As Women’s Day approaches, there is raging controversy over whether India’s Daughter , the documentary on the Delhi gang-rape case of Nirbhaya in 2012, should be aired as it features one of the rapists.

The debate about women’s rights and safety in this country is long and enduring, and it is significant that a survey finds that nearly 90 per cent of women respondents believe that most forms of abuse against women, other than sexual assault, are not recognised.

‘Is it an Unequal World?’ - a short survey of 1,892 women conducted last week by Women Endangered and #iamwhoiam, an initiative to create an ongoing dialogue on gender sensitivity issues, presents a rather bleak picture of how Indian women feel about their position in society.

Just 52 per cent believe they have an opinion and that it’s heard. Only 17 per cent believe that social norms do not overtake love and acceptance. Patriarchy, women’s submissiveness and the men in women’s lives, in that order, combine to create gender inequality, the survey finds women saying. 

Travel safety

On the other hand, two surveys from travel Web sites Trip Advisor and HolidayIQ focus on women travellers’ safety and say the majority of women do not think India is unsafe to travel in.

HolidayIQ’s survey of 20,000 women, across age groups, found that 78 per cent think India is safe to travel in. Only 10 per cent of 1,300 respondents polled by TripAdvisor say India is unsafe.

Delhi ‘most unsafe’

Delhi tops the list of “most unsafe” cities. Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Pune are listed among the safest. Not going out at night, telling/texting someone where they are going and staying clear of quiet streets are safety measures they take.

The surveys were conducted online. While Trip Advisor’s survey was restricted to some cities, the other two were conducted across the country.

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