'Better urban planning, transport can help women's safety'

Better urban planning, community involvement, reliable public transport systems, better street lights and active street life are some factors that can bolster women's safety and security in cities, participants at a workshop here on the issue said.

The workshop was organised by Citizens' Initiative, Gurgaon First in association with mobile application for women safety called Safetipin.

Speaking at the event, Joint Commissioner of Police Bharti Arora informed participants about the new laws and safety initiatives taken by the police.

"Cases of rape often go unreported due to fear and indignation from society. Many cases that are reported are withdrawn later. In such cases, police are helpless," she said.

Arora said that in the last one year, only 98 cases of harassment of women were reported from the city, but noted that this figure "does not reflect the real number of cases".

The workshop was attended by residents, representatives of corporates, NGOs, Residents' Welfare Associations as well as key Gurgaon-based citizen initiatives such as JAFRA, Gurgaon Citizen Council, Mission Gurgaon Development, I am Gurgaon, Gurgaon Moms and We the People.