The sudden spurt in sexual harassment cases in Jawaharlal Nehru University has become a major cause of concern for students across India.
NEW DELHI: The sudden spurt in sexual harassment cases in Jawaharlal Nehru University has become a major cause of concern for students across India.
This was brought to light in the annual report of the University’s Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) on November 29. The report clearly showed that in comparison with previous years, instances of sexual harassment, “some of them involving serious gender conflict’’, has nearly doubled since last year.
During 2005-2006, the GSCASH dealt with 19 sexual harassment cases. Previously, an average of 10 cases used to be lodged with the body annually. The GSCASH was constituted in 1999 and was based on the guidelines of the Supreme Court ruling in the Vishaka case.
This year, there were complaints of domestic violence, stalking, blackmail and sexist representation of women in posters on campus. Three cases were even forwarded to GSCASH’s enquiry committee that later referred it to the university for stringent action.
Though the committee recommends counselling, reprimand or warning against offenders as general measures, they feel, at times, there should be a police complaint especially in cases of domestic violence.
“This has been a difficult year for us. First, the number of sleaze increased on campus and second, some of them were mainly done to gain political mileage,” said Sneha Sudha Komath, chairperson of GSCASH. Komath had compiled the report.
While instances of lewd gestures against faculty members have reportedly come down, incidents of stalking and violence in intimate relationships have taken a quantum leap.
The committee has also come up with a few points in the report. They have especially focused on the usage of neutral gender language in official communication. This they feel will help in making the administration more gender-sensitive and help ensure more security in hostels which witness larger cases of sexual harassment.
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