Eve teasing coupled with inaction is unbearable..scream women, are we listening. When will the society wake up to thwart this evil that has spread its ugly hoods across the nation, more vicious than any killer diseases. Two incidents that rocked most of us had come up in these columns. One was that of a woman who complained to the Nellore (Andhra Pradesh) police over being harassed. And she alleged that the police wanted her to bring the victims to the station, to punish.
How dreadful! Eventually after this incident the accused were raising their harassing modes. The affected woman did not know where to go for help. Does not that sound pathetic. This is just the one of the many faces of this evil. However the incompetence offered by the concerned is sure to aggravate the problem. And this could be the case to anyone of us or to our sisters or mothers too. Should we not voice against this social evil that is devouring the nobleness of the society. Most of these are never exposed for fear of being castigated. However procrastinating to address the issue might help it spread its vicious tentacles that would stretch out of control.
The list is endless, remember the Chennai girl in 1998, Sarika Shah who was manhandled by eve teasers and succumbed incidentally on her birthday on July 23, due to the injuries sustained. And then the same Preethi, from Ambikapur in Madhya Pradesh, was run over by a jeep carrying her tormentors. In Calcutta, Rekha Choudhury, a basketball player, with an enviable standing in the national circuit, was tied to a vehicle and dragged. She sustained serious injuries, but survived the attack. Several incidents from Mumbai were reported of victims being pushed over from running trains. There list is a shame on this society.
Recently in Indore a youth was stabbed to death for trying to reason out to an youth who was eve teasing his sister. An incident in Bangalore in may is three youths allegedly teased a girl and beat her uncle, who suffered a cardiac arrest and died. Recently a girl in Chennai killed herself unable to bear the brunt of the eve teasers. Andhra Pradesh has made eve-teasing a non-bailable offense, and will also ask the High Court to set up fast track courts to try offenses against women.
Know your law: As per the law a man found guilty of making a girl or woman the target of obscene gestures, remarks, songs or recitation to a maximum jail sentence of three months, under section 298 (A) and (B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The other sections that are pertaining to such crimes are Section 292 and Section 509. as per IPC 292, 'showing pornographic or obscene pictures, books or slips to a woman or girl draws a fine of Rs.2000 with two years of imprisonment of either description' for first offenders. In the case of a `repeated offence,' the offender may have a fine of Rs.5000 with 'five years imprisonment imposed.'
As per IPC 509, 'obscene gestures, indecent body language and acidic comments directed at any woman or girl or exhibits any such object or intrudes upon the privacy of woman carries a penalty of simple imprisonment for one year or a fine or both.'
National Commission for Women (NCW): This is a statutory body, established in 1992 by the government to look into such offenses committed on women. The head of this commission is Mrs. Mamta Sharma, former MLA of Bundi district, Rajasthan.
Few Details of the persons to be contacted in case of such issues : Mrs. Mamta Sharma can be contacted: Phone: 23230785, 23236204 23236270. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Eve-teasers resort to myriad ways to harass women. While some auto drivers adjust rear view mirrors to stare at women passengers, some youth sing vulgar songs and whistle at girls. Then there are those who try to stand close to women and touch them while traveling in buses or standing at bus stops. Woman should complaint to police if they fall victims to eve-teasing, irrespective of the method used by teasers. If you take a deeper look at the incidents, in most cases the onlookers were just spectators and that is the worst of all in this repeated assaults on women.
On one hand we have the female infanticide, then many of them survive these odds and the they are under nourished in contrast to their male siblings. Even educations is a luxury to them. Then after marriages that are filled with dowry components and lavish spending the girl departs. Abuse, violence, inequality....and what not that we offer these poor souls of the 'Eves' society. Where as in our prayer halls we have abundant Goddess and worship them while neglecting their life forms, where are we heading! Should the lady who has given us life, loved us like a mother, helped us like a sibling, and then been our mentor at education as a friend, finally there is a lady who holds ones hand and marries him only to serve him all through her life.
Later a girl born after the culmination of this marriage, should be considered as a boon and cent percent not a bane. Why this inequality and discriminatory attitude to the one who has served us in all forms and is the most loyal in her regards for you, is question on this modern society. And in addition the same soul is again pruned to evil eve teasing bouts. How far are we correct, while I do not, ascertain that all women are good and all Men are bad, there are many instances to prove that most women fit the above description. On the Men side there are reports of certain percent harming many women by their irking ways. To be developed society, it is important to live and let others live irrespective of genders and relationships...(With inputs from internet-AW AarKay)
