No Shelter For Homeless Women For Whom Each Day Is Fraught With Risks

On a footpath near JJ Hospital, Kanchan* strains her ears to hear the chugging of the day’s first local train.

- Nitasha Natu & Mohua Das TNN

It’s 4 am and people around have started to stir—a sign for Kanchan to get some sleep with her children behind a blue tarpaulin sheet they call home. A widow, Kanchan has been on self-imposed guard duty every night both her daughters turned 16 a few years ago. “We live close to a public dustbin where drunk men venture at odd hours to relieve themselves. If I don’t stay up, my daughters’ safety is at risk,” she said.

The brutal rape and murder of a pavement dweller at Sakinaka has put the spotlight on homeless women in the city. Whether living alone or with a family, every minute on the street after dusk is fraught with danger. “There have been instances where unknown men linger around till all street dwellers are asleep and then lie down next to a woman,” said Brijesh Arya of Homeless Collective, an umbrella outfit representing groups working for the homeless. “Many homeless women do not venture out to public toilets throughout the night out of fear of being stalked or groped,” he added.

According to the 2011 census, Mumbai has a population of 57,416 homeless people. The same year, a study by non-profit BUILD covering 300 homeless respondents, showed that women are at a greater disadvantage in all aspects. Around 77% of female respondents had faced abuse compared to 46% of men. The average earning of a woman was as low as Rs 121. The study also showed that a majority of the homeless did not beg for a living and had stayed on the streets for over 20 years.