Stepping out of that doorway may not be as easy for Eve as it may be for Adam. Modernization is on every Indian’s mind and women empowerment is one of the main focuses of Indian society. However the audacity of eve teasing is still running rampant in the country, especially in the capital itself.
While this may seem to be a fun bustle for the male members of our society, it’s almost as earth shattering and nerve racking for the females out there. Not exaggerating the facts, eve teasing and its impacts have not only been taking away their confidence and self-esteem but also the lives of many juvenile girls.
The sounds of catcalling, wolf-whistling, humming of songs, and even uncouth comments are now familiar for the ears of those girls who go out in the city. This anarchy has not only put a fear in the minds of the young girls but even their parents are scared to send their girl child alone on the streets. The mindset of the people is such, that eve teasing is encouraged by the girls themselves when they wear western clothes or go out in the night. But the fact is that, even girls wearing traditional dresses are victims of this, and so are those who go out in daylight.
The blame goes to those boys who are not scared to pass suggestive remarks, feel a girl up in public places or even about out-and-out groping.
We live in a society where believe it or not, both the girl and a boy are brought up with two different set of rules to lead a life. Censoring their girl’s movements, putting different time restrictions is a patriarchy followed by almost all parents.
In spite of this, eve teasing has not been curbed but on the other hand has increased, making life more difficult for the girls. Downright sexual harassment implies the level of male mentality which shows how much they are frustrated never mind how educated or intelligent they are.
No wonder most girls feel that disgusting and sinking feeling when they have to travel in congested buses or metro. Totally favoring the step taken to reserve coaches in metro for ladies, many are saved from degrading glares, lewd gestures and uncalled attention and they now feel safe to commute.
Sexual harassment is now growing at an alarming rate, with innumerable cases going unheard of. Girls are too scared to report or as in most cases the offender zooms off, leaving no evidence behind except the poor girl who’ll have its inkling through the rest of her life. Eve teasing is not only seen on streets but schools, colleges, malls, bus stops and even institutes are not free from this social crime.
So what is the solution? Just sit back and take it as just another part of life, thinking that “boys will be boys”? Ignore the cheap guys who sing “choli ke peeche kya hai” when you are on your way to college or “munni badnaam hui” as the latest pick up line? Or else lock your girls up in the houses to keep them away from public glares.
The first and foremost duty is of the mothers, who inculcate the values and morals in their sons so that they respect women or not becomes an option for them. It’s not intentional, but following up on our traditions, India, since a long time has been a male dominated society and it will take a long time to change the mindset of people. Mothers should teach their sons to value women and treat them with respect as they would like their sisters and mothers or perhaps themselves to be treated.
On the part of women, it’s a highly debatable point, whether or not they should react to humiliating comments and unruly behavior by men or should they ignore them completely.
Girls, when alone should and must always carry some sort of weapon, perhaps a pepper spray or a knife and they should know how and when to use it. Never should one walk through a lonely or a dark road, as precaution is always better than cure. They should always avoid potential harassers and better not react when facing a large group.
Speaking up is the only way that is going to help solve this major problem facing the society as a whole. Not only should the women be the ones to react and agitate, but it is the duty of our society and media to spread awareness concerning this ghastly glitch.
There should be more lady police cells in every area, and women should report the crime without any fear or humiliation.
The women rights organization helped to pass ‘The Delhi Prohibition of Eve-teasing Bill 1984” and there are lot of laws which sentence punishment to the guilty.
Avoiding this issue is not the remedy, nor is eve teasing a joke. It’s a highly unethical and rampant problem, and without any ardent measures it cannot be resolved. The dignity of a woman comes at stake and what may seem like a minute of fun for a boy, becomes a lifetime of humiliation for the girl.
