Who Assures Safety?

Is a safe surrounding that tough to exist for women? Women birth the men in the society, men often claim to be closest to their mothers, and are extremely protective about their daughters. Then who are these men who make it impossible for women to exist freely and safely? And who can reclaim that safety transforming lives for better?

It’s a question that we as a society often tend to ask, at times introspectively and at times when incidents that underline the same, surface. 

One such incident that made the society question this took place in Faridabad, Haryana when a lack of streetlights in a village had been causing problems for the community. Due to lack of streetlights, the road would often stay quiet with no passers by choosing to cross from there. Taking advantage of the situation, a group of men under the influence of alcohol and drugs would roam on the streets and pass lewd comments on the ones crossing the road. This not just frightened women, but children as well as elderly people. 

Lack of a choice to play really started having detrimental effects on children’s cognitive development as well as on a million things they would learn by going out to play. They used to be in a constant state of vulnerability considering possibilities like molestation, theft, road accidents, etc. 

That is when CRY stepped into the picture! Taking in account the issues of the woman, children as well as elders, the team started having regular door-to-door visits and meetings with community members to understand their concern in depth. One such meeting was a Stakeholder Meeting organised by CRY in February 2025; wherein community members strongly raised the issue with local Member of Legislative Assembly’s (MLA) staff. The issue was again raised in December 2025 under the Minister Model during a WASH campaign meeting. 

Women and children comprised the majority of this group! And finally, the issue was heard by the right ears. The MLA staff assured the community that streetlights would be installed soon in the area. And with lights installed, in some days, the community’s confidence, children’s laughter and society’s sense of safety all came back stronger. 

Children started playing freely once again. Women and elderly people walked the pathway like they always did. One collective effort, and everything returned to normalcy.

So, maybe the answer to who can transform the society for the better is “we as a society”. It’s our awareness as a society that will make it a better place to thrive in. It is something that CRY as an organisation always reiterates through the results that come out of efforts of community advocacy!