PERCEPTIONS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS REGARDING THE MENACE OF EVE-TEASING IN RURAL PUNJAB

PLEASE NOTE: 

1. This joint paper was presented in a National Seminar organized by Centre for Women's Studies & Development, HP University, Shimla, supported by ICSSR, Chandigarh, 4th to 5^th March, 2015. 
2. Later, it has been published in the Proceedings of this National Seminar with ISBN: 978 93 82068 556.
3. It can be cited as Renu and Harpreet Singh, Perceptions of College Students Regarding the Menace of Eve-Teasing in Rural Punjab in Mamta Mokta (ed.), Women Safety & Security: Issues & Challenges, Mohindra Publishing House, Chandigarh, 2015, pp. 1-6.                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                                   Dr. Renu

Professor & Head

Dept. of Public Administration,

                                                                                                     Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab

0175-3046244, <head_publicadmin@pbi.ac.in>

Mr. Harpreet Singh

Assistant Professor in Public Administration,
University College, Dhilwan (Barnala), Punjab
88724-19777 <hrprt711@gmail.com>

Eve-teasing is a menace in every society whether urban or rural. In the eastern societies, it is one of the major threats to the safety and the security of the women. It is one of the nastiest forms of abuse which many women have to bear on regular basis in our society.  The hardships faced by women manifest in various forms, customs and phenomena and eve-teasing has emerged in the 21^st century as one of the serious phenomenon of the violence against women by men which highlights the vulnerability of women gender in more or less all over the world. It is a problem in Indian society which is going on unabated despite its repugnance. It is utterly disgusting to find how lightly this serious problem is perceived in our society and particularly, in the youth at the educational institutions. It is strange that though eve-teasing is a type of harassment faced by women at public places, yet it is not reported usually and if it is, it is a very difficult crime to prove. 

Eve-teasing

If we look at the semantic roots of the term 'eve-teasing', it is some sort of euphemism used in India and in some other parts of South Asia for public harassment of the females, ranging in severity from sexually suggestive remarks to brushing sides in public places. Oxford dictionary states it as ‘making of unwanted sexual remarks or advances by a man to a woman in a public place.’ Eve-teasing is an attitude, a mindset, a set of behaviors that is construed as an insult and an act of humiliation of the female sex. It includes stares, comments or remarks, verbal abuse, suggestive songs, lyrics typically targeted at the girl in question, an unwelcome touch, sexual in nature, physical abuse – beating, flashing which is accompanied by masturbation – or an act of exposing one’s genitals, etc (Ghosh, 2011). Eve-teasing is an act of perversion that includes actions like touching, rubbing, groping, staring, pinching, slapping a woman or showing her private parts or pornographic material, which intrude upon her privacy (Pandey, 2012). Supreme Court of India, 2012, according to the Indian Journal of Criminology and Criminalistics (January-June 1995 edn.) has categorized eve-teasing into five heads viz. Verbal, Physical, Psychological harassment, Sexual harassment and harassment through some objects. Nowadays, smart phones and social media sites have also become a dangerous instrument of harassment. It can even leads to serious injuries, acid attacks and sometimes even suicides of victims.

Multiple Aspects of this problem

This problem has multiple aspects like social, psychological and legal. It is felt that eve teasing became a harmful social practice especially in 1970s because more girls and women during this time became educated and entered the labor force. They were often no longer accompanied by a male escort as had been the norm in traditional society. In response, the problem grew to alarming proportions, despite this not being the case in other cultures where women go and come as they please (Natarajan, 2008). In India, the experiences of women and girls in over-crowded buses, trains etc. are horrific and bad.

Some feminist writers (Dobash & Dobash, 1998) claim that this behavior is a kind of ‘little rape’. Psychologists opine that eve-teasing is not done for fun or love; men indulge in these acts as they are either sexually repressed or believe that they are more powerful -- physically and emotionally than women (Pandey, 2012). Though the boys consider the phenomenon of eve-teasing as something ordinary, but eve-teasing behavior occurs due to the non-fulfillment of psychological, social and emotional needs, according to many psychologists. Thus, social scientists believe eve-teasing to be a result of the frustrations suffered by a majority of youth (Ghosh, 2011).

It is an unlawful invasion on the right of privacy and sanctity of a female. The Supreme Court of India considers it as a serious blow to her supreme honour and offends her self-esteem and dignity. It humiliates the victim and leaves a traumatic experience behind her. Eve-teasing is one of the worst forms of abuse form, which numerous women regardless of class, profession, and age are suffering. It has created social insecurity for guardians of young girls and paved the way for dropout from schools, eventually leading to early marriage (Ali, 2006). Supreme Court of India felt that eve-teasing amounts to the violation of rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Indian Constitution. Being a serious threat to the women dignity and honor, it needs to be eradicated; but there is no specific legislation in the country except in the state of Tamil Nadu which has enacted Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Eve-Teasing ordinance, 1998 which later became an Act, namely, the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Eve-Teasing Act, 1998.

Although eve-teasing has not been defined as an offence in any law in India, similar behavior is punishable under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the legal remedy available to the victim is lodging a complaint with the police or magistrate. Section 298 (A) and (B) of Indian Penal Code prescribes upto three months imprisonment for making obscene gestures or remarks to a woman. For showing pornographic or obscene pictures, books or slips to a woman, Section 292 of the IPC prescribes upto two years imprisonment. The same punishment, with or without a fine, is meted out under Section is 354 (IPC) to those who use force or assault a woman to outrage her modesty. If the complaint of making obscene gestures, indecent body language and lewd comments concerning a woman or exhibiting any such object, which intrudes upon the woman’s privacy is proved, Section 509 of the IPC prescribes punishment upto one year imprisonment or fine (Pandey, 2012). However, the bailable nature of these offences protects the offender from suffering in jail custody. It is an irony that while we are celebrating women's right in all spheres, we have not been able to curb the menace of eve-teasing at educational institutions, places of worship, bus stands, railway stations, cinema theatres, park, places of festival, public service vehicles or any other similar place.

Objectives of the Study

The purpose of this empirical study is to comprehend the perceptions of students of University College in the rural area of Punjab regarding this sensitive issue of eve-teasing. The study further tried to look at the known as well as veiled causes behind the act of eve-teasing. It attempts to examine the perspective of under-graduate boys and girls about eve-teasing and to analyze if there is any difference among them on the issue.

Research Methodology

University College of PUP forms the universe of this empirical study, which is situated at the village - Dhilwan, district Barnala, in the Malwa belt of Punjab. The college was set up with the joint efforts of Punjab Government, residents of this area and Punjabi University Patiala in the year 2011-12. Dhilwan village is located on the road going from Tapa town to Pakho Kanchian. This college is providing courses of B.A, B.Com Professional, BCA, B.Sc. (Medical and Non- medical) and PGDCA. From the Faculty of Arts, a random sample of 75 undergraduate students comprising 50 girl-students and 25 boy-students was chosen. With the help of a Structured Questionnaire, their responses were elicited and analyzed manually. Secondary data was tapped from the sources like books, newspapers, journals and various websites.

Findings of the Study

The study of selected sample of 50 girl-students and 25 boy-students from the faculty of Arts of University College, Dhilwan-Barnala (Punjab) yielded the following findings:

1. When asked about that how they viewed the present social surroundings in the context of girls’ safety, overall 52 per cent of the boys under study felt that the environment was absolutely or to a large extent safe and secure for the girls; whereas it was very significant to notice that overall, 78 per cent of the girls, more or less, rejected this notion, implying that they didn’t feel secure in the social surroundings.

2. 60 per cent of boys felt that provocative dressing of girls was the most important reason for eve-teasing; they also felt that the girls themselves incite the boys for eve-teasing whereas majority of girls rejected it strongly. On the other hand, 64 per cent of girls argued that eve-teasing was just another form of male-entertainment and a girl had to suffer it just because of her gender. A significant segment of the girls also felt that they have to face the problem, just because they belong to female gender.

3. 96 per cent of girls and 80 per cent of boys collectively agreed on the point that not only the physical abuse but also many other forms of eve-teasing may cause inconvenience to the girls.

4. 96 per cent of boys and all of the girls respondent jointly supported the statement that eve-teasing was performed not only by the strangers, but also neighbors, relatives, class-mate and other acquaintances.

5. All of our respondents agreed unanimously that popular songs are also responsible for promoting the menace of eve-teasing.

6. 88 percent of boys and 74 percent of girls believed that eve-teasing was a first step of love-relationship in the real life as shown in the Bollywood movies. It might be due to social environment that respondents in rural area observed that eve-teasing was the only way to get acquainted with stranger girls. However, in a connected question, all respondents replied in unison that for them, the real hero was one who stopped eve-teasing, not the doer.

7. 44 percent of boys and 54 percent of girls respondents were of the view that the deployment of police personnel and steps like Women Helpline Numbers may prove helpful in curbing the menace of eve-teasing not completely, but only upto a certain limit.

8. A majority of our respondents was not aware about the Women Helpline Number and the Supreme Court’s Guidelines to prevent eve-teasing. In contrast to it, our previous survey of 2014 of Punjabi University of the university students indicated that a significant majority of University-goers were aware about these.

9. The 40 percent of the boys and 42 percent of the girls felt that boys just did eve-teasing to put a psychological pressure upon the females with the show-off of their manhood, whereas 44 percent of girls and 16 percent of boys are of the view that eve-teasing is just another form of the male entertainment. Also 36 percent of boys and 12 percent of girls felt that the boys did it for attracting the attention of the girls. It was interesting to find that just 8 percent of boys and 2 percent of girls considered social restrictions as the cause of eve-teasing.

10. When asked about what a girl feels after the incident of eve-teasing majority of boys (84 percent) and girls (56 percent) identified the feeling of embarrassment or weakness and helplessness. 40 percent of girls felt anger and revenge, whereas none of the boy- respondent was able to judge this feeling among the girls. Only 16 per cent boys felt that a girl liked to get teased and felt proud of her attraction power (ego nourishment), whereas only small percentage of girls (4 per cent) agreed with this point.
11. When asked that what should be the first step a girl must take after the incident of eve-teasing, a majority of boys and girls replied that a girl must herself respond firmly on the spot. 20 per cent of boys also opined that a girl must contact her family members in such a situation, but only 8 per cent of girls considered it as an appropriate step to do. It is strange that only 8 per cent of boys and 6 per cent of girls’ respondents preferred to contact Women Police Helpline.  A few respondents (08 per cent of boys and 02 per cent of girls) were in favor of ignoring such incidents showing the deep in-built tolerance of harassment.
12. When asked about the very first reaction of Punjabi family after the incident of eve-teasing with their daughter, a majority of the boys and girls felt that it would result into brawl and into the imposition of restriction on the movements of girl. Also a small portion of girls (22 percent) felt that they would get encouragement to reply firmly on the spot, whereas only 8 percent of the boys agreed with it. Only four percent of boys and girls respondent answered that the incident would be ignored. Some respondents seriously felt that the incident may result into an early marriage of the girl. This is corroborated by other scholars also.
13. It is very important that on the issue of social restrictions on the girl, a majority of all respondents did not approve of the imposition of restriction.  Rather they were of the view that only a change in mindset is the right answer to the problem. Only 24 percent of boys and 6 percent of the girls favored the restrictions on girls as a solution to the problem of the eve-teasing.

Concluding Observations

All the above findings of the survey reveal interesting facts. Under-graduate students comprising girls and boys in the sample represent students who are entering their twenties and have come to a co-educational University College in a rural area at a very impressionable stage. Findings divulge implicit and explicit causes behind the act of eve-teasing like to show off masculinity, to suppress the female gender and just for the sake of fun/entertainment of males. Lack of sensitivity among boys towards the feelings of insecurity in girls, anger in the girls on being teased, media’s role in projecting eve-teaser as a hero, trust-deficit towards administration in providing security to the girls etc. emerge as serious reasons for the problem. Orthodox patriarchal social system in the rural society has made water-tight compartmentalization between girls and boys to such an extent that they don’t even think of socialization between opposite sexes as a normal and acceptable thing in public. Orthodoxy of the patriarchal system and gender inequality prevalent in the patriarchic value-system of Indian worsened the problem further. Even family members prefer to remain silent on these issues for the sake of a false sense of family ‘honor’. Mostly, the eve-teasers don’t get punished for their wrongdoings and ironically, the victim has to generally suffer the blame for inviting eve-teasing. It inflicts deep wounds on the psyche of girl. Even the girls in the big cities face this problem. A survey of 9 Hostels of Panjab University, Chandigarh in 2015 revealed that around 71 percent of the girls there faced the eve-teasing on the campus. This problem is very widespread.

            Besides, the perceived reality the college students see projected in the Bollywood movies and songs is different from the realities of life but their impressionable minds get influenced by the trends of glamour world of cinema and entertainment industry and they start accepting the eve-teasing as the first step towards blossoming of a love-relationship.  It makes matters worse.

Sensitizing the community at large and the sons in particular are imperative to curb it. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech (2014) pointedly indicated that. Gender-just behavior has to be learnt after ’unlearning’ what most child-rearing practices in our cultural context endorse like the myth of male superiority. (The Tribune, 01-12-2014) Overall, it is heartening to find that a majority of all the young students did not think imposition of restrictions on girls as a solution to this problem at all. Family’s support, self-defense by the girls along with a change in the mindset is the answer, according to them.

References

Ali, S (2006). Bangladesh National Women Lawyer Association to launch Campaign against hecklers of women. The New Age, May 7, pp 61-78.

Editorial (2014, June 21). Rape of Innocence, The Tribune. Chandigarh (India)

Dey et al (2011). Attitude toward Eve Teasing. The Chittagong University Journal of Biological Sciences, Vol: 6 (1 &2), pp 107-118.

Dobash, Rebecca Emerson & Dobash, Russell P. (1998). Rethinking Violence Against Women. New Delhi: SAGE Publications.

Ghosh, Deepa (2011). Eve Teasing: Role of the Patriarchal System of the Society. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, Vol: 37 (Special Issue), pp 100-107.

Kapila, Renu and Singh, Harpreet  (2014). The Problem of Eve-Teasing: A Case Study of University Boys and Girls. Research paper presented at National Seminar on A World in Transition : New Challenges for Women Empowerment, organised by Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala on 22-2-2014.

Modi, Narendra (2014, August 15). Independence Day Speech.  Retrievable at http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/full-text-prime-minister-narendra-modis-speech-on-68th-independence-day/99/

Natarajan, Mangai (2008). Women Police in a Changing Society: Back Door to Equality, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited.

Pandey, Anamika (2012, September 15). Eve-teasing is punishable, do not endure it silently, Hindustan Times. retrieved from URL: < www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/930357.aspx 2/2 >

Puri, J. (1999). Woman, body, desire in post-colonial India: Narratives of gender and sexuality. New York: Routledge.  As quoted in Dey et al (2011). Attitude toward Eve Teasing. The Chittagong University Journal of Biological Sciences, Vol: 6 (1 &2), pp 107-118.

Supreme Court Reports (2012). Satish Mehra v. State of N.C.T. of Delhi & ANR. p. 196

Supreme Court (2012). The Deputy Inspector General of Police & Anr. v. S. Samuthiram. Pp.1-26 retrieved from URL <http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=39774 >

The Tribune, 5-3-2015.