Walking on Indian Streets as a Woman
I have some friends from Delhi at my work place and they openly admit that they have a problem but I just don't understand why. I just googled the population density of women and men in Delhi. There are 884 women per 1000 men. So there is not much lack of women. Then I thought it may be the overall population of Delhi and did a quick google search of Population density of kathmandu and Delhi. Shockingly kathmandu has higher popular density (~13K/sq km) compare to Delhi (~11K). I know for sure girls in ktm can walk freely (not 100%) but safely.
So can anyone tell me what would be root cause of this problem in Delhi?
As you rightly pointed out, male:female ratio could't be the main reason. Kathmandu is not a great place for women either, but I don't think it's as bad as in India. We've recently read more cases of female harassment in Kathmandu public transport.
IMO, main reasons could be
- public denial that the problem exists. Have you seen how many Indians come defending whenever there's bad news reports from India?
- Religious fanaticism. Religion shouldn't be the center of our society, at least power houses shouldn't involve religion. In our country, with the presence of communists at one extreme denying religions and at the other extreme, corrupted Kamal Thapa gangs, I'm afraid where our society is heading.
- Always blaming the victim, especially if it's a women or from the minority group.
- Public impunity. Violence against women are not taken seriously and police discouraging or refusing to register these crimes. Forget about the punishment.
- Men are always right.
- Harassing women is publicly acceptable. For example, I showed in other threads how some people in Nepali society think it is ok to discriminate dalits.
- Bad political influence. Did you read last week news of Home Minister and his PA misusing their power by keeping lovebirds (married couple) behind bars?
Is our society different?
Guys don't blame Indian guys. This is not as bad as you seen in NY street.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1XGPvbWn0A
IDK how to link the video
Thank you bluemoon for denying that the problem exists. Thank you for saying that we should tolerate this because it happens in other cultures/cities too. If you've time, I suggest you to watch the movie I posted and I hope it will help to see you beyond the mere differences of walking on the streets.
I am not exaggerating when i say that a few years ago when i used the buses to go to college, it used to baffle me how there was always atleast one arsehole in the bus- grinding against women, pinching them. The first time it happened , i was too shocked to react , too ashamed as if it was somehow my fault . Later , i started stomping on their feet- that always worked!
Why do these guys act the way they do? Perhaps because they feel they can- a sense of entitlement to everything or everyone they fancy. Perhaps because they feel they can get away with it - maybe they feel women will be too timid to protest.
Btw Dahan is one of my favourite movies by Rituparno Ghosh - a fearless filmmaker.highly recommend this movie
You're right. They think, they're entitled to.
When someone shows/talks about the problems? Why can't we accept that it is bad and the problem exist?
Bluemoon, can we say all these behaviors in the videos I and you posted are bad? Why do you think that we shouldn't blame indian guys in these videos because the guys in other cities did this too?
I am not supporting these guys, they should be punished or do something. The point I am trying to make is, it exist everywhere. The title of the thread is "girls in Indian street", which made me remind you guys that this exist in NY street too.
The guy who had filmed may have seen that video published in CNN. I am not surprised and I don't think this can be eliminated.
From the video in India, i just see men looking... nothing wrong with looking.. unless u are gay why wouldnt any guy check out some beautiful legs..
Denial and sense of entitlement are the best responses. There're other experimental videos where a handsome man also gets the looks while walking on the streets. I am not surprised knowing how the rapes and sexual harassment in public places are common in these areas. What suprises me is thinking that there's no problem and thus no need to seek for a solution.
Mojaboy, of course you will come to defend when you even dare to defend in another case when Miss USA Nepal was being harassed online. You don't have to prove your "Straightness" by staring the naked legs.
BBC documentary of the experience of a british Indian girl.
http://tune.pk/video/115105/india-a-dangerous-place-to-be-a-woman-bbc-documentary-2013
They even dared to harass the reporter on the road.
https://youtu.be/GtVhbGOZkm0
How about the Kathmandu City? Are we applying we are more civilized than India?
Just curious ?
magorkhe1, Yes Kathmandu has these problems too. I think main problem here is we are constantly denying the fact that there is a problem or just taking it less serious issue until something big happens like Delhi Rape case.
As someone said "Admitting you have a problem is the first step in fixing the problem"
Just a thought, how would it be if the situation was reversed, a guy walking down the street and chicks making remarks. Would you guys feel great about it?
I once asked one of my exes about guys making remarks like hey xy or you look hot,,Her reply was that most of them would feel flattered although they make act like they are unhappy about it and if they are in a group a girl that actually gets ignored by guys (while others in the same group are likely to get those remarks ) is likely to feel a little jealous of the others.
I guess, after all, why would a girl dress up and try to look hot if it was not to catch others' attention?
Forcing someone physically is a different thing although.
Gwach, everyone likes to be appreciated to the point. There's a difference between looking and "STARING". Do you think it's just passing the look or STARE? Are you trying to say that the solution is to retaliate by doing the same thing to the opposite sex? Do you think that in India or Nepal, it's just the glances that occur to the opposite sex? Are your Ex 'Indian' or 'Nepali' who has experienced or seen the situation in Nepal? Is groping in public transportation considered 'Physical Forcing'?
In the following video, most of Indian audience disagree that India is not a good place for women. But after watching a discussion, how the audience change their opinion at the end. Some can be headstrong too and one of the IITian think women's place is at home.
In today's sajha sawal, I think BalKrishna Neupane was pathetic, chauvinistic, and very sexist. Any different opinion?
Meanwhile in Nepal..
http://setopati.com/blog/22728/
A bus full of people, traffic police, #103, and a police station complaint.. And nothing happens!
I understand we are talking about India here, but things are not much better in Nepal.
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