New Delhi: Nearly 79 percent women in India have reported harassment and abuse, reveals a recent research by ActionAid, an advocacy group based in United Kingdom.
The survey has found that in Indian cities 9 percent women have “experienced” rape and 21 percent faced “another form of physical sexual assault.”
The situation is worse in northern India, where 89 percent of women said they had experienced harassment of some sort, with 50 percent experiencing unwanted bodily or physical contact of a sexual nature.
The report also reveals that 43 percent of women in India have experienced ‘insult/calling names’ and 44 percent having experienced “wolf whistling,” 38 percent experienced sexual comments.
The research has found that three in four women have been subjected to harassment and violence in cities across the world, reports twocircles.net.
The figures came to light after ActionAid conducted a YouGov poll and surveyed 2,500 women aged 16 and over in major cities across India, Brazil, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
The report was launched ahead of the charity’s International Safe Cities for Women Day, in a bid to tackle the urban violence that women and girls struggle with globally.
“A third of all women and girls experience violence in their lifetime – often on the streets of cities and towns. Every day women and girls face violence, intimidation and sexual harassment on their way to school, work or hospital. Women living in developing countries are even at risk when accessing vital public services, such as communal toilets, water points or public transport,” reads the ActionAid Research Report.
Describing the situation as an “epidemic,” the advocacy group said, “The constant threat or experience of violence prevents women and girls from moving freely about their cities. This can mean sacrificing educational and work opportunities, as well as leisure and community activities, including participating in decision-making about their urban environment.”
ActionAid, which works with local partners in more than 45 countries, aims to combat poverty and injustice worldwide.
It was founded in 1972 by Cecil Jackson-Cole as a child sponsorship charity (originally called Action in Distress) when 88 UK supporters sponsored 88 children in India and Kenya.
It now helps more than 15 million impoverished and disadvantaged people worldwide. Its head office is located in South Africa with hubs in Asia, The Americas and Europe.