Rape, Crime: US Says ‘Don’t Travel to India’?

According to the US State Department’s updated travel advisory, India is no longer safe to travel for citizens, especially women, due to the risks of rising rape, violent crime, and terrorism in the country.

An advisory issued on June 16, 2025, cautions women not to travel alone, highlighting that rape is among the fastest-growing crimes in India, with violent assaults reported even at tourist sites and public locations.

Several regions are also marked as high risk, including the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (except eastern Ladakh and Leh) due to terrorism and civil unrest, the India-Pakistan border because of potential armed conflict, and Manipur due to ongoing ethnic violence.

Apart from travelers, even US government employees will also require special permission before visiting states like Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh outside their capitals.

Tourism is an important sector in India’s economy and plays a crucial role in employment, growth, and global engagement. Following the advisory, many fear that India’s tourism sector could face a significant downfall.

This case was also noted post-lockdown when tourists preferred to travel to countries like Bali and Vietnam instead of India due to the rising taxi mafia in Goa.

One user shared how we quickly went from “Digital India” to “Do not travel to India,” highlighting that the country’s safety and security is only deteriorating even after being labeled as a rising superpower.

What’s notable, though, is that women’s safety isn’t even considered a national priority, unlike other countries. Here, cases pile up with no action from either state officials or institutions for decades.

Unless there is a change of priorities, the future for women in this country is bleak. With India’s title shifting from a land of cultural heritage to a destination of crime, it’s important that our officials take the necessary steps to change the narrative.