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If you are a women making your way through a faceless crowd of shoppers, loiters, time-passers, jobless men, on the street, you could receive a range of unwelcome forms of attention from groping, to bottom pinching, being brushed against to an obscene gesture or even at times partially getting nude. Sounds familiar?
All collective designated Street Sexual Harassment (SSH), or eve teasing. A young girl, thinks it is to miss the point completely when people say a women’s outfit provoked the man’s behavior.{ My question to the same people – Which outfit when worn, be it a Sari, Salwar Kameez, Skirt or Pant by women are spared by this harassment?}
Almost every woman has encountered street sexual harassment. It could be verbal, physical, or emotional and definitely can affect her in many ways. Most of us are taught to be meek-we duck and walk away if someone misbehaves. Thus the more serious offences like groping, grabbing, fondling don’t get the required reaction. Street interventions at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad have had positive results when women stare back at men who stare or harass them. Public places are for both Men and women, and a woman has the right to lounge and chill out without appearing to be ‘Available’.
Every year this kind of criminal act’s is increasing and there is no proper law or action is shown against it. India, Delhi tops the list with the largest number of crimes against women. Followed by AP and looks like Bangalore now competing to the first place. 18 cases were reported under Sec 509 IPC and 8 cases under Sec 354 IPC for the year 2006. A total of 26 cases of ‘Eve teasing’. Only few filed by the police themselves around the colleges in Bangalore City, where they inspected and took action against some ‘eve teasers’.
According to the criminal lawyer, complaints of such cases of SSH are few since women still suffer the stigma of being ‘objectified’ as having loose morals. So, most of the cases are settled are settled within the police station – the offender apologizes to the lady, is thrashed or sent off with a warning. Later, the same culprit is quite comfortable repeating the same act.
Ritu, a collegian says she had never noticed so many eyes staring at her till she actually looked back at them. She now found herself getting more comfortable in her own space after the experience. The most vulnerable of us gets hit the first since we can be spotted easily. By improving our body language in public, we can keep eve teasers at bay. What if there is an unpleasant encounter in the night, with few women around? “Confrontation is not recommended all the time.
Here anger should be used as a strategy and not in impulse. If she has a mobile phone, she could dial for help. Or depending on the situation, walk to a place that has more people or call the police, if she thinks it is too unsafe – it really depends on the situation” says a working professional and trained on self-defence.
