Say no to verbal abuse

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Often while walking down the street you encounter lecherous glances and lewd remarks and you tell yourself, “It is best to ignore”. But now, there seems to be a movement of sorts that is gaining steam, with many girls in the city taking up cudgels against eve-teasers. They are mustering courage and are actually raising their voices against “verbal abuse”.
The incident that set this in motion was the one that happened on July 23, when Sanjana, a nursing student, while shopping in Sarojini Nagar Market, used pepper spray to fend off a pushy salesman. He was allegedly passing objectionable remarks. She along with her sister raised an alarm, and the police got into action. Finally, the accused was arrested.
Though many city girls have similar experiences to share, very few do anything about it. When 20-year-old Rashmi Sinha, a DU student for the first time yelled at the man who was passing lewd comments, she was in shock. “Not a single person took my side. In fact everyone started giving me ‘those looks’, as if I was the culprit. But that didn’t deter me. I left only after I called the police. I am not ready to suffer silently anymore,” says Rashmi.
Rashmi’s friend, Rimmi Sharma recalls how she has many times dealt with unpleasant incidents while travelling in a local bus. “It’s worst when you don’t get a seat. The pushes and pulls with sexual undertones are a torture. I make sure I raise my voice if I feel uncomfortable,” she says. According to a recent survey by NGO Jagori, United Nations Development Fund for Women and UN Habitat conducted on 5,010 people, two out of three women in the city suffer harassment (different kinds).
Around 80 per cent of the victims’ have reported harassment and 45 per cent say they have been stalked.
Women state that maximum harassment occurs in the marketplace, colleges, schools and public buses. Unfortunately, often bystanders turn a deaf ear or blame the girl for flaunting an ‘inviting’ outfit.
What is it about Delhi that makes it so insensitive? Sociologist Dr Vasanta Patri argues that if we have campaigns like atithi devo bhava on TV by none other than superstar Aamir Khan who’s shown defending a foreigner from a rogue, why can’t we have similar awareness campaigns to curb the menace?
“The demography of the city has a huge role to play. It is an amalgam of small villages, and our upbringing shows in our reactions. Even the neighbouring states, UP and Haryana haven’t culturally evolved yet. But thankfully the new-age woman is bold and fearless,” she points out.
Agrees Dr Ranjana Kumari, director Council for Social Research, “Why is it that abuses here are targeted against women, be it your mother or sister?”
Lawyer Monica Joshi, who is associated with Human Rights Law Network says that young girls are exploring the legal options available to address the menace. “According to Article 509 of IPC, any insulting remark or gesture which is hurtful to the sentiment is punishable by law,” she informs.