Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Young woman in India commits suicide because of harassers

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This is tragic.

Deeksha Sharma, a 21-year-old student at Mahatma Gandhi College in India committed suicide this week. In the suicide note, she said it was because of the constant sexual harassment she faced by four men near her college. She’d complained about them across several years. It wasn’t completely clear from the article, but I gather nothing was done to stop them or help her.

Via Times of India:

“We have arrested all the four accused. We are investigating their role to find if they could also be implicated for outraging the modesty of the girl,” said Satyaveer Singh, superintendent of police.

Sadly, the belated actions of the police won’t help this young woman. But maybe they will prevent other young women from facing harassment by these young men. So that’s something.

Rest in peace, Deeksha Sharma.

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Eve Teasing Protection Day

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In Bangladesh, the number of young women taking their own lives to avoid harassment has prompted the education ministry to declare tomorrow (Sunday, June 13) “Eve Teasing Protection Day.”

“Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said female students and female teachers are at present not safe on streets or in schools.

‘That is no exaggeration. In some places, schools have been shut down and exams delayed because of the problems caused by Eve teasing stalkers.

“Those who are teased do not like to go to school and sometimes guardians do not allow them to go to school for their safety and honour. So the drop-out rate of female students in many schools is increasing,’ Mr Nahid said.

‘Another negative manifestation of the problem is the tendency of parents to push underage daughters into early marriages so that they can escape Eve teasing. Parents think that if their daughter has a husband, they will be saved from the dangers.

‘It has become a vicious cycle.”

To learn more, you can read a BBC article about the problem of suicides and harassment in Bangladesh. Here’s info on eve teasing and you can read about the problem in India via Blank Noise. I’m in a hurry and couldn’t quickly find info about what actually is happening tomorrow for this day, so please share in the comments if you come across anything.

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Bangladesh Suicide Prompted by Harassment

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Ugh, so sad 🙁 The New Nation is reporting that a young woman in Khulna, Bangladesh, hanged herself due to her humiliation at being street harassed (or eve teased). The accused man has been arrested. I am so sorry this young women is dead. Horrible.

Of the problem in general, the author of the article writes, “The problem is very widespread. School and college girls and female garment workers top the list of victims. Eve teasing contributes to dropouts of girls from schools or early marriage.”

These are some of the issues I cover in my forthcoming street harassment book: how young women and poor women are the most vulnerable to street harassment — because they are in public alone more often and because street harassment is about power and they are generally less powerful than other women or men and thus easier “prey” — and that harassment can keep women from living free, authentic lives. There will be no gender equality anywhere in the world until this problem ends.

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