Growing sexual harassment in educational institutions

A large percentage of women claim to be subjected to biases due to their gender and they face harassment on campuses and schools. However, many are hesitant to disclose instances to authorities as they are not taken seriously at times and even if they do fight back they are scared of the threat of reprisal and the psychological pressure they face from the society.

Harassment and assault can have long-term physical and emotional consequences. And when it comes to harassment in educational institutions it can create an unfriendly and hazardous environment for the victim which affects their learning capacity.

The second most common type of sexual harassment in colleges and schools is hostile-environment harassment. Unwelcomed sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other sexually related verbal, nonverbal, or physical behaviour by an employee, another student, or a third party are examples of hostile-environment harassment.

Inspector Raj Kumar Khadgi says, “Numbers of sexual harassment cases at campuses and schools have been reported by women. But there are few of the cases where men are the victims as well.”

“While talking to the opposite sex, you get to know their intensions from the way they behave. If they repeatedly keep on touching you while having a conversation and give you bad vibes, try to maintain a distance or tell them directly that you don’t like the way they’re touching you”, he suggests. At times when you ignore the bad vibes and do not stop them, it might encourage them to repeat the same thing again, he adds.

There are numbers of sexual harassments cases in universities and schools, not only by their classes mates but by the employees of the institutions. “There are many cases where a girl is harassed by her own professor or teacher. But sadly the cases are not only limited to students as employees are also harassed by their seniors or their colleagues as well”, he says.

“This reminds me of one of the latest sexual harassment cases that was reported against a guard of a college. In the report it says that the guard kept on touching the students while opening the gate which was unnecessary. One should always know the difference between good touch and bad touch”, he adds.

We can see many cases on sexual abuse, harassment, rape, and women violence increasing day by day and oftentimes, victims are blamed for the matter. Spreading awareness of such cases is one of the best ways to not only learn but also deal with the situations.

“Don’t try to hide if you’re being sexually harassed by your own family members, relatives, teachers, and professors, thinking of being shamed by the society. Go to your nearby police station and file the complaint. This is the best way to find justice,” says Khadgi.