Why Are Women No Longer Safe Even Among People They Trust?
Women’s safety has become one of the most important social issues of our time.
Every few weeks, Odisha and the rest of the country are shaken by reports of women being harassed, assaulted or subjected to violence. Public outrage follows. Debates take place on television and social media. Strong statements are made. Yet the incidents continue.
The most disturbing aspect of this growing crisis is that many women are no longer afraid only of strangers.
Increasingly, the people accused of committing such acts are individuals known to the victim. Friends, classmates, colleagues, neighbours, relatives and acquaintances frequently appear in police reports and news headlines.
This raises a difficult question.
How did society reach a point where trust itself is becoming a source of fear?
For generations, families taught their daughters to be cautious around unknown people. Today, many parents worry not only about public spaces but also about schools, colleges, workplaces, coaching centres and social circles where trust once came naturally.
Women’s safety is often discussed as a law-and-order issue. While effective policing and speedy justice are essential, the problem runs much deeper.
A society does not suddenly become unsafe.
It becomes unsafe when respect is replaced by entitlement.
It becomes unsafe when harassment is dismissed as harmless behaviour.
It becomes unsafe when victims are questioned more than perpetrators.
It becomes unsafe when bystanders choose silence over intervention.
Most importantly, it becomes unsafe when young people grow up without learning the value of dignity, empathy and personal responsibility.
The issue is not only about crime.
It is also about culture.
Every family, educational institution and workplace has a role to play in shaping attitudes towards women. Respect cannot be enforced only through laws. It must become a social value that is consistently practised and defended.
Technology has connected people more than ever before, yet many observers believe that empathy and social responsibility are declining. Online abuse, public humiliation and the normalisation of toxic behaviour have become common experiences for many women.
This should concern everyone.
A society where women constantly have to calculate risks before travelling, studying, working or participating in public life is not a truly progressive society.
Development cannot be measured only through roads, buildings, industries or economic growth.
The true measure of progress lies in whether people feel safe, respected and valued.
Women should not have to alter their ambitions, opportunities or freedom because society has failed to provide basic safety and dignity.
The responsibility for change cannot rest solely on women.
It belongs to families.
It belongs to educational institutions.
It belongs to communities.
It belongs to men.
And it belongs to society as a whole.
The question Odisha must ask itself is not whether enough statements are being made after every incident.
The question is whether we are building a culture where such incidents become increasingly rare.
A developed society is not one where women learn to live with fear.
It is one where fear has no reason to exist.
