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A women's group fighting sexual harassment in Kanpur finds hundreds of supporters
Women in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, have initiated a novel mode of action to combat sexual harassment. The campaign, led by women’s organisations Mahila Manch and Sakhi Kendra, centres around Kali Group, a dedicated team of women trained to deal with the problem. The group, inspired by the goddess Kali -- a symbol of shakti (feminine power) that destroys evil -- lives up to its name. Explaining the motivation behind the campaign, Mahila Manch Director Neelam Chaturvedi says: “During 2005-06, we received many complaints of sexual harassment. Most victims were high school and college students. Although we handled the cases one by one, we realised that a concerted campaign was also needed.” Soma, an active member of Sakhi Kendra, adds: “The victims felt very angry and helpless. Many of the boys were just doing it for ‘time-pass’, while others were goondas (hoodlums). Often, older men were propositioning young schoolgirls and getting away scot-free.” Subhashini of Mahila Manch recalls: “We held a meeting in Garadiyapurva, a slum area, in September 2006. The women were upset because their daughters were being harassed on their way to school or college. They came up with the idea of forming a women’s team that goes around combating the menace. That’s how Kali Group came about. Kali, in her warrior aspect, brings retributive justice by vanquishing evil-doers.” Around 40 women, mostly activists and students, volunteered to join. By November 2006, Chaturvedi and other core activists trained the team on definitions and manifestations of sexual harassment, and what action to take. They arrived at a multi-pronged strategy. During one week of intensive campaigning, members of Kali Group would don black clothes and visit colleges providing strategic information. Kali Group launched its first public campaign in January 2007. The entire team of 40 women visited Johari Degree College, Johari Inter School, Sen Degree College and Sen Inter School, where they received an overwhelming response. Everywhere, students shared their problems and the team offered relevant advice. This helped the students feel more confident. In acute cases they were encouraged to get in touch with the group. The students explained how boys, even elderly men, would loiter on the approach roads specifically to harass them as they came and went from college. Small shopkeepers near the campus also complained about hangers-about teasing female students. One teashop owner said: “These hoodlums behave aggressively and try to ‘catch’ the young girls.” The owner of a grocery-store-cum-PCO even filed a police complaint but the police took no action. Instead, the gang of hoodlums vandalised his shop. Over a few days, Kali Group visited Brihaspati Mahavidyalaya and Mahila Mahavidyalaya where they spoke to students and heard a litany of impassioned complaints. The principal of Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Dr Asha Tripathi, was extremely supportive of the campaign. Following the discussion there, the Kali team proceeded to K K College accompanied all the way by 500 enthusiastic Mahila Mahavidyalaya students. A Kali Group member, Seema Tripathi, recalls: “It looked like a rally. We were a little scared since we had not taken police permission!” Meanwhile, news of Kali Group had spread. A few shopkeepers near K K College, who opposed the group’s activities, hatched a plan to sabotage the campaign. As members of the group left the college, a young hoodlum passed a lewd comment and began to walk away. A Kali Group member asked him to apologise. He kept walking away. So she caught him by the collar to detain him. A cameraman who had been hired quickly took a picture and, within hours, it was beamed across the city’s cable television network. The context of the harassment and obscenity was not presented; instead, the commentator described the incident as: “Women taking the law into their own hands.” Around 10-15 hoodlums announced that they had formed a Lal Sena (Red Brigade) and took out a rally against Kali Group. And the police filed cases against group activists for assault. Chaturvedi says: “Our lawyer advised me to take bail. But I did not do so. We had not assaulted anybody. We were teaching dialogue and persuasion as the way to handle sexual harassment cases. I was prepared to go to jail if I was arrested.” Four hundred local and regional organisations -- student unions, women’s groups, human rights organisations, a regional association of college principals, trades unions, etc, came together to voice their support for the Kali Group campaign against sexual harassment. People from various political parties, intellectuals and public-spirited individuals held a solidarity meeting. Within a few weeks, the police withdrew the cases. Chaturvedi explains: “We never visited the police station. They withdrew their charges probably realising they’d made a mistake!” Unwittingly, those who had tried to sabotage the campaign ended up helping it by dragging it into the wider public domain. “We kept up the campaign and received many complaints as well as reports of how students were handling the issue,” says Mehnaz of Sakhi Kendra. “The authorities were cooperative. Often, girls note the motorcycle or scooter number of a boy who harasses them. We approach the RTO (Regional Transport Office) and they trace the name and address of the vehicle owner. We ask the girls to go to the boy’s home and talk to his family, accompanied by someone from Kali Group. In mobile-telephone harassment cases, the girls have the perpetrator’s phone number. We call up and talk to him. If this proves ineffective we visit the boy’s family. Invariably, the parents are cooperative. Most cases are solved by these strategies. If not we encourage the victim to file a police complaint. Some cases have been solved; others are going on in court.” Kali Group continues holding interaction workshops in various parts of the city. It helps with approximately 1,200 cases of sexual harassment a year, through counselling and strategic intervention support. Students and activists from other parts of north India have requested Kali Group to intervene in their areas as well, but while the group cannot take on responsibility for extended areas, it is considering holding training workshops to help establish local anti-sexual harassment teams. Neelmani of Kali Group notes: “It is tough work, requiring mature and seasoned activists. It also calls for discipline, to handle situations firmly using dialogue and persuasion. We have a very strong collective understanding on this.” -- Deepti Priya Mehrotra (Deepti Priya Mehrotra is a Delhi-based writer) InfoChange News & Features, September 2008 |
