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New city government is bringing in a squad of martial arts trained women to make Delhi's streets safer
The new leaders of India's 'rape capital' Delhi are to to recruit a female commando force to patrol the streets and boost safety for women.
Rakhi Birla, the capital's new Women and Child Welfare minister, said she is planning to recruit ex-military personnel and experts in martial arts, to train women volunteers to walk the capital's streets.
Insecurity and fear of rape has increased since the gang-rape and murder of a 23 year old student on a Delhi bus just over a year ago. The brutality of the attack provoked demonstrations throughout Delhi andIndia and forced the government to introduce new laws and tougher sentences for rape and sexual assaults.
But despite widespread outrage and the threat of faster trials, the capital has seen reported rapes double in the last year from 706 in 2012 to 1,330 in the first ten months of 2013. The number of sexual assaults increased from just over 700 in 2012 to 2,844 last year.
Ms Birla, who was appointed after her anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party beat the ruling Congress into third place in the Delhi state government elections last month, believes an all-female commando force will make the capital's streets safer.
"There are lots of flaws in our system. Many corrective measures need to be taken to make public transportation at night safe for women. We are starting with an all-women commando force. Several ex-army men and martial art instructors have been roped in to train women. Interestingly, more than men, women are coming forward to get trained, which is a positive sign.
They will be trained in Tae Kwan Do and then deployed on several stretches at night," she told the Times of India.
She also plans to recruit 5,000 women autorickshaw drivers to help make women feel less threatened at night.
Her plan has been questioned by women's rights campaigners however who said while it was well-intentioned, it would create a parallel force without the support of Delhi's police.
"We need to bring more women into Delhi Police, not a parallel force. It would better to strengthen the existing police force and demand that it comes under the control of the Delhi government," said Ranjana Kumari of the Centre for Social Research.
Following the outcry after the Delhi gang-rape and murder, the capital's then chief minister Sheila Dikshit complained that her state government had no control over the police which comes under the central government's home ministry.
"The Delhi Police won't care about the commando force because they will still be under the home ministry. What authority will the force have," Ms Kumari said.
Female commando force to tackle the rise of rape in India's capital - Telegraph
The new leaders of India's 'rape capital' Delhi are to to recruit a female commando force to patrol the streets and boost safety for women.
Rakhi Birla, the capital's new Women and Child Welfare minister, said she is planning to recruit ex-military personnel and experts in martial arts, to train women volunteers to walk the capital's streets.
Insecurity and fear of rape has increased since the gang-rape and murder of a 23 year old student on a Delhi bus just over a year ago. The brutality of the attack provoked demonstrations throughout Delhi andIndia and forced the government to introduce new laws and tougher sentences for rape and sexual assaults.
But despite widespread outrage and the threat of faster trials, the capital has seen reported rapes double in the last year from 706 in 2012 to 1,330 in the first ten months of 2013. The number of sexual assaults increased from just over 700 in 2012 to 2,844 last year.
Ms Birla, who was appointed after her anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party beat the ruling Congress into third place in the Delhi state government elections last month, believes an all-female commando force will make the capital's streets safer.
"There are lots of flaws in our system. Many corrective measures need to be taken to make public transportation at night safe for women. We are starting with an all-women commando force. Several ex-army men and martial art instructors have been roped in to train women. Interestingly, more than men, women are coming forward to get trained, which is a positive sign.
They will be trained in Tae Kwan Do and then deployed on several stretches at night," she told the Times of India.
She also plans to recruit 5,000 women autorickshaw drivers to help make women feel less threatened at night.
Her plan has been questioned by women's rights campaigners however who said while it was well-intentioned, it would create a parallel force without the support of Delhi's police.
"We need to bring more women into Delhi Police, not a parallel force. It would better to strengthen the existing police force and demand that it comes under the control of the Delhi government," said Ranjana Kumari of the Centre for Social Research.
Following the outcry after the Delhi gang-rape and murder, the capital's then chief minister Sheila Dikshit complained that her state government had no control over the police which comes under the central government's home ministry.
"The Delhi Police won't care about the commando force because they will still be under the home ministry. What authority will the force have," Ms Kumari said.
Female commando force to tackle the rise of rape in India's capital - Telegraph
