Eve teasing is very common social problem and every day women come-across some form of eve teasing. In this case, do you think that women should be empowered to fight back due to end this evil act – Explain & Illustrate.
Introduction:
Eve teasing is a common incident, be it in buses, shopping arcades, cinema halls, shopping malls, pubs, restaurants, auto/bus-terminals, railway booking counters and every other conceivable place; but the one place where it happens with alarming frequency is on the road .Eve teasing is a euphemism used in mostly Third world country like India and sometimes Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal for public sexual harassment, street harassment or molestation of women by men.It refers to the temptress nature of Eve, placing responsibility on the woman as a tease, as though the aggressive response of the males was normal rather than criminal
Mobile courts in Bangladesh have been empowered to prosecute people accused of sexually harassing women, or eve teasing, officials have said.
According to the Law of section 509 in panel court, anyone convicted of sexual harassment or stalking of women will face a one year in jail or a fine of money. The government’s move follows increasing incidents of sexual harassment and stalking of women. Young women often face verbal abuse and taunts in Bangladesh, and sometimes stalked by colleagues at school or other young men. Some young women, unable to bear the repeated insults, have even gone so far as to commit suicide.[1]
Women Should Be Empowered
Women should be empowered to fight back, then only this evil will be weeded out. Before thinking about the empowerment of women, one needs to understand the exact meaning of the word empowerment. According to Cambridge English Dictionary empowerment means “to authorize”. In the context of the people they have to be authorized to have control over their lives.
Around the world, more women than ever have greater equality in legislative rights and more rewarding opportunities in economic activities. A greater proportion of women than before hold authoritative positions in politics, business and academia today. The change is a positive development. However, it does not mean that true gender equality has been achieved. The material and visible changes might seem remarkable however, the social and mental acceptability have been improving at a relatively slower pace. There is a lot of cosmetic demonstration of accommodation of women in different spheres because of the pressure from civil society, legislation, and government. However, the true acceptance is reflected through different day-to-day behaviour of men in their day-to-day interaction in life.
“Eve teasing” on the street is one such reflection of the inner beast in men. Women are subjected to this social evil irrespective of what background they are from. The dictionary meaning of ‘teasing’ is to make fun of a person playfully, unkindly or annoyingly. “Eve teasing” or sexual harassment of women in public places is a growing concern in Bangladesh and throughout this sub-continent. It is a crime easy to commit, but difficult to prove, as “eve-teasers” often devise ingenious ways to attack women, even though many feminist writers term it as “little rapes,” and usually occur in public places. In spite of remarkable development in many areas of women’s empowerment, women are not safe while walking on roads.
Dr. Pinki Shah is an Assistant Professor at University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh.
- This Sunday (13 June) has been designated “Eve Teasing Protection Day” by the education ministry in Bangladesh.
- The announcement reflects increasing concern over the worrying number of girls and women who have recently committed suicide in the country to escape “Eve teasing”, a euphemism for sexual harassment.
- Released by the Ain-O-Shalish Kendra (ASK) human rights organization reveal that 14 girls and women have taken their own lives over the past four months across the country as a direct result of the insults.
- In addition, a father and a daughter also committed suicide together – in an incident blamed by the authorities on “Eve teasing”. Police say three men who publicly protested against the harassment have been killed over the past 12 weeks.[2]
Always to protect women and children, it has not succeeded in providing adequate security to them. It is possible to stop this harassment only if the law is enforced on the perpetrators. Men’s education, sensitivity, cooperation, respect and ethics can help change the scenario.
- Many have resorted to carrying pins, pen-knives and even daggers as a deterrent. Others have taken self-defense classes and don’t hesitate before landing a karate chop on the offender’s shoulder blade.
- Got to look offender in the face and speak up as loud as you can. The crowd will automatically be on side
- . Don’t walk through a dark, lonely street or only inviting trouble. In a well lit area able to see and avoid potential offenders.
- If going to spend the day in crowded areas, don’t wear a mini skirt. True, women in salwar kameezes get harassed as well, but there’s no need to call attention. Save skimpy clothes for the nightclubs, when one who’s on a prowl If see a group of men hanging out, or a man who’s making eye contact with and trying to get attention, take a detour. Better safe than sorry. Though this may not always be possible, try and work out some arrangement where have a male escort.
Whenever the issue of ‘eve-teasing’ comes up, men usually comment that modern women ‘crave’ for it. Then they boldly add that the kind of clothes women wear these days in public places invite harassment. Fourteen female students committed suicides in Bangladesh in the last few months. They were teased, harassed verbally and physically while they were going to their educational institutions.[3]
Eve-teasing and violence against women- But discriminatory treatment and violence against women has remained widespread across the country. Teasing and staring at women is common on all public places where unidentified men and women face each other. Teasing, odd gestures and verbal abuses are considered as sexual harassment in many developed societies.
State intervention towards preventing violence against women has been inadequate to date. Laws are there but enforcement is weak. Moreover, the legal process to combat gender-based violence is complicated. In Women and Children Repression and Prevention Act 2000 an excellent provision was included in section article 10 that teasing of women like making obscene comments or gestures was an offence covered by it providing for up to seven years of simple imprisonment or meticulous imprisonment for two years[4]. But the act was amended in 2003 where no one could be charged with sexual abuse of a woman until it is physical[5].
Although the government has signed different international conventions and introduced special laws to protect women and children, it has not succeeded in providing adequate security to them. It is possible to stop this harassment only if the law is enforced on the perpetrators. Men’s education, sensitivity, cooperation, respect and ethics can help change the scenario.
Bangladeshis raise voice against sexual harassment-Dhaka, June 19 (IANS) Rising incidents of sexual harassment and increasing public anger in protest has prompted the Bangladesh government, headed by a woman, Sheikh Hasina, to take action.
In the latest incident Friday, villagers set fire to houses of some alleged stalkers in Talupara village in Sirajganj district, about 110 km northwest of Dhaka.
The mob also caught a stalker’s father and handed him over to the police. In another incident, at least 10 members of a family were Wednesday beaten for protesting against stalking, and one of them died, The Daily Star reported. The resolve to raise public awareness comes from the presence of several women in public life. According to the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association, almost 90 percent of girls aged 10-18 years are victims of sexual harassment.
August 22, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): STAR PLUS’s Mann Ki Awaaz Pratigya is a show that throws light on the grave issue of eve-teasing. There were however some guys, standing at a distance who had passed several lewd and filthy remarks at her. She said that they called her an “item girl in real life’ and this pissed her off to the core. She simply went up to them and slapped one really hard across his filthy face.[6]
Bangladesh students protest against rampant ‘eve teasing, sexual harassment of women-Dhaka, Nov 3 (ANI): A large number of school and college students held a rally in Dhaka to protest against ‘eve teasing’ and the sexual harassment of women.
The rally was the latest in a series of protests following a number of suicides and killings involving women subjected to bullying and harassment. The protestors have urged the Bangladesh government to take proper steps to curb sexual harassment and provide better protection for women[7].
04 November, 2010
New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) Seventy-seven percent of girls feel that eve-teasing is the biggest challenge they face in cities, while 69 percent feel cities offer an unsafe and insecure living environment, a survey released Wednesday said.
.22 September, 2010.
The court also ruled that stalking, either physically or electronically, must be considered sexual harassment.
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Conclusion:
In a country where a prime minister, foreign minister, home minister. Agriculture minister, deputy leader of the house and the leader of the opposition are female. It is hard believe that in that country women and girls cannot walk on the streets, use public transport, or go to school, shop, park or other public places without often being ogled.taunted,harassed,humiliated,sexually molested, group and assaulted and in some cases attacked with acid, abducted and raped. It is unprofessional and runs counter to all positive work done in the field of violence against women, particularly criminal assault at home and other forms of domestic violence, and sexual and other violence against women on the street, at work and in educational institutions this situation is very frightening. Government is recently taking some stage but implementation of that step is required.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Thaindian News -2007,2008,2009,2010 – Thaindian.com Company Limited.
- Chiranjeevulu, T. (2003). Empowering Women through Self-Help Groups – Experiences in Experiment, Kurukshetra, March.
- Manohar, Sujatha (2002). Women’s Empowerment – Law and Gender Justice. Paper Presented in the International Women’s Day, 8th March 2001. Department of Women and Child Development, New Delhi.
- Here It is called eve-teasing Woman, Body, Desire in Post-colonial India: Narratives of Gender and Sexuality, by Jyoti Puri. Published by Routledge, 1999. Page 87.
- Eve-Teasing The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English, by Grant Barrett. Published by McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006. Page 109.
- Eve-Teasing Image Makers: An Attitudinal Study of Indian Police, by Giriraj Shah. Published by Abhinav Publications, 1993.Page 233-234.
- Lewd nature goes unchecked Kanpur, The Times of India, February 26, 2009.
- Controlling eve-teasing The Hindu, Tuesday, April 13, 2004.
- Harassment in public places a routine for many The Times of India, Jaipur, February 15, 2009.
10. Eve teasing The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone: India: The Emerging 21st-Century Power, by Shashi Tharoor, Published by Arcade Pub., 2007. Page 454-455.
11. Laws and Legislative Measures Affecting Women by National Commission for Women (NCW) National Commission for Women (NCW).
12. Sexual Harassment Indian Feminisms: Law, Patriarchies and Violence in India, by Geetanjali Gangoli. Published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2007. page 63-64.
13. Eve Teasing karon o protikar, November 04, 2010 Amar Desh,column 7,page 9.
14. Human Rights of Women, Ashin Roy.
[1] The Daily Star” June 11, page 1.
[2] www.thedailystar.net
[3] “Prothom Alo” November 2, 2010,page 1,column 5.
[4] Women and Children Repression and Prevention Act 2000, page 49
[5] Women and Children Repression and Prevention Act 2003.
[6] staking is the social illness like other crime rampantly going on in tne country. No law or guidelines or help in reducing the social crime. It is the willingness or ability of the government that is lacking.
[7] the daily newspaper “Amar Desh” November 04,2010,page 9,column 3.
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