UPSC topper Tina Dabi addresses the issue of women safety

UPSC topper Tina Dabi recently visited the Lady Shri Ram College of Delhi University to share her inspiring story. While giving her speech she also said that she wants to work for women-related issues. We wanted to see how serious Dabi was when she made this claim, so we asked her a few questions and here are her responses to SheThePeople.TV:

What are the challenges that women face in India according to you?

There are many challenges with respect to the all round development and progress of women that the country is facing today. Right from the worrying statistics the child sex ratio to distressing figures of girl school drop-outs, to feminization of poverty to the glass ceiling that women face in the corporate world. 
Being a woman, these issues touch my heart and compel me to contribute in whichever way possible to work towards their solution. 

In the capacity of becoming an IAS officer how do you plan to ensure the safety and security of women and girls?

As an IAS officer I would ensure that all the schemes and programmes of the Govt of India regarding the above are implemented properly to the utmost of my capability.
At a personal level, I would wish to set an example for all women that how education and empowerment can lead to such achievements.

With regards to women safety, I believe emulating the Chennai Experience would be of great help. Within a span of 10 years, Chennai could significantly bring down the rates of crime against women and make the women of the city feel safer. They took very basic, but important steps like ensuring that there were CCTVs on every street, proper lighting on every street, a woman police constable travelling on every public bus and creating all women police stations. Also, the concept of Police going to the public rather than the public coming to the Police where PCR vans would go door to door asking women if they want to report any violence against them was a great help.

Also read: Pink Beat: Kerala capital gets an all-women police team patrol

How has an all-women's college help shape your personality?

I believe that being part of an all women's institute has played an enormous role in making who I am today. The progressive values and sense of empowerment has contributed a lot towards my personality development. It also gave me an opportunity to interact with other women from different sections of society and learn about their own unique set of challenges.

Also read: Register complaints on WhatsApp: Calicut police unveils new initiative for women

How do you feel to be an inspiration for young girls at a young age yourself?   

I feel extremely privileged that young girls look up to me as their role model. It is a matter of great pride that I could set an example that with hard work and dedication, the gender and caste barrier can be broken.

Here is this girl who at 22 has a clearer mind than most of us had. She has only topped the UPSC exam but with has raised the bar high for honesty, grit and dedication for upcoming IAS officers. Way to go Tina!