Helpless victims of stalking

Though the SHE teams have become an instrument in hampering eve teasing and stalking. They seemto be ineffective in attending to concerns of school goers and junior college students. Having no option to carry mobile phones (school rules being one of the reasons) vulnerable adolescents are powerless to reach out to SHE teams at the time of the incident. On the other hand, despite the SHE teams’ widespread publicity, many adolescent girls in the city have no clue about how to contact them.

“I panicked when a boy approached me asking to spend time with him and I would be paidfor it. I felt embarrassed,”shared Vaishnavi,a school student from Tarnaka, Hyderabad.Along with the other girls of her class, she added, “We are not informed about SHE team contacts to register complaints and at the same time we have no way to call them immediately as we don’t carry phones.”

Even on busy roads, young boys and sometimes even elderly men comment on the physical aspects of a girl and keep shouting vulgar words at them. There are instances where the girls quit cycling to school and prefer to go only with parental assistance.

A junior college student said, “I am very much tensed to walk on the entire road stretch at Secunderabad Railway Station. The miscreants keep staring and sometimes follow, ask names and address.Above all, one day at the time when I was boarding a bus in the heavy crowd, I was pulled down by a boy who held my waist. He ran away once I screamed out. However, I am forced to use the same route, I have no other choice.”

Girls and college goers travelling long distances are more dependent on buses. But, the bus stops have turned havens for the miscreants, who repeatedly cause trouble. “When my friends and I were at the bus stop, a group of boys standing towards the corner clicked our pictures from back and front. We were frightened and were unable to stop them. We were even inflicted with impolite comments from outsiders even when we wear saris. They shamelessly describe our body parts,” said a B.com student, Juveria.

The highly crowded bus stops especially ECIL, Alwal, Lal Bazar, Banjara hills, Malkajgiri in the capital of Telangana have become a nightmare for the girls travelling by bus. The girls urge the authorities to deploy security personnel in crowded places to keep mischief makers at bay. “The gender dominance and social and cultural acceptance encourages young boys and even elderly men to indulge in stalking and eve-teasing,” pointed DrAnupama,Psychologist.

During counseling sessions,when asked about why stalking makes them happy? They say it doesn’t bring happiness but instant fun,” she added. Adding to it, she said that the young boys are very much influenced with the lead characters portrayed in few movies where the hero itself exhibits some kind of stalking. They are reinforced after watching films and its social acceptance officially grants them to stalk to enjoy the appreciation of peers.

Speaking to The Hans India, she said that awareness campaigns and demonstrations are very much essential to bring in change and discourage further stalking and eve teasing. Just conversation is not enough; the schools and colleges should make efforts to conduct brainstorming sessions as a part of their academic curriculumon how to develop a healthy relationship that helps them to maintain dignity. This has to be done at the earliest.

Meanwhile Swati Lakra, IPS, Addl. CP and SIT, said, “The team is constantly making efforts to reach schools and colleges and conducting awareness campaigns. Our well-equipped team is on job to observe and make note of schools and colleges which needs more awareness. They are also on lookout for trouble makers on busy roads.”

By: Sushma Nagaraju