"Anything a man can do, a woman can do better"

This phrase is proved to be true in most of the cases. But, don't you people wonder that if women are soo good to perform most of the tasks, why is it we see very few women doing the unconventional jobs? Have you ever thought about the reason why most of the working women have those conventional 9-5 jobs?

Actually, there are a number of reasons behind this. From household work to the low amount of faith that the people have in a woman's success.

There are a lot of reasons... But, here in this article, I want to address the only reason that we, women are afraid of. Even if our families put their best efforts to make us independent, even if they know we don't need a penny from anyone else, they still are afraid to send us away at night. Most of us girls still get a call from our moms as soon as we get late by 10 minutes from our routine timings. The fear that scares us no matter what.. the fear of those footsteps behind us ... That comes with criminal intentions. The footsteps which our sixth sense tells us to run from. Those who make us feel as if we are gonna lose ourselves tonight. The footsteps of a creep. The footsteps of an eve teaser. The footsteps of a rapist.

WHAT DO WE FEEL AT TIMES WE HEAR THOSE FOOTSTEPS?

I, here speak for most of the females of our nation. I am a college student and there are times it gets dark while coming back home since my college is quite far from home. There is a 10-minute walk from the metro station to my home. Whenever I step out from the metro station, and see the dark sky, I immediately call or text one of my family members or friends, if not I just go straight to the rikshaws for them to drop me home. Because I know if I walk alone at night, my mind will keep telling me that someone with bad intentions is following me. And trust me, my intuitive power is like a gift. My intuitions are almost never wrong. That's true for most of the girls. Most of us have had an incident like this where we were being followed or even harmed by some stranger following them. And know well, we would never forget that feeling. And, sadly the moment we lift our heads up we do see those eyes again. Maybe with different faces but yes. Those crappy eyes are everywhere. One single person seems to be enough to keep us safe because those criminals don't have the guts to fight anyone other than us. They think of us as too weak to protect ourselves. And we, the birth givers, naturally lack in physical strength from those criminals. We don't want to be touched. We don't want to be bothered. And these things happen more frequently in the dark. That's what is binding us to stay till late. That's a major one of the many hindrances we face.

WHAT OTHER LIMITATIONS A GIRL HAS TO FACE DUE TO THESE CRIMINALS?

If the career aspects were not enough for the readers to connect with the problem, I want to explain other things too. Now, the people our age still have a chance to fight these things because we are aware. But , what about the girls as young as 2-3 years old who become the victims of hideous crimes like rape and murder. They are not even aware of their own phenotypes let alone understand the seriousness of what has happened to them.

The stollen childhood...(A true story):

Recently, the newspaper read that a 5-year-old girl was raped and then brutally murdered by a neighbor while she went outside her house for playing.

I know some people still blame the girls for the crimes they are themselves the victims of. If you say that a girl's dressing sense makes people want to rape her, I want you to tell me what was the fault of that 5-year-old girl? Who had the right to take away her childhood, and her life from her? No one. So, it would be better to stop blaming the victim and actually doing efforts to eliminate the actual cause.

Being 20 years old, I still cannot leave my home after 9 pm. Is it because my parents don't trust me? No. It's because they are afraid to lose me like those who lost their daughters to nothing.

HOW TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM THESE CREEPS?

If you are a girl leaving your house on regular bases, especially if you have a fixed routine, you have to be aware all the time. At least when it's dark and you are alone.

1. Never I repeat never ever trust a stranger asking for money or anything. If someone calls you from a distance and tells you to come towards them as if they have something to talk about, just keep going. It is recommended to call or at least text anyone you trust at times like this.
2. The moment you feel even a minute chance for danger just send your live location to one of your friends or family members. Pretend to be on a call all the time.
3. If ever you see a policeman or any other official around you in such a situation, make sure to talk to them looking at the person you are suspicious about. You can even talk about the directions or some random things. You just have to make the stalker feel like some official just saw them and he/ she might expose them if anything bad happened to you.
4. Beware of any repeated scenes. If you see a person standing at the same place for 3 consecutive days without any reason during your scheduled timings, it's your sign to be alert on the fourth day. Just switch your route or maybe start bringing a friend along the next day. Know well that a person who plans their crime will try their best to note your patterns and then attack you when it is least expected. So, never give them a chance.
5. Don't run away. Make sure they know about you knowing their presence and that you must have told someone. It's very important.
6. I am not saying that girls are weak. But, to be practical, you always should have something that can be used as a weapon for self-defense. It might be a chilly spray. I know you cannot carry actual weapons to most of the places, But, if you have to use something for self-defense, it can be something as simple as a pen. What matters more is your timing. Always try to keep an open pen in your pocket. So that if anyone tries to capture you, you can puncture their muscle and get those few seconds where they let you lose. Take advantage of those seconds and run.
7. Know well that as much as we are afraid of them, our mental strength overpowers our physical strength to a large extent. That's something that can save our lives. That's actually something that keeps us two steps ahead of them.

WHAT SHOULD A MAN DO TO PROTECT THE WOMEN AROUND HIM?

If you are a good man, it's your duty to be protective of the women in your life. May she be your daughter, wife, sister, girlfriend, or even a friend? It's you who she trusts the most in situations like the above mentioned happens with you around her. Even if you don't know who the girl is if you see things like that happening.

1. You should step up and make her aware. Maybe talk to her for a few seconds. No, if you think she will think of you as a creep. It's not true. If you are a genuinely good person, she will at least listen to you. Moreover, if she understands the danger, her sixth sense will automatically tell her to trust you.
2.  Even if you are still not sure about talking to her, just keep an eye for her. She might need that. Just make the stalker aware that you have seen them.
3. If it is someone you know, fighting would be the last option, to be honest. There is a thing that most men should be able to do. You should have that stare that says that you can protect her and no one can come to a step near her. Most of the time that stares will be enough.
4. And if, due to some reason a fight arises, make sure to dial the police emergency number just in case.

Being a man, it's your duty to teach the women around you to fight for themselves, and to be aware. It would be of great help if you help them in self defense training. Just be there for them. That's all they need from you.

WHAT SHOULD THE PARENTS DO TO PROTECT THEIR LITTLE GIRLS?

I know it's so difficult to teach the kids about these things. But, it's a harsh reality that you have to teach them about.

1. 1.)Install c.c.t.v cameras wherever your little girl plays regularly. Make her learn things about not trusting any strangers.
2. If possible, keep an eye over the kids while they play. Tell them their boundaries. Make them learn to follow the rules. Expose them to the fact that they can actually get kidnapped. It's tough to keep their childhood intact after telling them such harsh things, but you have to tell them for their own sake.
3. You have to make them aware about the types of touches good or bad. Be their friends.
4. Make them feel comfortable and confident to talk to you about anything. Never laugh it off if they say something you cannot believe. If they complain about anyone may it be a family member or a friend never take it lightly. Just be there for your little ones. They need it.

POLICIES THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD IMPROVE ON:

Although the government of India as well as the state and union governments have put forward a number of policies and laws for women's safety, there is still a need for more and more strict implementation of the pre-existing ones.

1. Every street should have a c.c.t.v camera. Those which actually work. There should be security guards assigned by the government to all the household societies even the government-provided houses and those apartments that don't actually lie in any society.
2. Every block should at least have their own security guards. So that no cry for help goes unheard.
3. The crimes against women, if proven are unforgivable and hence no bail or parole should be granted in these cases.
4. New committees should come up with more and more ideas to make the citizens aware about these crimes and their effects.
5. Women should be made aware about all the helpline numbers available.

I know most of the things aren't as easy as they sound and the government is doing there best so far, but as the citizens of our country, it is our duty to remind the government about what is at stake here.

CONCLUSION

At last, I want to make the women of India more fearless, more successful, and someone that no one can take lightly. The key is to keep all you 6 senses open because, "The footsteps of terror " may also be silent, they may seem to be invisible too. You might have to wear the glasses of alertness to see and recongise them in order to protect yourself. But know well that you have what makes you better than them all. Their all five senses might be better than you. But, you have developed a sixth sense that they don't have. That's something you have to learn to make use of.

A woman indeed can do most of the things better than the general men. After all we have something that can make us use of all our senses better.

I am writing this article on the 8th of March international women's day. So, here's my tribute to all the beautiful women around the world.

Keep growing ladies, you can win over the world, you can create a new one. You have the power to make the next generations better. Just use it wisely.

Happy women's day to all the women around the world. And also, all my respect to the men that still support them despite of all the hate among the world. You are true gems.!!

Thank you!!!

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