Taxi to Freedom

“Rapes are common in India, a country with one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world. When a 23 years old student was brutally gang-raped on a bus in Dehli, in December 2012, violence against women in India became international news.

This terrible situation pushed the Mumbai-based Viira Cabs and the Delhi-based Azad Foundation to start training young women to become taxi drivers, providing safe and alternative transportation for women travelling alone. It also aims to empower women to economically support themselves and their families.

With this project I wanted to document how employment can help women have a more dignified life, where they can make decisions for themselves. I started this project in 2013 just after the brutal rape case in Delhi. As a woman, I feel obliged to explain the situation of women and the complex problems they are exposed to in this country.

In this pictures, Rupa is at a gas station in Mumbai. Rupa left her violent, alcoholic husband and now lives in a women's residence. She loves to drive and is happy to be free.”