MillenniumPost
Delhi

City women prefer pepper sprays over helpline numbers

Millennium Post reached out to girls of different age groups in Delhi to know about their preferences between reaching to helpline numbers provided by the government and police or taking self safety measures when it comes to situations like annoyance from men or eve-teasing.

Sakshi Gupta, a post graduate student said: “Safety is something that matters the most. Rather than trusting anyone I rely on self defense. I always carry a pepper spray with me; you never know when you need it.”

Tamanna Nagpal (20), a student said: “I have a very unsatisfactory experience when it comes to expecting help and trusting policemen. Long back I was harassed by a boy. On calling the policemen who just stood nearby, thinking that they would help me out, they rather got influenced by the sources of that boy and left him without punishing. It was horrible.”

Pepper spray and chilli powder are measures that are commonly used by females to deter the advances of the offenders before actual help arrives. This shocks the offender and the girl can run for help.

Bharti Dhawan, a housewife shared: “One day the door bell rang and a person asked for entry to my house to check the gas cylinder. Keeping in mind that no such complaint was registered from my side, I asked him for his ID card. Seeing I was alone in the house,he refused and asked me to open the door. I tried calling the police, he panicked and ran away. It was scary.” Majority females feel that carrying a self defence gadget or pepper spray is preferable because it can even help if you lose your mobile. Most helpline numbers are useless if you don’t have a mobile or when it is snatched. An alumnus of DPS said: “We were always told to carry pepper spray when we stepped out of the house. Despite that, we were also given self defense sessions in school on a regular basis which taught us the techniques to escape and defend ourselves.”
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