I write this as a woman living in India today.
Not as a statistic. Not as a headline. But as someone who plans her day around caution.

What troubles me deeply is the contradiction we have learned to live with.

On one side, we speak confidently of women’s empowerment. We celebrate education, leadership, independence, and visibility. We showcase successful women across fields and proudly claim progress.

On the other side, I still step out alert.

I check the time.
I share my location.
I calculate routes.
I carry fear quietly, like an accessory I never asked for.

This is not paranoia.
This is survival.

The Numbers We Cannot Ignore

According to official data, India records over 4.4 lakh crimes against women in a year. That translates to more than 1,200 reported cases every single day. And these are only the cases that enter police records. Many never do.

The most reported category continues to be cruelty by husband or relatives, crossing 1.3 lakh cases annually. Sexual violence remains alarmingly persistent, with nearly 30,000 rape cases reported every year. Kidnapping, molestation, stalking, and assault are not rare occurrences. They are routine entries in crime data.

What often gets overlooked is this crucial fact: most violence against women is committed by known persons, not strangers lurking in dark alleys. Violence wears familiar faces.

When Home Is Not Safe

For many women, the most dangerous place is not the street. It is the home.

Data from the National Commission for Women consistently shows that domestic violence forms the largest category of complaints. Nearly one in four complaints relates to abuse within the household.

Behind closed doors, violence is justified in the name of adjustment, marriage, family honour, or silence. Abuse is dismissed as a “private matter,” while women are expected to endure quietly.

But silence does not mean safety.
And privacy does not erase harm.

2025 Is Not a Distant Future

Recent indicators from 2025 tell us that this is not a historical problem. It is a present one.

States like Delhi and Kerala have already recorded thousands of crimes against women in the early months of the year. Complaints to the National Commission for Women continue to pour in, reflecting not only awareness but also persistent vulnerability.

Yes, awareness has grown.
But safety has not kept pace.

Violence Has Gone Digital

Threats no longer end at physical spaces.

Women today face rising cyber violence — online stalking, image morphing, sexual extortion, harassment, and abuse, including of minors. Digital platforms that were meant to empower voices have also become tools of intimidation and control.

The screen does not shield women from harm.
It often amplifies it.

Reporting Is Not Justice

We often urge women to report crimes. And reporting is important. But reporting alone is not justice.

The reality of the legal system is harsh. High pendency of cases, long investigations, repeated hearings, and years of waiting for verdicts are common. For many survivors, the legal process itself becomes another layer of trauma.

Justice delayed is not neutral.
Justice delayed is trauma prolonged.

Empowerment With Conditions

What we often call “safety advice” reveals the truth.

Be home early.
Dress carefully.
Don’t argue.
Don’t resist too much.
Don’t provoke.

This is not protection.
This is control disguised as concern.

When safety comes with conditions, it ceases to be safety.

The Question We Must Ask

What kind of empowerment is this?

If women must calculate safety every day,
if dignity depends on behaviour,
if freedom comes with constant vigilance—

then empowerment is incomplete.

This is not a women’s issue.
It is a societal failure.

A failure of accountability.
A failure of institutions.
A failure to teach respect as deeply as obedience.

I do not want a society that praises women for being brave.
I want a society where women do not need bravery to exist.

Because women should not need courage to exist