Where has women’s safety gone? From three-year-old girls to 80-year-old elderly women, females across all age groups continue to face abuse, harassment, and violence.
To address these concerns, the Tamil Nadu government under Chief Minister Joseph Vijay launched the Singapenne Scheme last week, a major initiative aimed at enhancing women’s safety and empowerment.
Similarly, in the national capital, Delhi, the Lieutenant Governor chaired a comprehensive review meeting yesterday to strengthen women’s safety measures across the city, particularly within the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) network.
During the meeting, it was decided that female police personnel would be deployed inside DTC Ladies Special Buses, which will be operated by women staff on identified vulnerable routes with high female ridership. In addition, Women Home Guard Marshals will be deployed to assist them, further enhancing commuter safety and confidence.
A key decision was also taken to directly integrate panic button alerts in buses with Delhi’s 112 Police Control Room (PCR) emergency response system, enabling faster and more effective responses during emergencies.
Tamil Nadu can consider adopting similar measures. Women police personnel could be deployed on buses operating on routes with high female ridership, and women-operated bus services could be expanded wherever feasible.
Likewise, the ‘Safe Kovai’ initiative, in Coimbatore, which introduced SAKO safety poles equipped with emergency buttons at bus stops to enhance women’s safety, can be expanded all over Tamil Nadu. Such emergency systems should be installed at public places with high footfall, areas frequently used by women, locations near barren land, and dark areas. Their functionality and maintenance should be inspected at least once every month.
These measures would not only benefit women but also help children and other vulnerable individuals who may require immediate assistance during emergencies. Alongside infrastructure and policing reforms, public awareness remains equally important in ensuring safer communities for all.
