New submission from Himel Sarkar
And even as we’re debating it, talking about it, formulating laws or asking our less-than-responsible citizens to ‘Man Up’ in the winding alleys of Chandni Chowk to the plush bus stands of Connaught place, the wide market places of Nehru Place to the crossroads of the national highways, in a land where ethics, laws or social protocols have no meaning, the dark shenanigan appears and suddenly if you happen to be a woman without pepper spray, new to the city or even remotely off your guard you’re in serious trouble. The problem is serious, its malignant and its global, like cancer.
A serious implication to this seemingly innocent problem is the lasting impact that it leaves on the mind of the person who has been assaulted which often results in the elimination of that persons trust in social interactions. When we go to a mall to do our last minute shopping we trust that we aren’t being followed. When we see people gambling in secluded bus stops we trust that we wont get haggled into joining them. The impact is more traumatizing than imaginable. The end result is isolation, fear and in extreme cases… suicide.
The little secret that attackers know and use to their advantage is that they intimidate bystanders into inaction by loudness and dramatization. Street harassment provides the harasser the opportunity to flip the social structure. The disorganized and rowdy rule the civilized. The riffraff rule the roost. The uses his actions to control not only the victim but the onlookers as well. Anarchy.
What is known as the bystander effect is that the bystander tries to rationalize his inaction. They are faced with a choice and they justify their actions by excuses such as “Its not my problem”, “Im getting late for work” or “ Oh come-on She doesn’t look hurt.” While it is accepted that laws can only do so much. What might help is a citizen’s realization that we have a stake in one another, that what keeps us united is far greater than what tears us apart and if only more people realized this we may not be able to protect every woman, minor or tourist but we can create profound changes in our society.
To me an ideal handling of the grim situation we are faced with is the preservation of the hopes of the people. The hope of a young college student who believes that she shares the right to roam the streets of Delhi without fear, the hope of the wife of the defence personnel who is convinced that she doesn’t need her husband around to protect her, the hope of a rural athlete who travels to delhi in search of better opportunities and better facilities and believes she has the right to reach her stars. The hope of a plump, bespectacled kid with a funny name who stands knowing that he shares a protected and unchallenged place in New Delhi.
One Response
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Delhi has become a horrible place for women, as is clear from the events of the last year. With 500-1000 participants and with a name like Besharmi Morcha, you wont be able to include the strong majority of enraged Delhi women.
I suggest a second Morcha after this one, because this is not going to get heard in the din of 2G Scam, and Anti-corruption Satyagraha and price hike protests.
If you mix your issue with those and use their strength to put forth the issue of street harassment, that might work out well.
This morcha should be towards men – bystanders who do nothing and Police who do nothing – which is criminal.
Distribute bangles to all men and congratulate them on becoming female by not protecting you. Tell them that women give you food and care at home, but they cannot protect women, so they are now officially recognised as “dependents” who need your support – so the bangles.
This is a sarcastic protest like the Pink Chaddi campaign.
I urge you to contact the original person behind the Pink Chaddi campaign for her guidance and opinion.
“Mardon ke liye Chudiyan” campaign has far greater potential than slutwalk/besharmi.
I hope this helps.