It would be good if all year round was considered to be ‘special’ for women. However, while lip service is paid on the 8th of March – this is the reality:

Raising questions about the safety of women even in the high-security Delhi Secretariat, a young woman was allegedly molested near Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s office, the incident resonating in the Vidhan Sabha today and the government ordering an inquiry into the same.The woman, in her twenties, had gone to the Secretariat yesterday seeking the job of a sweeper and was allegedly molested by one Ranvir Singh Negi, a supervisor working with a private agency hired to take care of the sanitation works in the building.

And the day after, this from a report in the DNA;

Shocking it may sound, but the truth is that it’s the educated and the rich who practice female foeticide most. Quoting surveys and studies in this regard, the minister of state for Women and Child Development (WCD) Renuka Chowdhury said: “Contrary to belief, surveys have shown that the practice of female foeticide and sex determination tests is not prevalent in rural areas. Science and technology is being used to kill girl child. Urban areas of Punjab, Haryana, Rajashthan, Gujarat, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have shown some shocking sex ratio.”

And, of course there is Jessica Lal who is going to symbolise crimes against women, where the guilty walk. A friend of mine told me about a rally in her memory, and said that a collection was made to put a hit on those who walked free. hmm. happy women’s day!