It is extremely dangerous to allow crimes against women to continue. We should explore ways and means in which this could be done, but this is very urgent indeed.
The starting point of reform could be schools where the teachers should repeatedly tell the boys that violence against women, in any form, is not only undesirable, but also criminal. The boys should be able to develop meaningful relationship with girls of their age, under strict parental supervision. If this is done, when they grow up, it is very unlikely that such boys will even think of any violence against women.
The worst form of violence against women is rape. It is really ridiculous to argue that men will be men. This is just not correct at all. Let men be men, but within limits. Actually, rape is an extreme manifestation of man's urge to control member's of the opposite sex, through sheer might.
It is equally wrong to argue that death penalty should not be given for brutal rapes. Only if such laws are enforced and such punishments given, men will think twice before doing such an atrocious thing.
At the society level, the IT experts should come up any solution that can help any women in distress. For example, if the cell phone has a facility that automatically reaches the nearest police station and the closest of relatives, the woman can be saved, particularly when the location of the possible crime is known to the authorities concerned. Some developments have actually taken place, but the action should be very quick and fast for this to happen. Innovation in Information Technology can be a big solution.
A very urgent priority is to teach girl children, even when they are just six years old, all protective things like karate. This will go a long way in making the girl children more confident than what they are now, and will offer them enough protection.
Similarly, in all apartment complexes, there should be CCTV right in the security cabin, to monitor any movement of strangers. Even in big cities like Chennai, murders have happened, even if these cameras are present. Every single individual entering such complexes should be made to compulsorily enter all his personal details, like cell number. Even servant maids should have photo identify cards to operate in such places.
Similarly, those who work in construction sites should be made to report their details to the nearest police station. There has been a big spurt in crimes -- murder for gain in particular -- that have happened, and in each of these cases, those behind crimes are people from other States, who migrate to the particular city in search of work, and commit the crimes.
The worst crimes that have happened against women, in recent times, relate to extra-marital relationships, where the unmarried women is hand in glove with the man, to murder the first wife. This is a very dangerous trend, and the concerned relatives should act well in advance, and seek the advise of professional counselors, to sort out matters. It often happens that the man is somewhat frustrated with the wife, because of some weaknesses of the wife. If some corrective action is taken in time, such murders will not occur.
Similarly, colleges are also venues for violence against women. Love affairs blossom in such places, and ridiculous messages from some movies fuel one-sided love affairs. For example, in some movies, the hero is seen to be demanding that the heroine "should" love him. Many young men think that it it their birth right to "demand" from any girl, who they think, will suit their desires.
Such tendencies can be curbed through counseling, and strict monitoring by teachers. If pro-active action is taken, most violence activities in college campuses can be avoided.
Those women who live alone, should give their full details to the nearest police station. They should have two doors to their houses, both in the front, and in the rear. Only after seeing the stranger and ensuring that he is a genuine person, he should be allowed in. Even in such cases, calling the watchman or some other neighbor will help a great deal. Such women are soft targets for criminals. Such criminals should never be allowed to take advantage of the fact that the woman is alone.
Developing good relationships with neighbors is also a very useful step in controlling crimes against women. If the neighbors keep constant vigil, crimes can be reduced.
Unemployment, irregular salaries, very high inflation, and so on, make crimes inevitable. Crimes against women can never be allowed to get out of hand.
The time to act is now. We need to debate the solutions and come up with some innovations that will reduce crimes against women, drastically.