Eve Teasing

Since centuries, Indian society is a male dominated society. However, in the modern times, the situation has changed. Nowadays, women in India compete with Indian males in different spears of life. They raise their voices when it comes to their rights, privileges, equality and protection. Women empowerment has brought about some new problems. When women started to progress on their own without the protection of males, they made themselves exposed to society. Thus, gradually the practice of eve teasing came in to existence.

When men tease women, they think women as an object to play with. Such men harass, misbehave and make fun of them. Eve teasing is a threat that has grown at an alarming rate. It includes incidents of sexual harassment, molestation of women or street harassment. Eve teasing also involves abusive remarks and making lustful gestures. One finds eve teasing as a common problem faced by women on streets, offices, public places and public transport.

The most important cause of eve teasing involves a strong desire of an eve teaser to draw the attention of woman or a young girl. Men eve teases women of his age. A research has shown that 35% of the eve teasers are anti-socials, 32% are school or college going boys and 33% of eve teasers belong to middle age.

The law protectors are taking severe actions against eve teasers. If a man found guilty of making a girl or woman the target of explicit gestures or remarks than he has to undergo a sentence of three months. Section 292 of the Indian Penal Court states that if a person is caught showing pornographic pictures, or books to a woman or girl than he has to pay a fine and undergo imprisonment. In case of repeated offence, the offender may have to pay heavier fine and undergo longer imprisonment. Under Section 509 of the IPC, obscene gestures, indecent body language and nasty comments directed at any woman or girl carries imprisonment for one year or a fine or both.

Some traditionalists blame women for eve teasing. According to them, women provoke the offenders by wearing expressive dresses. They suggest old-fashioned dresses for women. However, from records it is hard to prove that orthodoxly dressed women have not gone through eve teasing. School or college going girls, working-women, etc. often go through awkward remarks by the rowdy men.

Men should realise that eve teasing can even take place with female members of their family, leaving a permanent psychological scar on them.