Bill urges jail for Delhi’s ‘eve-teasers’

Press, 4 May 1984, Page 6

Bill urges jail for Delhi’s ‘eve-teasers’

NZPA-AP New Delhi The New Delhi authorities are trying to make “eveteasing”—an Indian term for petty pinching, striking, and harassment of women—a crime punishable by seven to 15 days in jail. The Metropolitan Council passed the “Delhi Prohibition of Eve-Teasing Bill of 1984” this week. The bill, a recommendation that the police and courts take swift, stern action to bring eve-teasers to justice, must go to Parliament for endorsement before having any legal effect. The measure is the first of its kind, although women’s groups have clamoured for police action. They have formed self-de-fence squads and taken judo, karate, and hat-pins to protect themselves against maulers. , Some women were sceptical of the new measure. “But this just won’t work, nothing has worked, it’s ingrained in Indian men, young and old, and police just look the other way,” said Ann, aged 25, who says that she is bothered almost every time she rides in a crowded bus. Eve-teasing is worse in Delhi than anywhere else in India. The March Festival of Holi, the celebration of colours, is a field day for eve-teasers who take it as a licence to feel and throw coloured water on women. The bill defines eve-teas-

ing as, “when a man by words either spoken or written or by signs and gestures does any act in a public place or signs, recites or utters any indecent words or song or ballad in any public place to the annoyance of any woman." The bill recommends tbat a convicted offender be jailed for seven to 15 days and fined. A repeat offender would be jailed for 15 days to a month and fined. Critics say that the language of the bill is too broad, and suggest that the police could abuse their powers aginst eve-teasers. Since 1978 a by-law has required bus-drivers to take women who complain of eve-teasing—and everyone else in the bus—straight to a local police station and to turn over the culprit. It has seldom happened. Victims do not demand it. Bus-drivers will not do it. Other passengers protest. And the eve-teaser gets off at the next stop. The New Delhi police also created a special unit with telephone numbers for women to report abuse. But telephones often fail to work, few people have them, and by the time a woman calls, the eve-teas-ing is over. Women complained that the numbers were too difficult to remember and that the police who answered the telephones were more interested in filling out forms.