Women’s safety is among the clearest measures of whether a society is truly moving forward. When women can walk through public spaces without fear, mothers feel secure in their neighbourhoods and children feel protected on their way to school, progress becomes something people can experience rather than merely discuss.While perceptions of safety may differ across cities, cultures and circumstances, the right to feel secure in everyday life remains universal.With this question in mind, Dalimss News spoke to foreign women travelling through Varanasi to understand how safe they felt on the city’s streets, at its railway stations and along its ghats.Their responses were largely positive, though not without reservations.One traveller said she considered Varanasi “quite safe” and had not faced any serious security-related problems during her visit. Asked specifically about women’s safety, she said she felt comfortable, although she had not travelled around the city very late at night.She rated the city’s safety eight out of ten.The traveller also spoke about the attention foreign visitors often receive in India. People frequently looked at her or stared, she said, but she did not interpret it as threatening.“It appears to come from curiosity rather than any bad intention,” she said.Another group of women said Varanasi felt safer than Delhi and Vrindavan, two destinations they had visited earlier. They found the railway station orderly and said that people generally stopped approaching them once they clearly refused an offer.“No one was bothering us too much, and when we said no, people usually accepted the answer,” one of them said.However, the travellers also pointed to interactions that made them uncomfortable.Some complained about autorickshaw drivers outside the railway station who repeatedly tried to persuade them to take a ride even after they had declined several times. The women described the behaviour as persistent and irritating, though they did not say they felt physically threatened.A few visitors said women unfamiliar with the city should avoid walking alone through isolated streets late at night. Travelling with a companion, a local guide or someone familiar with the area, they suggested, could make a first visit easier and more comfortable.Two first-time visitors from South America said they felt safe while exploring Varanasi with a local person who had shown them around the city.“We have not had any problems. It is our first time here, and we are happy,” one of them said.A traveller from Chile described Varanasi as very different from her home country, particularly because of its crowds, religious traditions and intense street life. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, she said she felt comfortable.The visitors also expressed appreciation for the city’s cultural and spiritual character. For some, Varanasi’s public expressions of faith were unlike anything they had encountered at home.The interviews suggest that foreign women generally view Varanasi as a welcoming and reasonably safe destination. At the same time, their experiences point to areas that require attention, including persistent solicitation around transport hubs, unwanted staring, poor hygiene in some locations and concerns about travelling alone after dark.A city’s safety cannot be judged only through official statistics. It is also reflected in small, everyday experiences: whether a woman can walk without feeling watched, whether a visitor’s refusal is respected and whether public spaces remain accessible without fear.In the words of the women who spoke to Dalimss News, Varanasi largely felt safe. Their observations, however, also show that maintaining that confidence depends on how residents, businesses and public authorities treat visitors in every ordinary interaction.

Women’s safety is among the clearest measures of whether a society is truly moving forward. When women can walk through public spaces without fear, mothers fee…

Rudraksh Sehgal

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Is Varanasi Safe for Foreign Travellers?

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Is Varanasi Safe for Foreign Travellers?