What Delhi women want: Someone to help city shed unsafe tag

NEW DELHI: How important is it for women to vote? Very, said Lalita (name changed). “When I first came across a campaign in the last election, I thought it was just a waste of time. But exactly three years after that, I realised how important it was to vote,” she said.
Lalita isn’t just another first-time voter. Two years ago, her life turned upside down when she returned home to find her eight-month-old daughter lying unconscious on the bed, bleeding.She had been raped by a relative and left to die. That was a moment of realisation. And today, she can’t wait to cast her vote as Delhi goes to the polls on Sunday.
“It has been almost two years since that incident but it has scarred us. I got CCTV cameras installed inside the house as well, but I am unsure about my safety the moment I step out of my house. If something as heinous as rape can take place inside my house, anything can happen outside,” she said, adding that safety is the concern of every woman in her locality.
But demanding a change of situation, she said she and her friends have, after a lot of contemplation, decided to vote for a candidate whom they think would improve the situation, not worsen it.
Like her, there are many other women, most of whom live in slum clusters, who have similar fears and problems. “The least our candidate can do is provide a safe environment for women. Apart from that, there is another problem. Liquor is openly sold here as a result of which men create ruckus at night after consuming alcohol. The illegal sale of liquor should be shut down by whosoever is elected here in south Delhi. It may look like a small problem, but only those who face the consequences can tell the importance of shutting it down,” said Jayadevi, a resident of Bhatti mines.
Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal said, “Women’s safety is a burning issue and it is very unfortunate that it is not really a political issue. Education and women empowerment should become an important aspect on which elections are fought. Most of these problems are highly prevalent in cluster areas.”
Apart from education and illegal sale of liquor, menstrual health is also an issue that women highlighted. “There were tall claims about ensuring menstrual health for women, but not much was done to ensure that the women don’t have to suffer. “Not just this, there are open dustbins right outside our house because of which our children fall sick every now and then. I hope whosoever is elected now ensures that the localities are clean,” said Sheetal, a resident of Pankha Road in west Delhi.
A women’s rights activist, Akhila Sivadas, said that what count the most are the immediate needs of these women. “There should be no assumptions that anybody can come, make false promises, win their trust and not do anything about it. These women also put in a lot of thought and weigh every promise. One should make sure that the same are delivered,” she said.