NIGHT SHIFT JOBS – A DEATH TRAP FOR WOMEN?

Long working hours, sleepless nights, reduced appetite and stress. These are the characteristics of every BPO (Business process outsourcing) and call centers which mostly work during the night. Sexual assaults, molestation, rapes and murders have added extra shine to these jobs. There is an increase in the number of night shift jobs being taken up especially by women. The mindset of women has changed over the years and they are starting to believe that they can do anything that a man does. But changeover is not that easily acceptable. There are certain spoil agents in our society that tend to cripple such positive thoughts of women. The crimes that are accompanying the night shift jobs is truly horrifying.

Everyone has come across the blood-chilling rape and murder of a BPO employee Prathibha on December 13^th, 2005 after leaving home from night shift by the cab driver. Why was she killed? The driver apparently was starving for sexual activity after his wife became pregnant. This is the ridiculous reason that the driver gave. This case awakened the entire country regarding the safety of women during the night shift. The argument was that women should not be allowed to work during the night as the surrounding is not secure. Well my question is, why shouldn’t we work during the night hours? Was it Prathibha’s mistake that she was brutally raped and killed? Every man should be first be taught to respect their opposite sex. Women should be treated as equals. But in the current mentality of our society it is difficult and challenging to achieve such equality. The government and many non-governmental organizations are striving towards this cause.

Currently there a lot of amendments being brought about in the labor law. Among the various amendments to labor law proposed by the Narendra Modi Government is one on allowing women to work on shifts between 7 pm and 6 am, “with adequate safeguards for safety and provision of transportation till the doorstep of their residence.” But the problem lies with poor compliance. Laws are just made but not followed properly. It is still debatable whether it is the negligence of the law makers or whether it is really that difficult to follow. There is no stringency in these laws. Many laws in various states are still denying women from working in the night shift.

We are brought up in a society where women are meant to be suppressed at home and away from the so called unfair world. We are considered to be naïve and delicate. Lately there is a full stop being put to such an attitude. Women are moving out of their restricted boundaries and making a change for themselves, well a positive change. No matter how much we are suppressed women are growing stronger and stronger every day. A recent article which I happen to come across in The Hindu said that women are starting to feel secure in night shift jobs. Women are very much needed to bring about an economic stability in every country. We should not be considered only as a sex material, we can work and achieve equally as men. All that should be done is initiate a change in the attitude of the society. We women should be the change we want to be.

- Maheshwari M