Women unbound: Public spaces must be always safe for everyone, Pg 8

Recent Alarming Incidents

• Series of incidents in Q1 2025 show women face harassment in public transport, with cases of injury, miscarriage, and assault.

Systemic Social Challenges

• Society’s approach often restricts women’s mobility instead of ensuring safety.
• Women still wary of traveling at night or alone.

Judicial Action & Legal Signals

• Delhi HC upheld conviction for 2015 harassment, terming it “deeply concerning.”
• Supreme Court reversed a ruling that downplayed attempted rape, reinforcing judicial sensitivity.

Call for Institutional Change

• Need for trained police, well-lit public areas, faster judicial processes, and filling vacancies in courts.
• Public safety must be systemic and inclusive, not reactive.

Analysis & Way Forward

• True empowerment needs safe, accessible public spaces.
• Ensure coordination between judiciary, police, and urban planning to build gender-sensitive infrastructure.

Mains Mock Question:

"Discuss the role of judiciary and governance mechanisms in ensuring safety for women in public spaces. Suggest reforms for systemic change."