Crimes against women rage on. Structural reforms at the policy level remain a distant cry. But women’s safety — or the lack of it — has finally become part of mainstream public discourse.
As the Reclaim the Night vigil in Calcutta completed a year and returned on Thursday, women who led last year’s sweeping protests looked back. Some were back on the streets. Some were not.
The campaign followed outrage over the brutal rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee at her workplace, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Protesters took to the streets demanding justice for the slain doctor — and for freedom from fear, harassment, and everyday bias.
‘Been let down’
There seems to be no end to violence against women — and what shocks many more is the impunity the perpetrators enjoy.
“A gang-rape on a college campus within a year? The only difference is she was not murdered,” said schoolteacher S. Dey.
On June 25, a 24-year-old student of South Calcutta Law College was gang-raped on campus. A former student with Trinamool links, two current students, and a security guard have been arrested.
Dey and others also pointed to the case of Tamanna Khatun, the schoolgirl killed in a bomb attack allegedly by Trinamool supporters during a bypoll celebration march in Nadia on June 23.
“My blood boils every time I see her face on TV. I cannot forget that innocent face. But the political masters of the perpetrators remain untouched,” said Piyali Banerjee, a homemaker from Poddar Nagar who was at last year’s Jadavpur gathering.
Shikha Metharamani, a social worker who was at the vigil near the Academy of Fine Arts last year, reflected on the emotional toll of repeated violence. “Tragedy continues to strike — in different places and forms,” she said.
“When the next news comes, the older one is forgotten. We move on... I can’t blame others. Even I have returned to a life of normality. How long can you stay on the streets?”
Missing mechanisms
Many women pointed to the slow and ineffective implementation of the Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 — or the PoSH Act.
This includes the failure to conduct mandatory audits to ensure all institutions have internal complaints committees (ICCs) and that local complaints committees (LCCs) exist across the state.
“The ICCs have been formed in many workplaces — but in many cases, they are mere showpieces. There is no monitoring of how often they meet or how they function,” said gender activist Soma Roy Karmakar.
In the districts, the situation is worse, social workers said. Each district is required to have an LCC to address complaints of sexual harassment in organisations with fewer than 10 employees. The informal workforce — from domestic workers to construction labourers — relies on these committees for redress. But they are either non-functional or completely unknown.
“There is an LCC for Calcutta headed by the joint commissioner (crime) of Kolkata Police. But hardly anyone knows about it. Even those working in this field are unaware — how can we expect informal workers to know?” asked Paramita Chowdhury, who works with marginalised women and was present at last year’s protest in Jadavpur.
Shifting conversations
Despite the setbacks, many say the conversation around women’s safety is no longer confined to elite spaces.
“Earlier, such discussions happened only at confer-ences or workshops. Now people talk about it in buses, in the Metro, in boardrooms — everywhere,” said Parama Ghosh, a private bank employee.
Gender activist Roy Karmakar, who works in rural areas, agreed. “Parents now openly discuss these issues. When a girl is moving to a hostel or a new city, safety is discussed without hesitation,” she said.