Via Feminist Law Prof Lesley Wexler, an article about street harassment in India, excerpted below:
… The efforts of academics, women’s groups, and artists like Patheja are raising major questions about gender issues and the need for safe public space in a country that’s often preferred to ignore them. Amid India’s booming economy and changing social atmosphere, most women still face taunts and groping on a near-daily basis.
Walks around town, even in the country’s gleaming new offices and malls, are often fraught with unwelcome comments or advances. A permissive attitude toward “eve-teasing” has made change difficult, with offenders frequently dismissed as harmless or even justified, and run-down and often maze-like urban infrastructure can mean that many public spaces remain threatening for women.
For her part, Patheja’s highly visible demonstrations have turned Blank Noise Project into one of India’s most well-known – and perhaps most controversial – community-art projects. But other groups have taken a more systematic approach to advancing women’s safety.
New Delhi-based Jagori has conducted comprehensive safety audits of the city’s neighborhoods, and its new “SafeDelhi” campaign has set up kiosks and support lines to help women define and report sexual harassment. This year, the group distributed over 5,000 antiharassment stickers to rickshaw drivers, whose green-and-yellow three-wheelers are often intimidating vehicles for solo women.
When sociologist Shilpa Phadke helped start the academic Gender and Space Project in Mumbai (Bombay), she had not counted on a public advocacy role. But when an interview with a rail official led to his request for help in making stations less threatening for women, the Project’s graduate students sprang into action, counting every broken light in 35 city stations.
In cities like Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore, women’s self-defense classes have grown increasingly popular, with upper and middle-class women wait-listed for courses in karate and the Israeli martial art krav maga.
But for all the efforts being made to safeguard women against harassment, even the major statutes against sexual harassment in India have proven troublesome. Activists have been quick to point out that the laws against attacking the “modesty” of women do more to regulate women’s behavior than safeguard their rights.
Pratiksha Baxi, an assistant professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and one of India’s foremost experts on sexual harassment, remains skeptical of the ordinances. “The provisions aim at regulating women’s sexuality rather than protecting their autonomy or their right to be in public spaces without being harassed or raped,” Ms. Baxi says. …
Check out The Blank Noise Project’s blog. Previous posts about this group accessible here. See also Safe Delhi’s website and the Gender and Space Project website.
UPDATE: A glitch prevented this comment from posting:
Hi, I found this link to the Sexual Harassment piece and logged on. This is Shilpa Phadke, and wanted to give you an alternate website for the Gender and Space Project - www.genderandspace.org which also has some of our publications. warmly, Shilpa
