Suffer mentally everyday: Uber rape victim on Intl Women's Day

New York, Mar 8: The 25-year-old woman executive, allegedly raped by an Uber driver in New Delhi, today said she is suffering mentally everyday and lashed out at the web-based US taxi firm for "insult to her injury", saying it has only made cosmetic changes to its policies to operate in India.

"Until women can legitimately feel safe, we cannot obtain equality... Sadly, Uber doesn't understand this", she said in her message on International Women's Day released today. The woman said while she would like to forget what happened to her in December last year, she has had to "relive the vicious attack multiple times", most recently when she was cross-examined for the second time by the assailant's counsel as the trial continues.

"Words cannot describe what I am currently going through and I continue to suffer mentally...everyday this goes on," she said in the message released by her lawyer Douglas Wigdor.

She emphasised that as a rape survivor and Indian woman, the International Women's Day is an important occasion to reflect on "where we have come and how much more must be achieved before we can claim true equality".

She lambasted the company for continuing to operate in the Indian capital by making only cosmetic changes to its safety measures, saying Uber is adding "insult to injury" as originally the company had said it would help her and her family but refused to meet with her legal team and her to discuss important safety measures.

She said such measures are necessary to ensure that other women do not have to go through what she is enduring.

"Instead, they have defied the local authorities and continue to operate in Delhi and have made cosmetic changes to their policies that are clearly marketing efforts designed to attract more customers," she said.

PTI