CHENNAI: Thunder and lightning enveloped the sky as the clouds relentlessly burst, drenching the city. As if on cue, the electricity was shut off across several areas. In a hostel on Butt Road, Ramapuram, Kiruthiga V, a Madurai native, was working on an assignment when the lights went off. She looked for a matchbox to light a candle, but alas! she couldn’t find one. She went to the hostel’s kitchen to get a matchbox from the anna who takes care of the canteen, and headed towards the door.
She felt she was being followed.
“I stopped for a second to turn, and just then he squeezed my back and walked past me, without turning around. I could not step any further. I stood still for a long time.”
Women like Kiruthiga move to a new city to pursue their aspirations and experience freedom while juggling academic or corporate pressure. Most of them opt to live in hostels, considering them to be a prudent and safe option. But in the hallways, bedrooms, and washrooms, the lines of security are blurred by the harassment and abuse from whom they consider to be safety providers.
The alleged rape and murder of a young doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, 14 girls sexually assaulted by a hostel manager in Andhra Pradesh, NIT Trichy’s student facing sexual harassment in Trichy, a hostel owner sexually abusing a student in Coimbatore — these incidents may be months old, but this is a reality we live in; a society where women are exploited every day in spaces they reside, study, work, travel or just pass by. How are these living spaces in Tamil Nadu? How do they function, and are women indeed safe? CE explores.
New place, old problems
All it took was one night for her hostel experience to turn into distress for Garima* from Pondicherry University. “I was given a room in a newly built hostel which was more like an apartment. It was neat and clean. We were treated nicely and the guards were well-behaved,” she begins. The university did not have any restrictions and a few students spent the night out, though the campus’ official rules require them to reach the room by 10 pm. “The next morning, we would just have to write our names in a register at the main gate and that was it,” she adds.
One night, she was out with friends and reached her hostel the next morning. “I don’t know why they were checking everyone’s bags. I had my clothes in mine and a male security guard was checking it. Another guard asked him to let us in since he knew us well but he (the former) snooped my bag and touched my bra. It was repulsive for me,” she shares adding that her privacy was violated and she was “too numb to raise her voice.”
This is one such story where a woman was harassed in the guise of “safety”. On talking to more women, CE found that harassment branches far and wide. Dhanusha S, a PR executive, recalls an incident when her friend was touched inappropriately by a man who was changing bulbs in her room. College student Preethi K recounts that her hostel’s mess worker stared at her breasts while serving food for a fortnight until she stopped having food from the canteen.
Meanwhile, Dhanalaxmi B, an employee at HCL, shudders while recalling, “I was taking a bath in my bathroom and when I came out wrapped in my towel, a carpenter barged in to fix a table in my room.” At GK hostel, the warden verbally abused a resident. “She commented on my dark skin, the colourful dresses I wore, and the way I walked and talked. This continued till the day I vacated the space.”
In step with the government
While rules and restrictions are imposed on hostel residents, women are often abused by a worker or an outsider. Selvi, a coordinator at Manaivi, an organisation that works for women’s welfare, explains, “The security guards hired to safeguard hostel premises are mostly men. They should be given training by their respective agencies on how to treat and behave with women. The hostel owners should do a background check on the person hired. There should be a regulation by the government on how the guards should be hired and where.”
Hostels, lodging houses, and homes for women and children in the state have to adhere to the Tamil Nadu Government’s Hostels and Homes for Women and Children (Regulation) Act 2014. Section 4 of the Act states that ‘no working women hostel and homes should function without a licence issued by the Collector. Following this, under Tamil Nadu Hostels and Homes Rules, 2015, guidelines for registration have been framed. Like every other rule, some follow it and some don’t.
Madhumitha J, an advocate practicing at the Madras High Court, says, “On a plain reading of the Act, we can understand that there is no mandatory inspection, let alone any provision explicitly made for physical inspection, before issuing the licence. The appropriate authority to issue a licence as per the act is the Collector. The Act will be more effective if there are proper checks and balances in place.”
Meanwhile, Tara Abraham, owner of Tara Homes — licensed by the TN government — points out, “We have to renew the licence once every three years and it is taxing. Moreover, people from the Corporation and Collector’s office are at our doorstep now and then checking paperwork, I don’t know if they are genuine.”
Two sides of a coin
Before opting for a hostel, women and parents of girl children usually look at the rules and restrictions that are imposed. But, these are not approved by the government or any higher authority. According to Selvi, hostel management acts as an “agency between parents and their children.” They do not take responsibility for the individual’s lives. “The ones living in hostels are 18 years and above, they know what they are doing as adults. When the authorities complain to parents, it creates mental stress on the child,” she says.
In such instances, women should learn the laws and rules that are now available online. Additionally, parents could also teach their children what they should look for when opting for a hostel. Jithamoal KP, assistant manager at United India Insurance Company, whose child studies at Manipal University, Jaipur, says, “Before choosing the hostel, I looked for people in the city and asked them about the college hostel. The university claims to be an anti-ragging and anti-assault campus and ensures nothing happens to the children inside the college. Considering these factors and the fact that the hostel is within the campus, it felt safe.”
For a hostel outside the college campus, Seenaja, whose daughter studies at Pondicherry University and currently stays in the college hostel, shares, “I would prioritise a hostel that has strict safety rules such as visitor restrictions, regular checks, CCTVs, curfews and structured guidelines for a more secured environment.”
According to her, the other criteria would be the accessibility to transportation, amenities including a secure entry/exit system, fire exits, first-aid facilities, and most importantly the hostel’s location. “It should be located in a well-lit neighbourhood where the crime rate is low and is close to public spaces such as a hospital or a police station. As a parent, there is a mix of pride and concern. I know living away is part of her growth, but I worry about her safety and well-being,” she adds.
A few of these demands are met at GRG Hostel in Coimbatore. Curfews are imposed, strict rules regarding who can visit the hostel and when — in some cases men are not allowed beyond certain areas even if it is the student’s father — regular room inspections, CCTV surveillance, and biometric monitoring. Valencia Joycee J, a resident shares, “Though these steps are followed keeping safety in mind, we sometimes feel restricted. For instance, curfews and visitor restrictions are frustrating. Some students feel the curfew and other rules infringe their freedom, but others feel these rules help maintain order and safety.”
To ensure safety in living spaces, every person involved in the process takes a few steps, setting ground rules. Yet, when an incident arises, it is the victim — the one living with the invisible scars and fear — who is blamed.
“I’d be a fearless leader, I’d be an alpha type, When everyone believes ya, What’s that like?” sings Taylor Swift in her new song, The Man. So, how do we create spaces where women are protected, heard and are at a place of authority? Selvi suggests, “There should be a government intervention and the number of government hostels should increase in comparison to private hostels. We need a system where not only licensing but also the running of the hostel should be monitored. Only then can we create a space where women can be what they want and not boxed as per society’s expectation.”
*Name changed