Stop the harassment!

Being a part of a patriarchal society brings with it tough challenges for women on a day-to-day basis. They are destined to face many different types of issues and undergo all sorts of human rights violations -from rapes to honour killings, and from gender discrimination to domestic violence -women in Pakistan witness it all. Although the aforementioned issues exist in many societies of the world, the scenario in traditional societies, such as Pakistan, is particularly grim because most of these issues go unaddressed. One such grave problem that women in Pakistan, who leave their homes for various purposes, face is of Street Harassment - a serious crime which is not even recognised as a real problem by the society.

By definition, “Street Harassment is a form of sexual harassment consisting of undesirable comments, wolf-whistles, ‘catcalling’, and other actions, including unwanted physical contact, initiated by strangers in public settings” - Stop Street Harassment (SSH)

According to Nabiha Meher Shaikh, renowned Pakistani women’s rights activist and feminist, “Street Harassment falls under the category of Violence Against Women (VAW). When it comes to Street Harassment, men feel threatened by female presence because the public space is presumed to be theirs. Women are too scared to speak up because they fear violence and victim blaming. When a woman is harassed on the streets, bystanders don’t do much because most of them simply enjoy watching the show and laughing at the women being harassed. Some don’t do anything out of the fear of getting beaten up by the harassers. Generally speaking, however, people don’t come for help because Street Harassment is not even considered a problem to begin with.”

Most of the times, when a woman is harassed on the streets, she is blamed for being inappropriately dressed. In reality, however, women who don a burqa are not spared either. In fact, sometimes, the burqa-clad ladies have to go through the worst.

“Back in the university, I used to travel by public transport and had to stand at the bus stop on a daily basis. Almost every day, I got to hear distasteful remarks from passersby. When I discussed it with my female friends and the women in my family, they suggested that I started wearing a burqa in order to save myself. So upon everyone’s suggestion, I started wearing a hijab but that didn’t stop the perpetrators even one bit. Even after fully covering myself up, men, mostly middle-aged ones, stopped their cars for me and gestured me to sit in their cars,” says Javeria, a postgraduate student from The Jinnah University for Women (JUW), Karachi.

Likewise, instead of blaming men for their offensive demeanour, women are often blamed for ‘behaving inappropriately in public to attract undue attention’.

Mahnoor, a 24-year old banking professional says, “I am a very jolly person by nature, and oftentimes, I am cracking jokes with my friends or laughing out loudly upon hearing their jokes. Sometimes, I unknowingly become oblivious to my surroundings and continue with my loud laughter even in public. A few days back, I was shopping for Eid clothes with my female friends at Tariq Road and I was laughing over something when a man came from behind and groped me. I was momentarily paralysed due to shock and anger but I couldn’t do anything about it. Later on, my friends suggested me that I should behave like a lady in public and never smile or laugh as men consider it a green signal to proceed in whatever way they want.”

The most problematic aspect of Street Harassment in Pakistan is the society’s inherent attitude of shushing women up instead of condemning the man’s misconduct. What is more, the phenomenon is prevalent in all socio-economic classes of the society.

Maryam Amjad, manager at Chayn Pakistan -an organisation responsible for spreading information and awareness about Violence against Women (VAW), explains, “Street Harassment is an ugly part of a woman’s life who dares to step outside and live a mobile life in Pakistan, irrespective of the socio-economic background or context. No consequences for the aggressors and the general ‘oh what can you do’ attitude means women are either always chaperoned by the men in the family or have to deal with a barrage of lewd comments, groping, catcalling, whistling and shockingly high instances of stalking.”

Sometimes, the offense gets extremely violent but there is noting a woman can do about it. Most women are of the view that if they try to fix the situation themselves or call for help, they are actually creating a scene for no reason. Sadly, some people, including women themselves, condemn it when a woman tries to raise her voice against Street Harassment. Even when the offense is unbearably ugly, the victim is often termed ‘an attention seeker’ instead of objurgating the perpetrator’s act. In this manner, the society becomes more and more conducive to VAW.

“Once I was going somewhere in a rickshaw with my female colleagues. As the rickshaw stopped at the signal, a man in his mid-thirties speedily crossed the road and, on his way, he literally punched me in the thigh and ran away. I was shell-shocked when this happened to me. Not only the pain I felt in my leg was excruciating, the sense of anger and helplessness left me in a state of depression. In fact, for a long time, I kept thinking that it happened to me because I wore tights. Had I not worn it, it might have not happened. But I think this is not the case. Once a woman’s out on the streets, she becomes inevitably vulnerable,” says Anila*, a teacher by profession.

The most disturbing part about Street Harassment in Pakistan is that when the victim is being harassed, no one comes for help. In this regard, both men and women are to blame because whenever such incidents take place in a public setting, people do not want to intervene.

Marzia*, a 26-year-old woman, working in an advertising agency, shares the horrific experience that she had to face on the streets of Karachi. “I was going for an interview at Shahrah-e-Faisal, dressed in a kurti with tights and a stole wrapped around my neck but my head was uncovered. As I walked by a paan stall, two guys riding on a bike saw me and started following me. First, I heard them whistling and singing cheap songs but then things got out of control. They brought their bike really close to me, and tried to grope me as they passed. Panicked, I stepped backward to avoid them, but they reached out, and their bike’s handlebar got stuck in the strap of my shoulder bag. I literally got dragged with their bike all the way across the road, until they lost control of the vehicle. I was bleeding, and these guys started shouting at me for ‘not watching my steps and being careless on the road’. I was extremely disturbed but since it created a scene, I just took a rickshaw and fled from there. I didn’t even have the physical strength to fight. The thing that bothered me the most about this incident is that there were so many men standing on the street to witness the entire episode but no one came to help. Not a single person! Instead I heard people saying, ‘Dekh ke chala karein na, yeh sarak hai, apka ghar nahi’ (please watch out when you’re walking on the road, it’s a street, not your home.”

The general attitude of the society towards Street Harassment is also psychologically damaging for the victim as they consider themselves to be at fault when they are victimised. The experiences leave a deep impact on the victim’s mental health.

Samina*, a resident of Clifton, Karachi narrates, “The only reason I stopped going to the famous DHA Sunday Bazaar was because of Street Harassment. I have been groped or pinched twice over there. I wanted to yell and scream but at whom would I yell? I have been traumatised so much by the experiences that every time I stand in a crowded place, walk down the aisle of a bazaar, or go for groceries, I feel as if someone has pinched my backside. And when I turn around, there is no one. It’s really degrading and frustrating. But at the end of the day, you know that it’s a man’s world, so you have to observe silence.”

As for the men’s stance on Street Harassment, ‘most’ men in Pakistan do not even consider it to be a crime at all as the society has conditioned men into believing that any woman who dares to step out of the house without a male must be ready to face all sorts of harassment.

“I condemn the practice of eve teasing as I too have sisters but I think men cannot be blamed for everything because when girls know that they’re unsafe on the streets, why do they have to go out unaided?  I think the only solution to this problem is that women should always go out with a male member in order to stay safe,” says Wajid Ali, a Chartered Accountant by profession.

As for the anti-harassment laws in Pakistan, a Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill was passed in 2010 to provide a safe workplace environment for women but the Government is yet to pass a law which could protect women against Street Harassment. This can only be done when Street Harassment would actually be considered a crime to be curbed from the society.

*Names have been changed to retain privacy