According to a report by Truecaller application, eight out of 10 women in India get unwanted calls from strangers. While nine per cent of women receive these harassment calls daily, 52 per cent receive them at least once a week.
The report suggests that most, that is 76 per cent, of unsolicited sexual calls that women get are from unknown people. However, four per cent of such calls are known to be from acquaintances. Such cases are high in cities such as Chennai, New Delhi, Pune and Kolkata.
However, women are no longer shying away from taking stern action. Around 70 per cent of Indian women have reported such indecent calls. While 85 per cent of women simply block the number, only 12 per cent actually report these to the police, since they don’t feel supported that much action will be taken.
Truecaller report says that in India’s underbelly, there is a market for the trade of mobile numbers and many people who have access to the private information can leak it. “This provides a market for private information sourced in this way is a major safety concern, especially for young girls who are exposed to inappropriate messages and are less informed about what recourse they have,” says the Truecaller report.
In fact, the report says that around 66 per cent of women use the Truecaller app to protect their privacy and avoid unknown, unsolicited people.