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Free? Or are they?

Photo: Murali Kumar K.

Happy ride Women should feel safe on streets and in parks

“Today, at 7.30 p.m., as I waited for my daughter to finish her Kalari class, a bunch of guys started hurling filthy comments at me,” wrote Sharadha on an online group. “I was furious that young boys could talk to me — a mother of a nine-year-old — like that. I talked to a cop … He then said parents should be careful not to send their young girls alone anywhere, ha, ha….”

The term “eve-teasing” is our contribution to world vocabulary. In 1960, The Times, London wrote: “One aspect of the problem of student indiscipline ... in India has been the bullying and harassment of girl students in the few co-educational institutions — a pastime so common that it has been given the name of “Eve-teasing.” In 1978, Ursula M. Sharma wrote in The Man: “To snatch a girl’s dupatta is one of the forms of “eve-teasing”, which occurs on many a school bus.” In 1984, The Guardian, U.K. described eve-teasing as “the Indian term which covers everything from sexual harassment, pestering, groping, whispered obscenities as well as light-hearted cat calls and equivalents of ‘hello darling’.”

Like the term, the menace has come to stay. For the millions of women walking down streets, using public transport, shopping, and yes, worshipping in temples, eve-teasing is an everyday pain. “The automan adjusts the mirror to look at you,” wrote a blogger. “Guys on two-wheelers look in, and follow the auto if they like what they see.”

Psychologists relate it to the way boys are raised — believing it’s okay to have fun at the expense of women. Sadly, it’s women who get all the advice. Walk in well-lit, frequented areas. Never go alone.

Dress appropriately (?). Watch out for potential harassers. Learn karate… Oh yes, steps are being taken, some sensible, others laughably misguided. Four Kanpur women’s colleges have banned students from wearing jeans, sleeveless blouses and tight-fitting clothes on campus.

In Lucknow, cash rewards are being offered for staff on public transport systems to help arrest eve-teasers.

In Thiruvananthapuram, the city police has constituted a 17-member special squad, “Shadows”, to nab teasers in buses, bus-stands, railway stations and other busy places.

In Vadodara, girls of MS University thrashed four boys after they passed lewd comments on a girl student in their hostel… Sharadha has a long wish-list.

“We should send a petition to the police commissioner to increase security in public places; have an active hotline in place.” Also, representations to filmmakers that eve-teasing by “heroes” is a step backward.

We are doing our bit too. We carry pins and pen-knives, put our lessons in self-defence to good use.

The bolder among us yell at stalkers, get crowd support. Jasmeen Patheja, the 26-year-old founder of Blank Noise in Bangalore, and volunteers are collecting clothes, ranging from school uniforms to saris worn by women when they were sexually harassed. These will be exhibited to prove the obvious.

Jasmeen wants a public debate. “Discussions should be linked to men,” she says. “Where does flirting stop and harassment begin? We should speak out.”

Adds Katheeja Palha, who organises interventions in Chennai: “Why should we be on our guard on streets and in parks?

I have a right to nap in or read a book in Nageswara Rao Park.”

They promote unapologetic walking. “We should feel safe and comfortable, free to dream. Public places are our domain too.”

GEETA PADMANABHAN

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