'Eve-teasing is a mechanism by which men assert power or dominance over women'

Despite stricter laws and stiff punishment in the aftermath of the 2012 Delhi gangrape case, incidents of eve-teasing and sexual harassment of women witness a steady rise, says a book putting the blame on the patriarchal society, commodification of women and lack of awareness about the law. Incidents of sexual harassment are spreading like an epidemic, says Deepa Awasthi, a freelance researcher and a social activist who has edited the book "Eve Teasing, a Social Epidemic", published by Kalpaz Publications. The book is a collection of research work by scholars, most of them women.

The problem of eve teasing should not be trivialised and reduced to a law-and-order problem as it can often escalate into violent crime like rape and murder, she says, adding it is a problem of patriarchal attitude. "This attitude needs to be countered at the very beginning and the fight against eve teasing in public spaces should begin in private spaces of home by instilling values of equality in both men and women," says Parvin Sultana, a professor of political science in Assam.

"From childhood, sons and daughters are brought up by completely different sets of rules. Women are made to feel vulnerable and the weaker sex. Eve teasing can be perceived as an outgrowth of the gender biased socialisation process and a mechanism by which men assert power and dominance over women," she says.

Although eve-teasing in rampant in India, only one in 10,000 cases is reported by victims. Even the conviction rate is dismally low, Sultana says. Moreover, eve teasing is often viewed as normal, romantic and moderate crime unlike rape or murder even by the authorities despite the fact that it violates a women's basic right to live with dignity, she argues. Used to suggest violence against women, the term 'eve teasing' itself is faulty because 'eve' represents temptress and the term actually signifies that eves tempt or provoke males for vulgar comments and behaviour, says Mehnaz Nazmi, a professor of political science.

One of the first lessons most adolescent girls are administered are always to dodge, not essentially fight the predatory male gaze, she says.

"Women being the temptress is the notion accepted by all. Even women follow the idea. One of the first lessons most adolescent girls are administered by mothers are ways to dodge, not essentially fight the predatory male gaze. The do's and don'ts are exhaustive and exhausting. Such mindsets and prejudices against women are to a larger extent responsible for the pathetic condition from which women suffer," Nazmi says.

According to the author, parents need to take the first positive step: build confidence in the girl child that she is trusted and that if a man misbehaves it is not her fault.

"Although they are targets of harassment elsewhere in the country, women of the north-eastern states back home enjoy greater mobility and visibility. Practices like dowry, bride burning are not common as socio economic status of women in the states is better in many of these matrilineal societies," says Sultana.

The Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013, enacted after the 2012 Delhi gangrape case contains much more strict provisions and severe punishment for crime against women especially eve-teasing, say Sandesh Yadav, a research scholar in Jamia Milia and Ayushi Choudhary of Gujarat National Law University.

They, however, feel that women were not aware of the provisions of the law and efforts should be made to spread awareness among men and women.