Even though the statistics show a decline, women alone are still the targets of offensive men in their daily lives.
There has been a decline in molestation cases from Jan. – July. 2017 (566 cases) compared to 2018 (463 cases), as per the data from the City Crime Record Bureau (CCRB.)
Renee, a victim who was riding a bike, with her sister behind her, had encountered two men on another bike who were coming in the opposite direction, had groped her private parts, and sped away fast. The two girls then chased the men but could not catch them.
Neha Mishra, a college student was once waiting to board a bus at M.G. Road where she was given inappropriate looks. She noticed the man staring at her for 10 minutes, then warned him to stop staring and to move away.
Banie. S, who worked in a B.P.O, was inappropriately touched by her manager on her waist at work when having their picture taken with her team. She could not share it with anyone, feeling ashamed. She added that had she escalated to a higher authority, it would have taken an immediate action as there were other complaints about the same man by other women.
Help is available. Seemant Kumar Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police East zone, said there have been a smaller number of cases that have been filed compared to last year. He said that accused molesters will be arrested soon after a complaint is filed.
He explained that the punishment depends on the sections of what kind of molestation has happened to the victim. For instance, verbally harming and bodily harming someone has different kinds of punishments.
Sandhya, a counsellor at Vanitha Sahayavani said that there have been programs conducted regarding sexual harassment at schools, colleges, and workplaces. Victims slowly come forward with their experiences and share it with the people around them. If any of them need counselling, they go and talk to the person on the kind of experience they have gone through.
According to Vanitha Sahayavani, they have a dedicated vehicle available on call 24 hours a day. They follow the call that request help. The van then reaches the spot with a team with one female social worker, a female constable, and other women police officers who will take the required action.
According to IPC Section 354, whoever assaults or uses criminal force against woman, intending to outrage her modesty, the punishment is one to five years in prison and a fine. Anything happening to a lady becomes an IPC case.
