
0
Rape and other issues
254
Property problems
81
Harassment at workplace
51
Other
292
Total
952
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May
Marriage conflicts
276
Dowry
0
Rape and other issues
247
Property problems
77
Molestation at workplace
12
Harassment at workplace
37
Other
334
Total
979
