For women, Chennai is much safer than Kerala

Chennai: The most literate state in India has the dubious distinction of being one of the most unsafe places for women in the country. With the recent attack on a young woman IT professional in Kochi, one wonders if she was targeted for her profession.

Chennai has an abundance of IT companies, which are not confined to the IT corridor, but have sprung up in many other parts of the city. Women who have lived in Kerala and moved to Chennai for work feel that the situation in Chennai is far better.

Lakshmi Menon, who lived in Kerala many years ago and still goes back for occasional visits, says, "I try not to go out alone when I go there. Even if I do, I am very alert. One could say that 75 per cent men in Kerala are perverts. They comment and can get touchy sometimes. Even the way they stare is so vulgar. As roads clear up and are deserted after 6pm, it is best not to go out alone after that."

Sreedevi Jacob, in her blog cites a 2004-survey conducted by Malayala Manorama titled 'How Kerala behaves with women'.

The series included reports of harassment faced by women travelling alone in various parts of the state.

These were supported by statistics based on a survey of 1,200 women. Of this, 60 per cent had said that they have had to put up with bad behaviour from men.

Lakshmi also says that a feeling of being unsafe persists even if you are in a crowded place in Kerala. "Kerala has been like that forever. In Chennai, I do feel more comfortable. If a woman is in distress in Chennai, the public will readily help her. But I don’t think that will happen in Kerala," she adds.

Agreeing with Lakshmi in many ways is Reshmi Sathish, an IT professional herself. Having lived in a highly conservative Calicut and a not-so-conservative Kochi, she says that Chennai straddles the fence. "I moved here after I completed Class 12. In Kochi, you could probably be safe until 8.30 pm. Chennai is far better in that respect," she says.

Reshmi feels that the way to tackle men in Kerala is to make some quick retort and walk away. "Men there are not usually smart enough to answer back. In Chennai, people are more likely to initiate or continue a bad conversation," she explains.

Adding that people in Chennai are more helpful, she says, "In Kerala, you would have to convince people that you really need their help before they step in to assist you."