Students experience a considerably higher degree of freedom in college compared to school. Tied to this is the factor of feeling safe in your freedom. The degree of feeling safe can deeply affect the way you learn and develop as individuals. Here, some women speak about how safe they feel in campus.
Mythreyee RameshIII B.A.Journalism, M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai
There is a general perception that studying in a college for women means you do not encounter any safety issues. My college provides us the best possible and safe environment. But in today’s world, safety has much larger connotations associated with it than ever before. Cyber security is one aspect of safety that we often neglect, but is very pertinent in the Internet age. Identity theft is an issue that every college-going woman is weary of. We may post nonsensical things about others, our fellow classmates, on social media platforms, but should understand the repercussions of our actions. Pranks on the Internet could be fatal if not within limits.
Preetha Sarkar, III B.Sc. Physics, Presidency University, KolkataLuckily enough for me, safety has never been an issue. We're like one big family. Campus violence is a concept completely unheard of. I've stayed back at college several times after class hours, and no matter how late it is, I know I will be safe inside the campus. There isn't a single place inside the college where I would feel awkward to go alone. It is, possibly, one of the safest institutions in the country, for women to study at. More than half of the student population are women and we're treated as equals in every sphere.
Varsha S, II B.Sc Electronic Media, M.O.P Vaishnav College for Women, ChennaiConsidering that I go to a women’s college, I definitely feel safe within the campus. But what’s the point of being safe only inside the college premises? What about all those times when we travel through means by public transport?
It is definitely reassuring that Chennai isn't as bad as a few other cities when it comes to women’s safety, but this fact doesn't stop us from having to be cautious and self-aware the whole time. What we tend to forget is that it is the right of every woman to feel safe and protected, irrespective of where she is.
