[Reader-list] 'What Is Eve Teasing?' - Opinion Poll Results

[Chandni Parekh]

Hi Rakesh, Hi Kshmendra,

Whilst it is important to critically examine items of a survey to weed out
any flaws that may misrepresent the responses, I'm not particularly looking
at analysing the survey data or figuring out why A termed X eve teasing but
not Y. There may be several reasons why the respondents' marked their
responses the way they did, including perhaps seeing masturbation in a
public place (for example) as an inappropriate/obscene act but not
necessarily an attempt to engage in sexual harassment.

Feel free to analyse the findings of the survey or suggest how the survey
could be made less "idiotic" should you wish to.

Rakesh, I believe the factors that could be taken into account when
determining if a situation is harassment are whether someone has the freedom
to act, feels comfortable, and is in an equal situation of power.

What I have been more interested in is engaging in a dialogue with the
participants on issues related to eve teasing/street sexual harassment. So,
while I have used Blank Noise's 'What is eve teasing?' opinion poll to get
some idea of what the participants think constitutes eve teasing as well as
to get the conversation started, the focus of my workshop has been on:

- Offering a space to participants to share their experiences and opinions,
to ask questions, to feel empowered to take steps that might promote their
mental health...

In the session, we look at how society responds to eve teasing. What do some
parents, neighbours, media, et al say when sexual harassment occurs? ("Why
did she go out alone?" or "If she wears revealing clothes, she asks for
it.") Or to prevent it? ("Come back by 8." or "Don't get too friendly with
men.") How do they reinforce unhealthy attitudes that allow harassment? How
do those who have been abused deal with it? What are the other ways of
dealing with it?

By the way, two months ago I was on a panel that discussed eve teasing at an
event organised by mass media students in a college in Bombay. Another
panellist (a college professor and a BJP candidate in the recently held
Assembly elections) said to a female student, "What is more important? The
spaghetti strap dress or yourself?" A guy raised his hand and asked "Why
should women have to make so many adjustments?" A burqa-clad woman spoke
soon after. Said even though she wears a burqa she's experienced various
forms of eve teasing.

None of this is new, really. But apparently, talking about these issues has
helped. In different kinds of ways. Some were unintended.

Last year, I conducted a workshop on child sexual abuse and street sexual
harassment with a group of male and female students that did not get along
with each other (I learnt that later). Each group seemed to have stereotyped
the other leading to some hostility.

While watching clips of eve teasing (sourced from media), a male
participant, in a nearly choked voice, wondered "What kind of men do this
sort of thing? Do they get paid for it? How can they do this to women they
don't even know?"

One of the feedback forms from that session wrote:

"I used to think that all boys were insensitive but now I know I was wrong.
All boys are not like that."

I think I'm done for now. :)

- Chandni

PS: Murali, how would you like to "dwell on Adam teasing"? Would you like to
share your experiences of being Adam teased (if any)? Or your friends'?

PPS: To give you guys some context: I'm a social psychologist and I conduct
workshops (mostly) in schools on sexuality education and sexual abuse.