This is what jet lag does to me..up all night reading up crazy good articles…found this one to be good to be shared- What have clothes got to do with sexual attacks? by Annie Zaidi.
Eve teasing (or sexual harassment as we call in West) is rather a common sight in India, esp in Mumbai and Delhi(as stats say) and often violent and cause of several deaths. My recent visit(to the south) made me feel the issue has dramatically reduced, thanks to increased media awareness and police enforcement and what I think is the greater opportunity for men to socially with women(thanks to a booming economy and workforce) but yet the issue is far from being dead and a deadly virus(like HIV) that spreads from what seems to be fun and affects the innocent, who often get blamed for it.
The often used lame excuse by some men(and some women) is to blame women for how they dress (in which case there should be no rape in Middle East!) and often law enforcement play the same game. In Banglore, the technology capital of India a ladies college has instructed all women to wear Sarees, what they deem to be ‘decently dressed’ and believe that eve teasing(sexual harassment) will magically disappear when that happens. While its commonly perceived that fair skinned women in ’sexy’ clothes are the target, a walk down any crowded place in India will prove that myth to be wrong. Women of all color and age are a target to these Vultures, though admittedly there has been an improvement over the years and yet common sight especially where young women folk together, be it outside colleges, beaches, malls or restaurants
Eve teasing has little to do with how Women dress and more to do with the attitudes of young(and old) men towards women. It is a disease that is prevalent among the young, old, rich,poor, educated, illiterate, urban, rural, religious,atheist in all segments of society. This BBC Story published recently Eve teasing in India: Assault or harassment by another name talks about the seriousness of the issue. Watch the video on how two young men were stabbed to death trying to protect two of their girl friends from eve teasers.
India’s history and culture that it preaches to the outside world often contradicts it actions.A land of Hindus who pray thousands of Goddess, make hundreds of movies a year singing the praise of women, a country of billion + people where family planning is a big message for the government , the land of Kamasutra and tantric sex that has left the West amorous to India and yet a country where women in general, every one of them would have in their life time have faced a public sexual harassment case from men in a country where the majority of them are still shy to ask for a condom in a store! Welcome to India!
