Recently, there were reports of a 23-year-old woman being harassed by a couple of bikers while she was travelling in an auto rickshaw in Mumbai. Reports of such incidents have become daily items in the newspaper. But this incident was different because of the way the woman handled the situation and fought back.
Instead of just ignoring the bikers, she clicked their pictures and posted it online with the help of a friend. The picture went viral online and many bloggers reposted it on their blogs. It eventually led to other women recognising the men and saying they were harassed by them too.
Though a one-off incident among endless others where the offenders walk away scot-free, it sheds light on how a small step aided by technology can work wonders.
Sonya Bansal, a DU student, believes that technology can be a lifesaver if used smartly. “In this jet age, technological innovations have changed people’s way of life. Appropriate use at appropriate time can even save one’s life. I think the idea of clicking pictures of such offenders and posting them on social sites like Facebook or circulating them on Whatsapp along with details about locality might help girls who live nearby or visit the locality. Also, they should keep women’s helpline numbers on speed dial,” says Sonya.
Asked if she has ever been in such a situation, she says, “Yes, I have been in such situations many times. But since I was alone, I didn’t react. Though I was so shaken, that I couldn’t sleep for days.”
Shilpa Agarwal, a blogger and a content-writer, has written about a couple of incidents where she along with one of her friends faced similar situations. Instead of just letting it go, they decided to retaliate every time; so much so that once they ended up chasing a middle-aged man on their two-wheeler, who had passed a vulgar comment as he drove off.
She says, “It is now time to fight back offenders. If he touches you once and you don’t say anything, he will touch you again and with renewed confidence this time. You need to give it back to him. Publicly humiliate him, embarrass him, so he knows girls are not going to take it lying low. And while you are at it, take his pictures too. That will surely scare him off.”
Dipesh Tank, who is heralding the War Against Railway Rowdies (WARR), agrees as he adds, “In my understanding, there are four states of mind of a rapist. First is when he makes women uncomfortable with his stares, second when he whistles and passes lewd comments, third when he has the audacity to actually touch them without any hesitation and fourth is when he actually rapes. Now I believe that changing attitude is a long-term process but in the meantime, it’s important to keep them in the first stage. If you stay quiet, you’ll allow him to step into the next level.”
WARR is a campaign to fight sexual harassment in local trains and platforms in Mumbai. Dipesh clicks pictures of offenders with an aim to use them as evidence in case any offender is caught. “If there’s an extreme instance, only then should that picture be published online for everyone to see. Many of the offenders are young and can be reformed. By publicly humiliating them by posting their pictures online leading to their family and friends boycotting them, we might do more harm than good. It should be done in extreme cases where they need to be punished harshly. For most of them, one night in the lockup with the police talking sense into them should be enough,” he concludes.