to al the comments writers, why don't you all stay in your own countries and holiday there instead, yes there has been attacks on tourists in recent times, but not everyone in India is like that, no wonder all the white people were acting so paranoyed the last time i was in India.

mike richards, london,

Its upto the people who wish to travel to India. You need cheap spendings and trap more risk. I am quoting this as a person who travelled across the length and breadth of India,

- India is an unsafe place to live & travel especially for women
- Highly polluted

Women should be much much much ..... careful. Also dont try to contact police which might cause some more problems.
Such a corrupted country in the world I never saw.

George, belfast, northern ireland

I'm from Colombia and I thought Colombia was dangerous and third world and backwards... that until I travelled to India with a Spanish girlfriend. Never ever, the harassment we suffered daily by men and in front of the eyes of passive women was such that we cut our trip short. It's not a safe country whatsoever unless you are Indian.And why bother tell the police when instead of doing their job you feel like they are checking you out.

Ana Maria, Bogota, Colombia

Goa is much safer than some parts of London.

Vik, London,

No matter what the reason, being Indian men have a misperception of foriegn women, India being a traditional patriarchal society, tourists partying too hard, race, religion,etc. Rape shouldn't happen and there should be no excuses. Period. I would NOT let a female relative or friend to travel to Incredible India. No matter how beautiful or old the country is it still has a backward's view on the rights of women. Call me whatever you want, but I think that no matter how cosmopolitan Mumbai has become or how diverse Goa is, if these incidents continue, India's tourist reputation will parrallell Latin America's reputation with kidnapping.Would you approve of you sister traveling to India??

Joshua, San Francisco, CA, USA

No one deserves to be assualted but there is no excuse for stupidity. Into your 30's there are still women who feel the need to drink themselves into oblivion, hitchhike ??!!!! and act with wanton promiscuity just because they are away from home. In any country the outcome well may have been the same.

tara , carmel, ca,usa

Thank you very much for great article on travel problem in India.

Further All About Travel Scam In India
http://travel-scam.com

Ola, warsaw, Poland

India is a strange place. There is a huge amount of Hollywood available which has a lot of nudity in some cases. The fact that western women let their hair loose in a conservative country gives most average indian men (like blue collar) who have not had the opportunity to grow up with women an idea that promiscuity on screen also translates to real life. The fact that westerners are easygoing and the women there are used to being raised with guys all the time makes them seem outwardly friendly to men which is construed to being accommodating any which way. So when they stupidly trust some guy offering a ride on a bike, they ought to know better. It IS a conservative country whose men are HOLDING on to their private parts in DESPERATION. There are more men in India than women. It has nothing to do with RELIGION. That's absurd. Saying a country is islamic or is Hindu and hence the rape occurred is tantamount to saying that rapes in western countries is never committed by Christian men.

Kris, Edison, USA/NJ

India is not a Muslim majority but religion has nothing to do with the treatment of women. It is unsafe for ANY woman to travel alone after sundown, and unfortunately, tourists are sometimes misguided by hotel owners or locals that they are safe. It is VERY IMPORTANT to research the safety of a region before venturing there for a holiday. It is embarrasing for me to admit it as an Indian, but Indian men can be very aggressive with foreign women.

AC, Lawrenceville, GA, USA

So, Norbert - you think it is unfair to blame rape on men?!

Jim, New York,

India is mainly a Hindu country unless I missed something pretty dramatic.... Yes women should be careful especially in places like that but that doesn't make it right!!!

Dan, Winchester, UK

Ms Fleming

But India is not a Muslim country, while Goa itself, a former Portuguese colony, is largely Catholic......

Brian Thomas, Bentley, Hanpshire, UK

Brian Thomas, Bentley, Hampshire, UK

Mrs. Fleming: nobody said it's the women's fault, and if the media portraits someone as being at fault unfairly nowadays, it's defintely men.
Also, India is certainly not a "Muslim country" with Islam being a minority religion (1/6 of the population).

Norbert Jensen, Hamburg / Germany,

Here we are again, it's the womens fault. To a certain point - who would be stupid enough to dress like a Californian in a Muslim country. The East are not the West. Even travelling with a woman companion is not safe. But that is true of late night Paris.

Jane Fleming, PETERBOROUGH, UK