Summary:
Express found that irrespective of a women’s age, financial status or employment status, travel agents across the country insisted women submit such an NOC. The Singapore Consulate in Chennai said it had informed all its Authorized Visa Agents to abstain from asking for NOCs from solo woman travellers. This last ‘reason’ has been used to coerce women travellers as Sharadha Rajesh, 41, learnt when she was applying for a visa to Singapore in 2017. In case of safety of women travellers, it is the government’s responsibility. Swarna Rajagopalan, founder of Prajnya Trust, which works on gender equality pointed to Section 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and said asking women travellers for NOCs is a violation of that right..