Sexual Violence is a global pandemic and not just an India issue. UN Women states that 1 in 3 women face some kind of sexual assault at least once in their lifetime. But in our experience, these statistics are grossly underreported especially in India where a rape occurs every 20 mins in India. Most of these incidents occur to girls before the age of sixteen.
Yet most women and girls do not talk about this abuse for a multiple of reasons - fear of society, culture, victim blaming, fear of police, tedious formal procedures etc. In fact, on a daily basis, they tend to ignore the various forms of sexual violence and harassment they are subjected to. They dismiss it as being too trivial or “normal” and believe they have to deal with it. Often, they are blamed for bringing it upon themselves. We have had several leaders insist that girls and women themselves are to be blamed for the way they behave or for being “too forward”.
As a result, women and girls keep silent and this data is not captured anywhere but the perpetrator gets bolder over time and we accept it as part of our daily routine. This leads to under communication and under-reporting of the issue. If there are poor official statistics, the problem is not visible and is not a true representation of the actual problem.
Therefore it is important to create safe spaces for reporting and addressing sexual violence in schools and colleges as this is absolutely necessary for girls to access the same opportunities as their male counterparts and be able to explore their potential. All too often, due to lack of safety, girls are restricted from venturing too far from home, are not allowed to continue with their education or take up a career thereby severely restricting their opportunities, mobility, and potential.
In order to create these safe spaces, some strategies school and college authorities can engage are:
It is necessary for all institutions especially educational ones, to be the front-runner in addressing sexual violence. This will enable not only a safe environment for girls to get an education but also go a long way in empowering them to take ownership of their own lives. The government’s focus on “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” should not be a mere slogan but a true empowerment tool.