The news of an old woman being brutally raped and then murdered by a young man of twenty just goes to show how far society has decayed. The respect for women is fast dying; old or young, it just does not matter. Our homes are no longer safe havens. With crimes against women rising at such an alarming rate, no place seems safe. In this context, it is important to not ignore some public facilities where women’s rights and safety are being compromised. Some women have shred their experiences on public toilets - in malls. While a mall on MG Road has often been seen as the only unsafe location, due to various earlier incidents, the casual approach to women’s safety at some other malls could lead to disaster soon. Many women are now having second thoughts about catching a late night movie. A post on a helpline caught my eye. Anupama wanted to share her dismay and anger at what she experienced at a late night show. She had wished to use the ladies wash room and had found it locked. The mall manager said that since the women attendants needed to get home by a ‘safe’ hour, they were forced to shut down the women’s toilet early! When Anupama persisted, she was taken to a near dark wash room with no doors. What if it had been an old woman, and what if she had fallen in the dark? A man could also have easily walked in. Are the mall authorities waiting for some serious mishap before they take requisite action? The mall owners are not only denying women customers their basic rights, but also putting them at risk. Many women responded that they had experienced this situation in other malls too. Jaspreet, a regular movie goer, lamented, “It is pathetic! Have witnessed this myself too. Even Ambi shuts down all loos except in the food court. MGF also has only food court loos operational. It is frustrating as nobody cares. I too tried to raise it with mall authorities. Their 'matter of fact' attitude really irks me.“ Another woman vents her frustration thus, “This has been an ongoing issue with MGF...I have faced this problem so many many times. Earlier they used to leave the ladies loo on the ground floor open, but of late even that is shut. I now prefer going to Megamall for movies, at least the loos remain open!” I have stopped going to late night shows for this very reason. I need to use the wash room at regular intervals. I am sure many women have the same issue. These malls are not cheap, nor are the PVR movie tickets cheap. They have an obligation to provide the basic utility of a toilet to every customer for the entire period that they are ‘open’. Else, they should shut the malls - including the movie halls – early. Of course the women attendants who would work late hours should get a safe passage home, but that is the responsibility of their employers - and the police. There are many in the City who are working the graveyard shift. In fact there are women working the night shift even at the malls.
I had lodged a written compliant, but have got no response. If these malls cannot provide toilet facilities to women for the late night shows, should they not put out this information in the public domain? A notice should be displayed at the ticketing counter and at the online (booking) sites too. I appeal to all women to protest against such a casual attitude. The irony, and the tragedy, is that even in this Millennium City we are having to fight for equality for a basic access to toilets!
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