Make Streets Safe For Women Instead Of Locking Them Up: Kerala HC
We're nodding our heads in agreement!
This world isn’t a safe place for a woman and we always have to be alert wherever we are in order to stay safe. With the kind of crimes that are being committed against women, it’s no surprise that we never feel safe be it within or outside our homes. But we do hope to see a day when this place will be a safe place for our gender and we’re also working towards it, or at least trying to. Much in line with this thought, the Kerala High Court recently said that ideally in society, women should be able to walk on the streets at any given time of the day or night and feel safe but it requires us to collectively work towards having such security systems in place instead of using a cloak of patriarchy to keep them safe.
While hearing petitions filed by students of Government Medical College Kozhikode challenging the rule set by the Higher Education Department barring female students living in hostels from going out after 9.30 pm, Justice Devan Ramachandran observed that students have the right to experience life and they cannot be locked up in under the guise of safety and security. Pointing out that society has a duty to protect women and to make the public places and streets safe for them during the day as well as the night, the Kerala High Court noted that since we’re not living in an ideal world, there are concerns related to safety and security and these concerns should be prioritised but it has to be done without locking up the female students and making them feel that they need a man to protect them. Justice Ramachandran further added that students need to be prepared for the future considering that we may not be able to prepare the future for them.
Also Read: Kerala High Court Questions Night Curfew For Women, Says Lock Men Up Instead
The Kerala High Court directed the Government to modify the rules to ensure that if a female student wishes to leave the hostel for a family event or a personal activity, they shall be allowed to do so with the permission of their guardian which can be submitted to the warden or the faculty in charge in writing. The court also added that such a request cannot be rejected if the student has a valid reason.
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Also Read: 10 Years After Nirbhaya, And The Country Still Fails In Women’s Safety
On that note, in case you were wondering how safe a woman can feel on the streets in the middle of the night in India, here’s a video that showcases the harsh realities of our society.
First Published: December 22, 2022 10:03 PMFather Shares List Of Foodie Demands By Daughter Returning From Hostel. Twitter Relates!
