CHENNAI : Kavipriya Moorthy, author-entrepreneur
We definitely need laws in place. Assaults are not a list to pick, but a range of spectrum that includes catcalling and sexist comments as well. It basically is about how it affects a person, so we cannot use a weighing machine to say what’s wrong and right. We cannot take catcalling and sexism light because they’re the roots of crimes against women. Someone catcalling means they look at women as flesh and an object. They learn from movies and media that it’s okay to do this. Anything that affects one’s personal space is wrong. I think our city is definitely taking it pretty light and I’ve witnessed victim blaming. For example, when my pictures were morphed by a Facebook friend, cyber police who called me asked, why in the first place I uploaded pictures.
Renuka Bala, research analyst
Every woman must be able to walk the streets of India without having the chills in her nerves about someone following her, gawking at her body or unwantedly touching her. People shouldn’t have to take the slightest detour of even a kilometre along the busy main roads in order to avoid a deserted street. The law needs to punish the accused immediately. Lay out explicit boundaries to stop the rise of such cases. Make India a safer place.
Nishalya Hemavathy, student
As my Master’s dissertation, I studied the reasons women do not seek help from external authority as well as the emotional reactions that they have to eve-teasing. I was surprised to know that not a single female I know had been spared from such a ghastly experience. The interviews I gathered from the victims of eve-teasing showed that the affect of such events could not be compared. Some women loathed men and some women were affected to the extent of having panic attacks. It is sad to see that there is no direct efficient implementation of law or punishment that directly justifies the act and punishes the perpetrator in a way that quenches the experience of the victim. But as of now, let’s not talk about the other factors like victim blaming and the society’s way of undermining a crime carried on by men because the first step is to strengthen the country’s judicial system.
Vijaya R, former creative manager
The recently implemented law in France related to gender-based street harassment doesn’t seem all that different from the law, which bans eve-teasing in India. However, the difference is that the citizens of a country like France are far more fearful and respectful of the law. People in India are still confident that they will not be penalised for breaking the law. Perhaps that is because a large number of cases go unreported. And this is because victims also feel that the harassers will not be penalised. Furthermore, reporting eve teasing or harassment tends to call into question the character of the victim.
Suchitra S Rao, author
Indian Penal Code provides adequate laws with respect to the protection of women. But, there is a huge gap in the implementation of the laws. The existing authorities are overburdened with various other crimes to deal with. Women’s protection must have a refined and technologically sound Emergency Response Team (ERT) led by a team of activists, feminists, retired judges and bureaucrats, who will monitor the ERT on a regular basis.
The process of the existing legal system should be quickened. Instant justice and stringent punishments will ensure that the women of our country are protected. Another major challenge when it comes to street harassment is the fact that the victims often get judged and misinterpreted on their choice of clothes and actions, which makes them uncomfortable to open up. Women victims are often blamed on their conduct, morale and character when such issues are raised. For instance, why is she driving so late? Why is she wearing shorts? Why is she out after dark? And so on, hence victims are subjected to more trauma. The committee should also ensure safe and non-judgmental methods of enquiry, keeping in mind the sensitivity of the issue.
Akshara Ashok, architecture student / freelance illustrator
Sexual harassment is a serious issue in India yet there is no strong law against punishing the offenders. Most of the cases are denied justice and hence, no one fears to commit such crimes because they think it’s easy to get away with it. Taboo and societal pressure associated with the victim is a reason for millions of unreported cases. People blame the victims for their clothes, for being out at night or going to a pub or a bar. If this was the reason behind harassment, I don’t understand why infants and old women get raped. No one has the right to catcall or harass a woman regardless of what they’re wearing or where they’re at. Stop shaming victims and start punishing the accused.
Anuja Premika, student
Street harassment is a reality that Indian women have been taught to live with from a very early age. If the continuance of sex crimes today is any indication, a law won’t fix the mindset of the roadside Romeo, who thinks it’s his birthright to catcall every female in sight, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Aditi Bharat, HR consultant
Harassment in India has a lot to do with the misogynistic nature of our society. As young girls, we are taught to ignore men that harass us. I was once harassed in a local bus and was blamed for not wearing a jacket over my salwar. Due to this, I was resistant to report the incident. We must empower women to take incidents like catcalling seriously and not be held responsible for it. Although we have laws in place, they are rarely enforced. I think educating men and women and enforcing the law strictly will go a long way.