The Woman In Me

Audio-Visual Rape

That is what I refer 'Eve teasing' as.

What does the oh-so civilised public refer to it as?

Eve teasing is a term originated in India as a synonym to sexual harassment. It's a euphemism used throughout South Asia for public sexual harassment or molestation (also known as street harassment).

Varied, creative forms & heinous tactics of Eve teasing -

There's no set line that defines what sexual assault is. The very word teasing kind of belies the actual scale of harassment it implies. A lewd stare, a sly whistle, a well- timed clap, an unwarranted bump, a seemingly casual touch, a lingering loom at a vulnerable moment, cheap gestures, the humming of a suggestive song, passing downright crude comments, bikes flying close with hands stretched to grope. The ways an eve teaser can harass a woman is surely endless!

What the heck it even means? It's meaningless actually..

The word "eve" alludes to the biblical story of Eve tempting Adam to stray from the path of righteousness. An Oxford English Dictionary definition for "teasing" is "to tempt someone sexually with no intention of satisfying the desire aroused". Both parts of the term put the blame on the woman, she is temptress who isn't providing something she has promised. The man is therefore fully within his rights to take it forcibly; or at least, his reactions are understandable.
Ironic, the term itself is connoted with ragged politics!

Carefully measured means of justifying this muckiness -

" Who do girls wear skirts for? Definitely for the entertainment of men and when these appreciations take a wrong turn, these are termed as teasing".

"One of the reasons behind the increase in incidents of eve-teasing is short dresses and shirt skirts worn by women. This in turn instigates men"

Headlines of a newspaper article, 'Skimpily Dressed Lady Get Raped'.

"Women should know how much skin they should cover".

" They shouldn't dress provocatively".

"Carefully dressed".

" Consciously".

Seriously?! What a RUBBISH!

I want to tell all this ministers, lawmakers, godmen and all those sick narrow minded retards who made such misogynous statements that; conservatively dressed womens who wear a Burqa (Veil) over their clothing, leaving only the eyes and feet visible are subjected to eve- teasing, sexual harassment and molestation.

Now what would you say dear women protectors?!

I, myself scribbling about the men's crassness have been a victim of eve- teasing multiple times. Covered in my veil from head to toe. There's only a little amount of skin exposed around my eyes, hands and feet to be seen. I feel a pair (it may be 'pairs' too) of eyes oggling at me as if I'm declared as the eighth Wonder of the World. When I apply Kajal (Kohl) or an Eye liner, don't even ask. I feel they'll bore into my eyes and examine me through their x-ray goggles. (Check out the media).

'You can wear a trench coat and be covered from head to toe in the depths of an Indian summer but a man with decent intentions will still try his best to ruin your day'
- By Nidhi Dutt from BBC.

'LITTLE RAPE'

This is another name I'll refer eve-teasing with. There is a fear that those sleazy and shady men might pounce on us to satiate their dirty urge. Their eyes constantly assessing from head to toe. We women instinctively know which ones are trouble. It's like we have an inbuilt antenna or perhaps it's something passed down genetically from one woman to another woman over years of oppression at the hands of men in a male dominated society.
Everytime a woman is being subjected to an uncouth behaviour. They end up feeling distressed, oppressed, used, wishing she was not born. Those moments become a part of their life, their body as something unpleasant, unacceptable and from a woman's perspective- unforgivable.

Not an apt conclusion -

'Your daughter needs to know she is part of a bigger story; a fight that has been fought on her behalf, long before she was born, and that she needs to keep fighting'
- By child psychologist Steve Biddulph in his book Raising Girls.

A/N - This got me emotionally charged. I'm dedicating this to a wonderful poetess @AdannaArt for her support on this book. Cheers!