It’s all about girl power

There is a group, cliques if you may, for almost anything today. But teenage girls are forming groups of a different kind — to keep safe when they go out partying. With a number of avoidable incidents or minor instances of violence against teenage girls occurring everyday, there are some who are taking matters in their own hands and letting their fun nights out stay fun.
Shubhra Dutta, 18 and her group of four friends from N.M. College, Mumbai, were all given a curfew since their parents didn’t feel they were safe by themselves and without any male friends. They then decided to get some of their acquaintances from college together and form a group where they all look out for each other. “We managed to extend our curfew after showing them that this actually worked. We did tend to get lost in the crowd when we go out. But when we plan to meet up at the end of the night and go home together, then we stick to it. Sometimes it doesn’t work but mostly, our parents’ concerns subconsciously rub off on us,” she says.
Aravind Athreya, 19, who regularly goes out with his friends, makes it a priority to watch out for the girls. “There are a lot of men who just want to take advantage of a girl and since we go a lot, we find that staying close throughout the night works well. The girls will try to be brave at times but it’s safer to have
someone watch your back regardless,” he says.
For Desiree Machado, 19, this approach is the only reason she and her friends enjoy themselves. “We’re not weak and if random guys try to act all ‘cool’, we can stand up for ourselves because there is more than one of us. It’s annoying when minor incidents ruin your night and dealing with them with friends makes it a bit better,” she says.

source:dc