Is India a safe place for women travelers?

“Spanish Travel Vloggers Assaulted, Gang Raped In India During Motorcycle Tour Of Globe” – screamed the headline on therepublica.com

Vincente and Fernanda, a Spanish couple, were on a “Vuelta Al Mundo En Moto (Around The World By Motorbike)” tour when they reported they had been assaulted by a gang of robbers and rapists in India on 1st March 2024.

The Vloggers have traveled to over 60 countries, starting from Barcelona 5 years ago. They had biked about 170,000 kilometers so far and were on their way to Nepal via India’s Jharkhand state when this sad, abominable incident happened. 

The couple is well known and have gathered 122,000 followers on Instagram documenting their journey, meals, and experiences as they trek across continents.

They reported the incident to police immediately and the couple have released a video narrating the ordeal. The video is now viral on social media. 

The police have nabbed three men who committed the crime and are on the lookout for four more. 

But the chair of NCW (National Commission for Women), the statutory body in India established for the purpose of helping women, protecting them and promoting women’s rights and interests, has tweeted that people shouldn’t report crimes on social media, and they should go to police. She said this almost a day after the couple had approached police.

Such is the ignorance of people sitting in top positions in India. 

“Rape is the most common crime against women in India”, says the front page on Wikipedia.

The portal says further that about 32,000 cases of rape were registered according to the 2021 annual report by NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau). That’s about 85 rape cases averaging a day.

Isn’t that a big shame for the nation of 1.43 billion? And the worse is, the cases, according to the NCRB report, are rising each year.

A quick search on Google throws up how an (anonymous) mom lists out safeguards for women when they tour India.

She says (among various other safeguards) that women should avoid dressing up provocatively. How sad!

How weak men in India are! The mom believes women’s dress in India attracts unsolicited attention from men. 

But treating women in India with respect goes back to ancient times.

The Vedic period (1500 – 500 BCE) says women were treated equally by men in all aspects of life.

Vedic scholars such as Patanjali and Katyayana have written that women were educated and there are verses in Rigveda which suggest that women were married at a mature age.

They were free to choose who to marry and who to live with.

Swayamvar and Gandharva marriage practices were clear examples of how women enjoyed freedom in those days.

What’s gone wrong now? What’s the remedy?

• Teach the next generation about gender, respect and human rights. Simple.

• Tell children that it is OK to be different.

• Encourage a culture of acceptance.

• Talk about consent, bodily autonomy, and accountability in an age-appropriate way for boys and girls.

• Discuss the importance of choices and how to take responsibility for one’s actions.

• Listen to children.

• Empowering the young with information and educating them about women’s rights, we can build a better future for all.

Let’s make the world a better and safer place for women. For women in India and for those who choose to come to India on tours.