Four out of five Indian women in cities have faced Public harassment: Survey

If we were to ask you ladies if you have ever faced some or the other form of pubic harassment, we are guessing the answer would be a resounding yes. Little surprise then that the findings of UK based charity ActionAid confirms this fact. A research by the Orgainisation threw up data which suggests that about 80% women living in Indian cities have been publically harassed at least once in their lives.

The survey conducted posed the question to around 500 women from different Indian cities across the country and found out that a whopping 84percent had faced public harassment. The women who took part in the survey were aged between 25-35years. The various kinds of public harassments include staring, commenting, wolf-whistling, physical abuse like groping, twitching and touching etc.

“For us in India the findings are not big news, what is noteworthy of the 500 women interviewed in India, is the extent to which women have responded and reported boldly about facing harassment and violence. It is as if society is telling women that public spaces are not for them, and what is more interesting is that women are asserting their claim of these spaces," Sandeep Chachra, ActionAid India's executive director said to Reuters.

YouGov, a British Market Research firm started the survey as a web-based online one in early May. 502 women from metro cities like Delhi, Bombay, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai took part in it. And the most common places of harassment were found to be on the roads, at community events, inside college campuses and in public transport system.

About 65percent women confessed of being groped in public places while 50percent said that they have been followed in the streets. 46percent reported that they have been verbally abused publically which involves calling names and insults, 44 percent were whistled at and 16percent say that they have been drugged and disturbingly  nine percent say that they have been raped in public.

According to ActionAid officials it is the patriarchal mindset of men is largely responsible for them turning attackers. The effect of the harassment on the women is manifold, from them restricting their own movement and find their own self guilty for the crime that happened to them.

We all know the facts, and we all understand the dangers we face as women. The question is, do the men?

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Feature Image Credit: Wheels24