KOCHI: The field is academia, where women are educated. And so are their male counterparts and superiors. Yet the murk moves here, as demands are often made covertly for compliance. The Hema Committee report may have put the Malayalam film industry under the scanner, but the higher education sector too has predators, whose educational credentials deem them respectable in society.
Ms X’s case gives a snapshot. She felt a growing sense of unease checking her phone as she was about to call it a day. The chat messages were from her supervisor, who was guiding her PhD work at Central University in Kasaragod. The words were covert or camouflaged, yet explicit in intention. The writing on the wall was clear for her — she would either have to yield if she wanted to do a good job or seek a change of guide. She muscled up the courage and chose the latter.
Such instances of guide change among women researchers are on the rise in academia. Often, they demand women guides. “Call it a nose to sense trouble, research scholars raise their defences early on. We choose flight over fight mostly because of the time and energy needed in the battles,” says Mariyam Mohammed (name changed), pursuing her PhD at the university.
She also spoke of a recent case where assistant professor Efthikar Ahamed of the university was suspended after being arrested for sexually assaulting a woman at a water park near Kannur. “There was a case against him even earlier within the university, that was always ignored by the authority. Action was never taken,” Mariyam says.
Such unattended cases lead to graver crimes like what happened in R G Kar hospital in Kolkata, where several complaints were allegedly ignored, adds Sandhya Raju, advocate and founder-director of Centre for Constitutional Rights Research and Advocacy.
There are many women academicians like Mariyam. However, most who spoke to refuse to divulge their identity. They fear backlash, especially as they are in various stages of their research.
There is a similar case from another institute of repute. Mini (name changed) found her guide rewarding her with costly gifts, hugs and kisses for good work done during her research. “Every time, he would sit too close to me and intrude on my personal space. At first, I felt I may be overreacting. But I was feeling stifled. I sought the help of someone who had left the department. They said that such things had happened before too. That was when I mustered the courage to talk to my aunt, who is a retired college teacher. She advised me a guide change, and that was what I did,” she says.
Research scholars being put through difficult situations has been part of academia for decades, as could be gathered from talks with retired academicians.
Dr Rema Devi, who worked in the history departments of various colleges at Kerala University, speaks about her experience. “I took my PhD in the late 80s-early 90s period. We experienced several such instances, and many of our colleagues had to yield to finish their coursework. Often, the women would be told of the demand, and if willing, would be given several incentives, including fellowships, prime teaching opportunities, chances to present papers, etc. And those who are not willing will have to run from pillar to post. the guides would ask the thesis to be rewritten again and again, and a hundred faults would be found in them. In short, life would become hell,” she says.
She witnessed many who dropped their academic dreams in between. “There was no complaint redressal mechanism those days and the way out was to either suffer the nonsense or be prepared to face the brunt of it all,” she says.
Probably, the first case to be filed of workplace harassment in Kerala was by P E Usha, then a section assistant at the University of Calicut. She complained of misbehaviour from a male colleague. The incident occurred on December 29, 1999, while she was on a bus at night. The colleague, who was sitting near her, masturbated on her. She immediately lodged a complaint.
“From the time I complained, several issues crept up. I was even told to withdraw the case, or else I would have to face the backlash. The university insiders looked at me as someone who brought defame to the institution. I was threatened, and so was my little daughter. Hence, I had to go on leave,” Usha recalls those days.
A safe working environment was not there, and hence, she was deputed to various other institutions till retirement. “A lot of energy was lost, time too, and my family, especially my father, a Left sympathiser, was shocked that such a treatment could be meted out to a woman in a framework where the Left was in power,” she says.
Women may have received some respite with the move to establish the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) as per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013, (POSH Act). Such a committee is just an eye wash in most institutions, says Deepa P Mohan, whose case of harassment due to her caste while pursuing her PhD from MG University had hit headlines.
“Hema Committee report speaks of power groups. Such a power group exists in several institutions. Where I studied, it was the current ruling party-backed political front that had dominance firmly among the academicians and the university staff. Due to this, any redressal becomes difficult, especially when one among their ilk is in question,” she says.
She says, recently, there was a case in which a female PG student from the school of chemistry at the university was sexually assaulted by a research scholar who had a firm footing in the power group. “She complained to the ICC on the campus but the issue was investigated by people they placed. The report prepared indirectly blames the girl, asking why she was in the library late, when she should have been back in her hostel. Such a stand is offensive because she is a student and everyone has access to the library. The case is with the police now,” Deepa says.
‘Mental torture’
There have been umpteen such cases of students who are subjected to mental torture when they turn down advances. “Research scholars are often treated with servility and have to work for the career advancement of their supervisors. The pressure on them is immense. Some people leave in two to three years,” Deepa explains, adding there have been cases of even male research scholars being subjected to sexual harassment.
“Such a case happened in our university when my issue was brought up. He was immediately removed from the scene by giving him a project with international collaboration. Had my case not been in the limelight then, his case would be different,” Deepa says.
Often, the onus to prove the sexual harassment falls with the victim, who has to substantiate her claims with proof. “It is difficult to prove such things,” says Vighnesh Kamath (name changed), a faculty at a Kerala-based central research institute.
“The situation in state universities is concerning. The ones who take the brunt are most often the scholars and the students who lose not just years but projects that are taken away and given to other students,” he adds.
Systems like the ICC are in place. But it depends on how much power is conferred on the ICC and how independent you are, he says.
On that front, in Kerala, the ICC is as good as non-existent, says Adv Sandhya. “Recently, I took a workshop at an educational institute in Kochi. I asked the students if they knew of the ICC. The teachers said there might be one in their institution. But the students had no idea what it was,” she recalls. The situation is the same in another leading institute, she says. “A student from there had come for an internship at our organisation. They too had little clue on what ICC was and how it functions,” she says.
She says a lot of work is needed in higher educational institutions to make them hospitable places of work. “By the way, the courts, too, are yet to have the ICC up and running,” she signs off.