Nearly 90 per cent women feel unsafe in Bhopal, Gwalior and Jodhpur due to isolated and unsafe areas, according to a study which also found that students and unmarried women were more vulnerable to sexual harassment.
The study was conducted by social enterprises Safetipin, government organisation KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) and NGO Asia Foundation.
The methodology for the study comprised a two-pronged approach of reviewing relevant literature and primary data collection.
The data collection included 219 surveys in Bhopal (77), Gwalior (75) and Jodhpur (67).
According to the study, the main reasons for making women feel unsafe included isolated or deserted places (89 per cent), almost empty public transport (63 per cent), sale of drugs or alcohol in the vicinity (86 per cent) and lack of security (68 per cent) among others.
"Being active users of buses and shared autos, women often felt exposed to threatening and unwelcoming behaviour while using public transport. Findings indicate that instances of sexual harassment were significantly higher amongst students
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