The Educated Ravishers

Former and current students share shocking incidents of sexual harassment in institutions; it is high time college managements take preventive measures

Over the past two-and-a-half years, rape has been a focal point around which the world’s largest democracy has continued to revolve. From intense discussions on prime time television to lengthy editorials from distinguished writers to millions of trends, tweets and posts on social media — a vast majority of the literate Indian public have expressed their opinion on rape. A word once whispered with unease by anybody who dared to, is now common in dinner conversations, at educational institutions, corporate meetings and the internet.

Since that fateful day on December 2012, when a young girl was gang-raped in India’s capital, New Delhi, the youth of this country has marched in rallies in protest, made hundreds of short films, started NGOs and used just about any tool at their disposal to campaign for change. Arguments about a death sentence for rapists have been made, laws have been introduced (Nirbhaya Act), political leaders have used the incident as a campaigning tool to come to power in their respective constituencies, documentaries have been made — and banned (India’s Daughter) — and yet a few hundred more girls have been raped across the country.

It’s not just illiterate women living in unspeakable conditions in tiny villages in Uttar Pradesh, who are subject to sexual assault and rape. Incidents of sexual molestation and rape continue to take place with alarming regularity in metropolitan cities as well. Women are groped at malls, buses and trains, leered at in broad daylight even in corporate offices and are subject to all kinds of humiliation almost on a daily basis.

However, most of us don’t spare a thought to incidents of sexual harassment that take place at educational institutions. The idea of a suave and charming professor doing something so horrific is unthinkable. And yet it takes place, more often than we think.

Bhavna Patel, a student at St Francis College for Women, Hyderabad, says, “Many cases of molestation take place regularly in educational institutions.  Male faculty members especially take advantage of weaker students in need of more attention and marks.”

Bhavna, who is currently pursuing Mass Communication, feels that most girls look up to male professors simply because they impart education, but that is often exploited. “Young girls give attention to male teachers because they see them as someone from whom they can learn. However, quite often this attention is misinterpreted by certain male teachers, who take advantage of this,” laments the 22-year-old.

Bhavna feels it’s not just about molestation or rape but sometimes men can make girls feel a sense of shame by just the way they look at them. Sharing her own experience and the helplessness she felt, she says, “When I was in junior college, there used to be a librarian who looked at me in an inappropriate way and it made me feel extremely violated. However, I didn’t visit the library on a daily basis, so I felt it was easier if I could just bear it for a few moments while I was in the library, than to tell someone about it.”

Living with shame

And thus, a large number of cases go unreported because many women feel it is easier to avoid the issue than to confront it. For Bhavna it was the creepy librarian, but for several others, it is much worse. Shraddha Kapoor (name changed), who works at an MNC in Hyderabad, says, “In my college, there was this professor who took a liking to me. Initially, I did not realise he had any other intentions. He was sweet to me, and I admired him because he was an excellent teacher. When he asked for my number, I was thrilled and gave it almost immediately and he soon started texting me. At first, it was innocent talk but slowly the content turned inappropriate. When I stopped replying, I failed his subject.”

However, instead of reporting the incident, Shraddha decided to keep quiet and adhere to the professor’s demands, a decision she still regrets. “He called me to his office the next day and told me that if I wanted to pass, I should do as he says. I was terrified of him and agreed. I kept mum, thinking I would just have to tolerate his behaviour for one year and then I would graduate and never have to see his face again,” she recalls.

And Shraddha did graduate but not before she went through months of torture. “He would pinch my rear every single day and grope me when nobody was around. Sometimes, when nobody was looking, he would also touch my breasts. I would just go home and cry about it,” she says.

Out of fear, she did not report his behaviour to higher authorities of the institute. She did not even tell her parents or her closest friends. Years later and far away from the college and the teacher, Shraddha is still unwilling to report the man who tormented her for months. “What’s the point now?,” she asks. “I should have reported it then and there but I kept quiet. Everything has already happened and I’m in a better place now. Coming out about it now would only make things worse as it brings back those horrific memories. Also, it would cause my parents a lot of distress and I simply cannot do that to them. As for him, it’s the duty of the gods to punish him for his sins, not mine,” Shraddha philosophises.

Away from home

In most cases, female students living with their parents feel much safer and empowered because they have a support system, in case of extreme circumstances. However, those pursuing education outside their hometowns are vulnerable. With parents far away, they look up to faculty members for guidance not just about education but about life in general. “When you’re staying away from home, a girl needs someone she can feel secure with, and someone who is intelligent and can take strong decisions. Most young girls believe they can trust male faculty members in that manner; they look up to them and feel secure with them. That is something that is often taken advantage of,” explains Anuradha Rao (name changed), a Hyderabadi girl, who recently finished her MBBS at a reputed university in Karnataka.

“Incidents of sexual harassment usually take place with younger faculty members,” she notes. “They are at an age when they’re just looking to settle down with a girl and when they see a young, pretty girl from the same caste and community and is months away from graduating, they feel she is an ideal match. When the girl refuses, things get ugly,” she says.

According to female students, male teachers are much bolder with girls who are studying away from home as they know that they cannot go to their parents if they take advantage of her. “There’s a stark difference between the way they behave with locals and with students from other states. With locals they are more careful but with us, they openly flirt, stare and sometimes even grope. They prey on our vulnerability and naivety,” observes Shailaja Maddirala (name changed), another Hyderabadi studying away from home.

Some girls, however, are of the opinion that while instances of sexual harassment take place, it’s not always the professor’s fault. “I have seen many instances where girls lead them on and then cry foul when things don’t go their way. It’s unfair to always pin blame on the teacher. Most people will take the girl’s side and the lecturer might lose his job,” feels Bhargavi Reddy, who is pursuing her post-graduation in Bangalore.

Anuradha, however, sums up the plight of female students studying away from home. “When you’re living in a hostel, your friends become your family and sometimes you need someone more mature and elderly to take advice from, which is why most of us go to our male professors. Some of them are really nice and I’m still in touch with them. But I cannot deny that there are people who exploit our vulnerability. I have experienced it myself and the sad part is that even the higher authorities in the college will side with the professor, as he’s the local,” she rues.

Finding the solution

Young women feel the time has arrived for girls to stand up for themselves and fight for their rights rather than feel victimised. “A majority of the time, men misbehave with girls aged 15 or 16. So it’s important to create awareness among young girls at the school and intermediate level itself, so that they are armed to face such situations when they go to college too,” observes Bhavna.

“It’s time for girls to stand up and say no to any professor who tries to misbehave with them. Only then we can put a stop to this,” she adds.

Young women nowadays feel it is better to come forward for their own self-respect and they assert that reporting such cases displays strength, not shame. “The moment any male teacher tries to misbehave, girls should immediately report it. We must humiliate them and not give them a chance to humiliate us. There is no shame in reporting an incident of molestation or rape. It shows that you are willing to stand up for yourself and for your self-respect,” Bhargavi emphasises.

Women must unanimously call for stringent rules in place to ensure girl students are safe. “There should be a help-desk or counselling centre at every educational institution to help girls report such incidents. Any girl should be ready to report any incident of molestation or harassment at any given point of time,” says Anuradha.

The young Hyderabadi also suggests the use of cameras to monitor any untoward incidents taking place inside campuses. “There should be CCTV cameras all around the campus — in every classroom, cafeteria and office. That way, even if someone tries to grope a girl student, he would be caught on camera,” she adds, determinedly.

ver the past two-and-a-half years, rape has been a focal point around which the world’s largest democracy has continued to revolve. From intense discussions on prime time television to lengthy editorials from distinguished writers to millions of trends, tweets and posts on social media — a vast majority of the literate Indian public have expressed their opinion on rape. A word once whispered with unease by anybody who dared to, is now common in dinner conversations, at educational institutions, corporate meetings and the internet.

Since that fateful day on December 2012, when a young girl was gang-raped in India’s capital, New Delhi, the youth of this country has marched in rallies in protest, made hundreds of short films, started NGOs and used just about any tool at their disposal to campaign for change. Arguments about a death sentence for rapists have been made, laws have been introduced (Nirbhaya Act), political leaders have used the incident as a campaigning tool to come to power in their respective constituencies, documentaries have been made — and banned (India’s Daughter) — and yet a few hundred more girls have been raped across the country.

It’s not just illiterate women living in unspeakable conditions in tiny villages in Uttar Pradesh, who are subject to sexual assault and rape. Incidents of sexual molestation and rape continue to take place with alarming regularity in metropolitan cities as well. Women are groped at malls, buses and trains, leered at in broad daylight even in corporate offices and are subject to all kinds of humiliation almost on a daily basis.

However, most of us don’t spare a thought to incidents of sexual harassment that take place at educational institutions. The idea of a suave and charming professor doing something so horrific is unthinkable. And yet it takes place, more often than we think.

Bhavna Patel, a student at St Francis College for Women, Hyderabad, says, “Many cases of molestation take place regularly in educational institutions.  Male faculty members especially take advantage of weaker students in need of more attention and marks.”

Bhavna, who is currently pursuing Mass Communication, feels that most girls look up to male professors simply because they impart education, but that is often exploited. “Young girls give attention to male teachers because they see them as someone from whom they can learn. However, quite often this attention is misinterpreted by certain male teachers, who take advantage of this,” laments the 22-year-old.

Bhavna feels it’s not just about molestation or rape but sometimes men can make girls feel a sense of shame by just the way they look at them. Sharing her own experience and the helplessness she felt, she says, “When I was in junior college, there used to be a librarian who looked at me in an inappropriate way and it made me feel extremely violated. However, I didn’t visit the library on a daily basis, so I felt it was easier if I could just bear it for a few moments while I was in the library, than to tell someone about it.”

Living with shame

And thus, a large number of cases go unreported because many women feel it is easier to avoid the issue than to confront it. For Bhavna it was the creepy librarian, but for several others, it is much worse. Shraddha Kapoor (name changed), who works at an MNC in Hyderabad, says, “In my college, there was this professor who took a liking to me. Initially, I did not realise he had any other intentions. He was sweet to me, and I admired him because he was an excellent teacher. When he asked for my number, I was thrilled and gave it almost immediately and he soon started texting me. At first, it was innocent talk but slowly the content turned inappropriate. When I stopped replying, I failed his subject.”

However, instead of reporting the incident, Shraddha decided to keep quiet and adhere to the professor’s demands, a decision she still regrets. “He called me to his office the next day and told me that if I wanted to pass, I should do as he says. I was terrified of him and agreed. I kept mum, thinking I would just have to tolerate his behaviour for one year and then I would graduate and never have to see his face again,” she recalls.

And Shraddha did graduate but not before she went through months of torture. “He would pinch my rear every single day and grope me when nobody was around. Sometimes, when nobody was looking, he would also touch my breasts. I would just go home and cry about it,” she says.

Out of fear, she did not report his behaviour to higher authorities of the institute. She did not even tell her parents or her closest friends. Years later and far away from the college and the teacher, Shraddha is still unwilling to report the man who tormented her for months. “What’s the point now?,” she asks. “I should have reported it then and there but I kept quiet. Everything has already happened and I’m in a better place now. Coming out about it now would only make things worse as it brings back those horrific memories. Also, it would cause my parents a lot of distress and I simply cannot do that to them. As for him, it’s the duty of the gods to punish him for his sins, not mine,” Shraddha philosophises.

Away from home

In most cases, female students living with their parents feel much safer and empowered because they have a support system, in case of extreme circumstances. However, those pursuing education outside their hometowns are vulnerable. With parents far away, they look up to faculty members for guidance not just about education but about life in general. “When you’re staying away from home, a girl needs someone she can feel secure with, and someone who is intelligent and can take strong decisions. Most young girls believe they can trust male faculty members in that manner; they look up to them and feel secure with them. That is something that is often taken advantage of,” explains Anuradha Rao (name changed), a Hyderabadi girl, who recently finished her MBBS at a reputed university in Karnataka.

“Incidents of sexual harassment usually take place with younger faculty members,” she notes. “They are at an age when they’re just looking to settle down with a girl and when they see a young, pretty girl from the same caste and community and is months away from graduating, they feel she is an ideal match. When the girl refuses, things get ugly,” she says.

According to female students, male teachers are much bolder with girls who are studying away from home as they know that they cannot go to their parents if they take advantage of her. “There’s a stark difference between the way they behave with locals and with students from other states. With locals they are more careful but with us, they openly flirt, stare and sometimes even grope. They prey on our vulnerability and naivety,” observes Shailaja Maddirala (name changed), another Hyderabadi studying away from home.

Some girls, however, are of the opinion that while instances of sexual harassment take place, it’s not always the professor’s fault. “I have seen many instances where girls lead them on and then cry foul when things don’t go their way. It’s unfair to always pin blame on the teacher. Most people will take the girl’s side and the lecturer might lose his job,” feels Bhargavi Reddy, who is pursuing her post-graduation in Bangalore.

Anuradha, however, sums up the plight of female students studying away from home. “When you’re living in a hostel, your friends become your family and sometimes you need someone more mature and elderly to take advice from, which is why most of us go to our male professors. Some of them are really nice and I’m still in touch with them. But I cannot deny that there are people who exploit our vulnerability. I have experienced it myself and the sad part is that even the higher authorities in the college will side with the professor, as he’s the local,” she rues.

Finding the solution

Young women feel the time has arrived for girls to stand up for themselves and fight for their rights rather than feel victimised. “A majority of the time, men misbehave with girls aged 15 or 16. So it’s important to create awareness among young girls at the school and intermediate level itself, so that they are armed to face such situations when they go to college too,” observes Bhavna.

“It’s time for girls to stand up and say no to any professor who tries to misbehave with them. Only then we can put a stop to this,” she adds.

Young women nowadays feel it is better to come forward for their own self-respect and they assert that reporting such cases displays strength, not shame. “The moment any male teacher tries to misbehave, girls should immediately report it. We must humiliate them and not give them a chance to humiliate us. There is no shame in reporting an incident of molestation or rape. It shows that you are willing to stand up for yourself and for your self-respect,” Bhargavi emphasises.

Women must unanimously call for stringent rules in place to ensure girl students are safe. “There should be a help-desk or counselling centre at every educational institution to help girls report such incidents. Any girl should be ready to report any incident of molestation or harassment at any given point of time,” says Anuradha.

The young Hyderabadi also suggests the use of cameras to monitor any untoward incidents taking place inside campuses. “There should be CCTV cameras all around the campus — in every classroom, cafeteria and office. That way, even if someone tries to grope a girl student, he would be caught on camera,” she adds, determinedly.

— suhas@newindianexpress.com

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