Of late, Delhi is attracting more and more female students and working professionals from the seven North Eastern States (Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland), who leave their homes due to lack of opportunities.
While the growing influx of young women from the North East has added to the cosmopolitan flavour of Delhi, these women have often been victims of rape and sexual assault.
We feel like “outsiders” in Delhi, some girls said, adding that they also faced hurdles due to poor grasp over Hindi, the common language in the city, some times even during lectures in their colleges.
While women in Delhi generally feel unsafe, those from the North East say they feel more vulnerable because of their distinct Mongoloid features.
It is because of this growing insecurity and rising incidents of sexual violence that the Ministry of Women & Child Development and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) decided to build a hostel in Jasola, South Delhi for working women exclusively from the North East.
The aim was to provide a “safe, secure, comfortable and affordable accommodation” to 500 women from the North-East in the 167 three-bedded rooms. The Ministry of DoNER even extends a subsidy of Rs 1,300 per month per bed for their stay at the hostel, said an official.
However, the hostel, which opened last year, is yet to attract women from the North East. As of now, of the 130 women residing in the hostel, only 37 are North-Easterners, while the remaining 93 residents hail from other parts of the country.
When asked why the key objective of providing a ‘safe’ roof for North-Eastern women was being defeated, an official said one reason could be that women from these States still preferred to live in groups and near their workplaces or colleges.
However, the authorities need to look deeper into why the key purpose of setting up the hostel is being defeated. Is it because of poor publicity, restrictions, or some other reason?