UK and US issue women safety travel advisory for women citizens visiting India

India is fast building a reputation of being an unsafe place for women, resulting in the British Government recently issuing a detailed information sheet for ‘survivors of rape and sexual assault’ for its citizens travelling or staying in India.

The advisory by the British Government to its citizens was released on its website recently; it stated that rape and sexual assault survivors should ‘insist’ on a police report. It also added that the police are not bound to provide an English translation, but the survivor could get the statement read and explained in English before signing it.Referring to this, Kartikeya Tripathi, a lecturer from University College London (UCL), said that in an unfortunate case, if a British national is sexually assaulted in India, the advisory tells them about their rights and that it needs to be dealt with by a female police officer, which many are not aware of.
Also, the US Government’s India travel advisory, which was issued earlier in March 2019 and which places India at ‘level 2’ security, advises travellers to ‘exercise increased caution’. It also stated that Indian authorities report rape as one of the fastest-growing crimes in India, and violent crime, such as sexual assault, has occurred at tourist sites and in other locations.

The advisories have explained everything in detail, and also urge women to be aware of their rights when they are visiting India.