Tag: women’s safety

By Ananya Saha

A recent incident when an Aaj Tak reporter was sexually harassed while reporting for a story raises concerns about women working in the media industry. We spoke to a few of them to know how they feel, and what have they been through.

The number of working women is increasing, and so is the number of them working long hours. Journalists usually have to work late nights. While the work itself is not a cause for complaint, safety is a concern for most women journalists. In the wake of a rape case, a reporter was teased by a group of men (in a car) while reporting! Who is to be blamed for it? And how can the companies make them feel safer? There is hardly a woman in media who does not have a story to share about feeling unsafe or harassed. While stringent company policies have made offices a better place, while reporting or while stepping out of office, at least Delhi women have had a bad experience.

The names in the story have been changed, on request.

Sakshi Bhasin, a television journalist who works in Noida does not feel safe in Delhi. “There was an instance when at about 10.30pm, which is my usual time for leaving office, I stepped out to board my office cab only to find a car passing by in which the ‘men’ passed a comment ‘we’ll drop you home’. Not in the genuine sense of course!’ But as soon as they found I had a male colleague with me, they quickly drove past. I spoke to my HR head about the incident and she suggested sending a guard with me if I needed. I joked that rather than having two guys at that time of night in my cab (the second one being the driver), I’d rather go alone. Although it was a joke, it is sad that even professional women like me are fighting with the male psyche everywhere.”

Kolkata-born Sumitra Bose who currently works in Delhi said, “Safety is always a concern when leaving in the late hours. Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg is a place where all the major newspaper offices are located, there is a police patrol van also deployed in the area but the walk till the metro station is filled with notorious elements and no one has been able to a thing about it. You cannot stand on the road to hail an auto rickshaw without having some bikers or hooligans pass a comment or two as you stand there, right under the nose of a police van. The underbridge that one has to cross, for instance, is replete with drunkards, homeless, beggars, and it has space enough to only walk to in a single file. There isn’t even a proper road.” However, she feels safe once aboard the metro.

About the HR policies of her organisation, she said, “In my organisation there is a cell for women to complain for sexual harassment, and also like most other newspapers, they provide a drop facility after 10pm with a male escort. But if you are leaving at 9, then they probably think it is safe enough!”

Stuti Bhattacharya has reported from various cities across India. She said that she felt the most unsafe in Delhi. “I have worked in all urban cities in India. Even returning home at 11pm in Hyderabad was safer than retuning from work at 9pm in Delhi. “Since I work for a newspaper, our shift usually ends pretty late around 8-9pm. I have had an incident while leaving office. I was accosted by a drunkard whom I pepper-sprayed. Then, I complained to the Police and Women Cell that resulted in patrolling of PCR vans for next two days. But today, it is back to square one. I prefer travelling with fellow colleagues for sense of security. I prefer travelling by metro, since it has separate coach for females, than travelling by auto or bus.” She feels that following any untoward incident involving a woman, the government blames the company or the individual. “It is the responsibility of the government to make us feel safe,” she opined.

Megha Ghose, television producer with a leading news channel in Mumbai, was once stalked by a colleague for more than two weeks. She then made a police complaint, and the colleague was asked to leave the organisation. “What is strange is that he found a job the very next day at the competitors’ channel, who also knew about the whole episode. I wish it was not so easy for him,” she said.

Kolkata-based magazine journalist Saroni Roy said that while she has not had any untoward incident at work, “I have to keep my family informed about where I am going for my assignment. Mostly, I travel by my own car and not the official cab. Who can you trust anyway? Company policies do not matter since your safety is your own concern.”

Monica Kapur, a web journalist in Delhi said, “For most events that I cover, I get cab facility but still it does not make me feel safe. We have rotational shifts. Once I got free at 2am, and was driving back when another car started following me. I took a U-turn and went back to the office at 3 am.” Delhi-based TV Journalist Neha Bhasin said, “As a female journalist, I feel insecure if I work late at night and have to make my way to home on my own. I try and ensure that an office vehicle drops me home if I work beyond 10pm. However, at times when I drive to work, I need to drive back instead of using office vehicles and at such times I feel vulnerable. Thankfully I haven’t had to face a situation where I have felt threatened but the thought is always there at the back of my mind. I worry constantly if I will make it safely back home. Living in the capital city, it’s shameful that such a basic right – safety for women – is not ensured.”

While women journalists struggle with the not-so-safe environment, Advocate Rekha Aggarwal, Supreme Court and Delhi High Court, told MxM India that there are no special privileges to protect the women working late hours. “It is not only media, but look at other professions where women work late. It is up to the companies to make such provisions for the safety of female staff. They have arranged cabs with male guards to drop female staff. But then I am not sure how safe it would make them. Yes, they can have special privileges such as regulated working hours where females are not allowed to stay in office beyond the said time, ‘work-from-home’ option for them. However, this should not come at a cost of lesser pay or lesser opportunities at work. But this would be a totally utopian situation. And I am not sure if we are ready for it. Not only the government, it is important that companies protect women employees.”

Ensuring the safety of women in the supposedly egalitarian urban Indian society is a 360-degree issue. Everyone plays a part: employers, law-enforcers, infrastructure providers and the woman herself. Still, it is a long way before the Utopia of true safety can be achieved.

Look out for Part 2 of our report on how safe are women in the rest of the media – advertising, marketing, experential media, public relations and non-journalists in the news media. If you wish to share an experience here, write to editor@mxmindia.com

Image: Rafiq