The recommendations for the safety of women and children has raked up an old debate about the factors that lead to crimes against them. The recommendation of the Legislature Committee on Women and Child Safety that pubs, bars, clubs, hotels and eateries should be closed before 11 p.m. has met with mixed reactions.
Lawyer Darshana Mitra said the recommendation was the ‘wrong end of the stick to grab on to’, whatever be the interpretation — men drinking being a cause or women accessing entertainment spaces as a factor. “In many cases, crimes against women are happening in the middle of the day and in their homes. In child sexual abuse cases too, a majority are abused by people they know,” she pointed out.
The suggestion has not gone down well with the food and beverage industry. Ashish Kothare, an industry veteran, said statistics would prove that not all crimes against women were happening late at night. “In fact, these places should be open longer so that there is traffic on the road. In numbers, there is safety. The more people on the road, safer the roads are,” he said.
Bengaluru ranked ninth among metropolitan cities when it came to crimes against women in the NCRB Crime in India report for 2016.
Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar said, “It is a recommendation. I cannot comment now. The government will issue directions and they will be implemented.”
