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| Sunday, 4 September 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Harassment against women... Breaking the silence Section 345 of the Penal Code amended in 1995 clearly highlights the physical, verbal and psychological abuse against women. If proved guilty, a five-year rigorous imprisonment is the punishment against such molesters. by Chamitha Kuruppu and Rikaza Hassan
Although she noticed the man leaning on her, passing 'funny signs', Kumari tried to ignore him. His decent looks and neatly ironed clothes made her think twice. But this time, she knew it was not a mistake. Kumari tried - made every attempt - but could not move even an inch away from the heartless man. "Poddak ehata wenawada? (Can you please move?)" she told the man. "Thamuse hithuwada asawata innawa kiyala. Mehema yanna amaru nam car ekak gannawa. (Do you think I am doing it for fun? If this is uncomfortable, why don't you go in a car?)" the man shot back. Stunned Kumari saw many staring faces, but none came to her rescue, not even the women. She broke down in tears and got off from the bus. Unfortunately, thousands of Sri Lankan females in all walks of life go through the same experience. Some speak for themselves just like Kumari did, but many do not react. But one thing is guaranteed, almost all women get the same response.
Public transportation and roads can be rated as the most common places of molesting women. According to the Bureau for the Prevention of Abuse of Children and Women, there were 743 such incidents reported in 2004. A total number of 272 complaints on molesting on trains, buses and roads have been reported during the last eight months. Section 345 of the Penal Code amended in 1995, clearly highlights the physical, verbal and psychological abuse against women. If proved guilty, such offenders can be sentenced upto five years of rigorous imprisonment. Unfortunately many women are unaware of their rights and the legal safeguards in regard to molestation. Since most incidents that take place on public transportation and on the streets are of a verbal form, many are reluctant to fight for their rights, regarding them to be trivial incidents. However, a very few go to the extent of taking legal measures against such molesters. This is mainly due to the social stigma and isolation attached to reporting such incidents. A common complaint made by most women is the ill-treatment by the Police. Not only do the police officers hesitate to take down their complaints, but most women are subject to humiliation at Police stations. Twenty-three-year-old Chamila Nadeeshani, a university student had to tolerate "all sorts of nonsense" daily, when passing a nearby three-wheeler stand. On her way to the university more than 15 three wheeler drivers greet her in the morning and evening, sing, whistle and comment about her attire and so on. Chamila tolerated all this for nearly three years until one day she realised that she should stand up for her rights. While they were making all those comments - amidst whistles and songs - Chamila stopped near the three wheeler stand and noted down all the three wheeler numbers. The men threatened her saying they will never let her step into the university but she was confident she could teach them a "good lesson." She confidently walked straight to the Police station. "What, you want to complain against someone just because he whistled, whom do you think you are?" shot back the police officer. 'Women these days'" was written on the face of many a police officer. He said that, "in a country where hundreds of women are raped, I have no case to make a complaint against." I tried to explain that whistling or verbal abuse were not trivial, and that those men could even physically harm me, but the police officer refused to take down the complaint," says Chamila. Chief of the Bureau for the Prevention of Abuse of Children and Women, ASP Sisil Perera claims however that all complaints made against molesting are immediately investigated. "There were 743 complaints made against molesting in buses and trains. We have inquired into all the complaints," says ASP Perera. "A common scenario in this type of complaint is that settlements most women reconcile to out of court." Although there is a five year rigorous imprisonment, not many molesters undergo such severe punishment due to this," she asserts. He further denied all allegations that the Police ill-treat women who wish to make a complaint against these aggressors. "We treat everyone equally and attend to all complaints without delay," says ASP Perera. According to Dilrukshi de Alwis, a legal officer of Women In Need (WIN) harassing women on public transportation and roads has become a common situation in the country, but only a very few go to the extent of making a police complaint or taking legal measures. "The reason is that many women are not aware of the legal aspect of molesting," feels Dilrukshi. She points out that due to social stigma, isolation and especially family pressure, many women are reluctant to pursue legal action."Women do not know that a whistle or an indecent comment too are counted as harassment," stresses Dilukshi. She says that Women In Need receives a number of such complaints daily. "Most complaints are of verbal abuse but we receive a number of physical harassment charges such as grabbing and brushing against too. The most pathetic fact is that most of these women think they are abused due to their own faults, such as provocative attire and so on,". Dressing in provocative attire, despite the common perception, cannot however be counted on as the reason for such offences. Rizana, a 19-year-old Muslim girl whose daily attire consists of the Islamic hijab, relates the amount of abuse that she has undergone having been a frequent traveller in public buses for the last couple of years. "There is no way that any one could call my dress revealing, as I'm nearly completely covered. However I have had to undergo all kinds of abuse, ranging from verbal to physical, such as touching and brushing against you." The men are of all ages from school boys to middle aged men to the much older, she further states in disgust. According to Dilrukshi, since the last couple of years many women have started taking counselling to overcome the psychological trauma following such incidents. "Counselling also provides a better means of coping with the associated trauma, as well as, helping women to handle such incidents better in future," emphasises Dilrukshi. However, she blamed the media for playing an irresponsible role by way of publishing and telecasting "seductive programs. Men watch and read these unwanted things and when they get a chance, they try to release all what they have been bottling up," she explains. The root cause of such perversion perhaps lies in the lack of respect towards the female form in this day and age. Further, the frequency of such incidents cannot be attributed to the few psychologically disturbed persons that inhabit the extreme of any society. It is only plausible that this is due to a sense of invulnerability that these offenders feel due of course to the lack of law enforcement. Women who are forced to traverse such non-institutionalised environments are subjected to all kinds of obscenities at the high hour, even in the midst of the public. The women most often do not receive any kind of help from those nearby, not even from members of their own sex, excepting of course wide-eyed stares. It is imperative that the educational, legal and law enforcing
authorities, women's organisations and religious sectors collaborate, if
this public menace to all female kind is ever to be put to an end. It is
indeed a most pitiful tragedy that the Sri Lankan woman must be forced to
undergo such indecency in a country which is said to revere the mother. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
Thirty-six-year-old Kumari Perera was already late for work. While
struggling to send her children to school, prepare their meals and clean the
house - Kumari, a single parent of three, made every attempt to be at work
on time. In a crowded bus, she was almost standing on one foot. Being the
innocent victim of an inhumane pervert was the last thing she could handle.
