Put Thousands More Restrictions On Girls Because Of Course...: Shark Tank's Vineeta Singh On Bengal's Workplace Safety Measures

In her post, Singh talked about the new West Bengal guidelines for doctors, noting that they suggest minimising night shifts for women where possible

The West Bengal government introduced several new safety measures for women in workplaces in response to the ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Following the announcement of these measures, various individuals came forward to share their perspectives on the issue, including Shark Tank judge and CEO of Sugar Cosmetics, Vineeta Singh.

In her post, Singh talked about the new West Bengal guidelines for doctors, noting that they suggest minimising night shifts for women where possible. She further critiques this approach, arguing that it imposes additional restrictions on women while perpetuating the notion that "boys will be boys."

She wrote, “This week the new West Bengal guidelines for doctors were introduced: “night duty may be avoided for women to the extent possible”. By next month institutions across the country would have done what’s always been the most convenient. Put thousands of MORE restrictions on girls because of course, boys will be boys! Eventually we can create these giant protective cages for women like the ones used for doing research on sharks, because men will be men!

“This is NOT the change women are seeking! Parents of daughters are already paranoid and protective as they live in fear. Can we not add to that burden with institutional curbs on girls? Every additional restriction is a subtle message to young girls that for their own survival they should not even expect to be treated equally and that freedom and opportunities will always be discounted for them,” she added.

Singh further opined that the cages are meant for defaulters and not victims. “As a parent of two boys, I want this additional burden of responsibility to instead be on us. It is high time we raise our boys as kind humans who understand the true meaning of equality, respect and consent. If there are going to be curbs, they should be on boys so they don’t cross the finer lines before bad behaviour becomes a habit, not on girls. Cages are meant for predators, not for the prey,” she wrote in her post.