Theoretical Overview of Eve Teasing

Abstract

Gender discrimination is enormous issue not only in Indian society but worldwide. It affects women's social, cultural, and political involvement. This process of discrimination begins at adolescent age. Eve-teasing is emerging as a widespread burning issue throughout the country at present. The term Eve-teasing refers to the harassment of women by men. Today eve-teasing has been categorized into five heads, verbal eve-teasing, physical eve-teasing, psychological harassment, sexual harassment and harassment through some objects. The stress caused by eve teasing is no less or less in magnitude than other horrendous crimes against women. It is the worst form of trespass to person possible. The paper discusses the aspects of eve teasing and their negative impact on Indian girls.

Key Words- Eve teasing, mental health.

Women are not only standing but also competing with men at various fields even than the crime against the women in society is increasing in many forms. Violence against women is experienced by women of all ages and social classes, all races, religions, and nationalities, all over the world. It is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men. Eve teasing is one of the huge issues of metropolitan cities of India. A large number of Indians women have faced or facing the eve teasing at public places, shopping malls and public transport system. Women face the threats of eve teasing at everywhere. The issue of eve teasing is increasing day by day not only in the urban areas but also in the rural areas. Eve-teasing is a widespread social monster and a complex problem. We are used to see the girls subjected to teasing from television screen to nearby street. It starts at the face of a girl much before she reaches adolescence. Eve teasing is not depends on the how the woman looks or what she has wears or where she goes even aged woman are also facing such kind of teasing.

Everyday woman faces the eve-teasing of several forms. School and college going girls and female worker are at top of the list of victims of eve- teasing. Adolescent girls are the main victims eve teasing. Whistling, catcalling, touching or groping, flashing, blowing kisses, stalking, sexual gesturing or unsolicited photography are some instances of eve-teasing suffered by women. Usually the young men, especially when associated with friends are mainly responsible for eve-teasing. Eve teasing has received attention by public and media in 1970. In the 1970 decades more and more women’s started going to college and working independently, its meaning that they were often no longer accompanied by a male escort as had been the norm in traditional society. Despite all this Eve teasing, a ridiculous form of enjoyment for men and a painful as well as mental torment for women violates a woman’s basic right to live with dignity. It heightens feelings of dependency on men for protection even though some women may be economically or emotionally independent. It often adds to the traumas experienced in other spaces, be it other work places or in the domestic sphere, making the experience of male violence a rather seamless and everyday affair. Women too internalize the idea that eve teasing is normal, harmless and often deserved. Each day, hundreds of women and young girls face the threat of eve teasing. While negligible cases are reported, most of unaddressed as women prefer silence. Eve teasing should be prevented from the root itself so that in long race it does not turn into massive crimes likes rape, molestation, murder, etc in the society.

Causes of Eve Teasing:

Wrong Mind-set

Mind set of people is changing day by day to look at girls and women in negative sense. Because of this negative mind-set eve teasing is increasing in daily life. Number of males thinks that women are only to fulfil the physical needs. Male dominant society In India, We have male dominant society where male are considered always powerful and strong while women are weak and powerless. This male dominating society pushes women to be quite on any issue related to the male. This is the reason even after facing the eve teasing women and girls arenot reporting.

Thing of enjoyment

Now a days eve teasing becomes a part of fun especially in college going boys. Due to physical attraction sometimes male can’t control himself and he indulges with eve teasing.

Bad impact of electronic and social media

Now a day electronic and social media is playing a vital role in fixing behavioral pattern. Negative attitude towards women and girls has been exposed through the movies and various television programmes which revealed in increase in eve teasing. Easy availability of internet and social media on mobile phone increased access of vulgar and even porn films which increase the greed towards sex which starts with eve teasing.

Lack of security of women

It is our prime duty to provide adequate security to women and girls. But we are unable to provide adequate security to women and girls. The lack of security during travelling at night, at work place increases the eve teasing.

Absence of Punishment

Due to absence of strong punishment, law and the implementing the law in practically failed to create fear about the eve teasing. Absence of Law is a great factor of encouraging eve teasing.

Degradation of Social, Cultural, Moral Values

Loss of social, cultural, and moral values resulted into the instances like eve teasing. Earlier there was boundaries of religion were very strong those became a weak and turned into uncontrolled behavior of people in society. When a man is careless about his religion naturally he falls under some bad dealings like eve teasing.

Family Control

It’s a duty of parent to impart the moral education among the children. Here now a day parents are careless about the same which encourage boys for eve teasing.

Impacts on woman:

Early Marriage

Eve teasing forces the parents to do early marriage of girls. They have fear for their social status. Instead of opposing to eve teasing they want to run away from the problem. So they choose option of early marriage of girls. As we know that early marriage is invitation of all physical, mental and health problems. Neither can she take care of herself, nor to her children and family. Due to early pregnancy mothers and child mortality rate is high level.

Drop out school

One of the reason behind the drop out of girls from school is eve teasing. This happens mostly in rural area. However, different studies suggest that drop-out rate among girl increases with the increase of age. It’s very natural that parents worried about the safety of the girls when they feels that their girl’s safety is under threat by eve-teaser, they make alternative thinking and prefer to stop education of their girls and confine them inside the home.

Suicidial ideation

There are some cases of suicide due to eve teasing. When girl face the eve teasing and they disclose the matter with familymember then parents blames to victims instead of teaser. Parents may have threats about the troubles regarding to the marriage proposal of the girls. In such situation girls may attempt the suicide.

Mental Health

Eve teasing results into increase in disorder like anxiety, schizophrenia, and depression. Many Sometimes they do not get support from family due to mistrust. All these causes and frustration leads many girls towards committing suicide. Eve teasing causes different unpleasant situations to women at individual and social level.

Eradication of Eve Teasing:

Eve teasing not only hurts a girl’s dignity but also curbs her freedom to live. It becomes even more difficult for a girl to face society, which has always been male-dominated. Hence, stern laws should be implemented to curb this social evil completely. The ways to eradicate eve teasing are discussed below:

Family Education

Family is the first institution of learning for a human being. If a man achieves proper values, ethics, education, etc. from his family he can not engage himself with such crimes like eve teasing once he steps out of the house. Psychologists and sociologists feel that this behavior stems from deeper, gender stereotypes that we all grow up with. Social discrimination against women is extensively accountable for the ill treatment to women in the eyes of men due to lack of adequate presence of learning of morals, values to the children at family, socially and schooling level respectively. We need to inculcate the notion that girls are different but equal to men. Interaction between the two genders shouldn't be curbed and the whole idea of looking at boys being superior to girls must be brought down. If these values are encouraged in schooand colleges, it will address the issue, at least to some extent. It's good that there are legislations to fight such instances, but unless the culture changes, no legislation can bring out a larger change.

Both the victim of this social evil and offender need to be counseled

To make eve teasing a non-bailable offence is a positive sign from the government. It is an offence that mostly happens on college campus and locally as well, but we see that society is unwary about it. We have to consider the victim of eve-teasing as well as the offender for counseling. A victim of eve-teasing can experience traumatic stress disorder, guilt, and anger against the opposite sex, which can later interfere in building relationships with men. In the worst case scenario, if the victim is repeatedly targeted, it could lead to suicidal tendencies. In case of offenders, eve-teasing must be seen as an early sign among youngsters, which is identified as an anti-social behavior. It has been observed that boys in the age group of 13-15 start getting involved in the eve-teasing practice in schools. The act must be addressed at an early stage by parents and schools otherwise there is a high chance of these boys getting into anti-social activities, aggressive behavior, addiction to substances and have relationship problems.

Victims must come forward and register a complaint

Right now, the situation is such that eve-teasers have no fear of the law as they know it is a bailable offence and one can get out within an hour’s time. Making it non-bailable will surely discourage over 90% of these offenders, fearing the stringent law. Today, many girls who have fallen prey to this ugly practice of eve-teasing are forced by their parents to leave their college or education. There are many examples of eve-teasing taking an ugly turn wherein the victimized girls have become mentally disturbed to such an extent that they have committed suicide. The law has to be stringent to curb eve-teasing especially among youngsters. However, the police too should act promptly on such cases. Even the victimized girls must come forward and register a complaint so that police action can be taken.

Giving strict punishment against offender

Offender must be kept under the ambit of law. Stringent law is needed to instill fear among offenders. If offender remains unpunished, crimes spread quickly in the society. However, having such laws alone won’t decrease these crimes. We also have to change the outlook of men towards women otherwise such crimes will keep on happening. On the other hand, the police and lawyers must also take cases of eve-teasing more seriously, i.e., along with bringing this new law for eve-teasing, the state should also strengthen and train the police machinery and judiciary to deal with such an offence.

Role of Media

Media should not portray men as powerful and women as powerless, vulnerable and in a position to be exploited; and it should not project women as sex objects and (especially cinema) should not portray eve-teasing as something harmless. Media should raise slogans against this evil and should make people aware about the seriousness of this issue. Religious and moral values should be imbibed so that the factors, which cause moral degeneration, are counterbalanced by moral values provided by religion.

Implementation of Regulations

At the legal level, strict implementation of regulations prohibiting overloading on buses and maintenance of separate seats reserved in buses for women would be very effective measure for protecting them from physical assault; police should perform their duty honestly and special police forces should be employed for such offences which would take on spot action and more importantly would serve the purpose of putting constraints to potential offenders. The government should take ‘zero’ tolerance policy against the tide of eve teasing. Whosoever is found guilty must be punished. There must and also can be a provision of filling a complaint online for women victim on the website of the State police and a shortest possible response time must be achieved. Some States in India like Punjab has already launched a provision for online filing of complaints and women issues are handled by a dedicated wing under the IGP rank officer.

Conclusion:

Women’s mental health cannot be considered in isolation from social, political, and economic issues. There are sufficient reasons for in current social arrangements today in India which causes enormous stress and surfeit of depression experienced by women and the stress caused by eve teasing is no less or less in magnitude than other horrendous crimes against women. It is the worst form of trespass to person possible. It is done intentionally to hurt a woman physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is also done to wrongfully gain the attention of the woman. According to Justice Verma’s Report – A Respite for Indian Women, “If a man wishes to talk to a woman, he can do so in a graceful and dignified manner without offending the sensibilities of the woman. He does not need to stalk a woman, behave in an uncouth and uncivilized manner to get attention. Moreover, if a woman has rejected his advances, he should accept that gracefully. t is more torturous for small girls and adolescents.”