Monthly Archives: February 2011

BPO Delhi developments!
 
Delhi BPO employees have a lot to contend with in terms of transportation to work. Female employees are at risk of rape based on many recent cases.  Female BPO employees in Delhi have been asked not to sit in the front seat of cabs.  Harrassment of ladies by cab and rick shaw drivers is not limited to Delhi, but it is much worse in Delhi than in any other metro.  Cops say that ladies should not sit in the back seats.  So, if ladies can’t sit in the front or back, where do they sit?  There is no middle row of seats, or is there.  If ladies sit near the windows, then gundas will be able to see them clearly. 
 
Solutions suggested included installing GPS systems which is expensive at a cost of more than US$150 per unit. Additionally, who will moniter these systems?  Airports in India often have the option to take a cab from a company that tracks what cab number is going where.  This is helpful, and few individuals get robbed from these scrutinized cabs.
 
My personal point of view is that Indian cities, especially Delhi need to have mini-bus or rickshaw routes that cater to women.  If the drivers are women, or drivers who have a clean track record of not harrassing women, and the clients are women, then it will be a relatively safe environment for women.  I feel that in India, women are safer in groups, and should try to avoid traveling alone, or after 9pm at night, unless they are in a really ultra-safe area, and only Pune fits that description to my knowledge.
 
Women who work for BPO’s in Delhi or other parts of India have all sorts of unnecessary problems.  Since buses are overloaded, they are not fit for a women, or even a man to squeeze into.  Cabs are expensive, and share rick shaws don’t always go where you want, nor are they safe.  I pray that someone philanthropic, perhaps the government, will try to create a transportation system for the middle class that is comfortable, safe, and takes female issues into consideration. 
 
Female safety in India is a huge problem, and the government should really take the lead in preventive maintenance so that no more problems happen.  People’s lives are ruined each time an incident happens.