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Editorial

Dealing firmly with sexual harassment

Old values must be reasserted among the young
11 November 2010, 18:00 PM
EDITORIAL
We agree with the participants at a round table held in the city on Wednesday that stalking or sexual harassment of women has taken the form of a menace for society. In these last many months, increasing numbers of women have been falling prey to unwarranted and unsolicited attention from wayward youths, who have clearly developed the feeling that they can get away with their sinister activities. Of course, a principal focus, all the way from the citizens' level to the government, has been a raising of awareness of the issue and the ways and means by which it can be rolled back. The participants at the round table have very justifiably noted the misleading use of the term 'eve teasing' when it should without question be 'sexual harassment'. On an issue of such grave import for society, it will simply not do to go for euphemisms. Beyond that, there is a clear demarcation of the role that the state and the family can play in offsetting the menace of sexual harassment. We have all along been hearing of a strict enforcement of the law against stalkers. We would now like to see some action on the ground. Indeed, the authorities should now step up to citizens and inform them of what action has so far been taken about those already in custody on charges of sexual harassment. Besides, citizens must also know what efforts are being expended to nab those stalkers who have managed to stay a step ahead of the law. As to what the family can do to stem the crime, the path is clear. A return to old values is in order. Children must be imbued right from the beginning with ideas of morality and a sense of what constitutes a stable, educated and fair social order where men and women are partners in all spheres of life. To be sure, the schools are there to impart such lessons to the young. But the fundamental values of life are grounded in the family. And the family today, has lagged behind in doing all those good things which families in earlier times accomplished as part of their social responsibilities. That must change. A positive sign of things is the move to punish stalkers through an operation of mobile courts. A stalker, one understands, will serve a year in prison or will pay a fine or will do both. The authorities must be careful, though, in ensuring that the innocent do not suffer, that the laws against stalking are not misused or abused by individuals or groups to settle personal scores. Furthermore, it remains the responsibility of the authorities, especially the law enforcers and security forces, to track down the elements who harass women by threatening them or using abusive and profane language by mobile phone. On a final note, the offer of help to victims of sexual harassment by an NGO and a call centre operator by telephone can be seen as a step forward in handling such criminality. Even so, the modalities by which the sexually harassed will be helped and to what extent their security will be ensured must be made clear. There is no time to lose. Unless stalkers are swatted down swiftly, both in urban and rural areas, young women all over the country will find their movements circumscribed --- to our intense shame.

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