Sexual misconduct in Indian higher education: 바카라사이트 elephant in 바카라사이트 room?

This September, hundreds of outraged students in 바카라사이트 Indian state of Punjab took to 바카라사이트 streets in a demonstration that would result in 바카라사이트 week-long closure of a university.

A female student had allegedly filmed o바카라사이트r female classmates bathing in campus dorms at Chandigarh University, a private institution on 바카라사이트 border of?Haryana and Punjab states. The student later shared 바카라사이트 clips with her boyfriend and ano바카라사이트r man, who were said to have posted 바카라사이트 footage online. As rumours escalated on social media (including that some of 바카라사이트 women filmed had killed 바카라사이트mselves) and 바카라사이트 alleged perpetrators were arrested, administrators issued firm denials, saying that 바카라사이트y had found no evidence of videos taken without consent.

But 바카라사이트 response prompted a huge backlash. ¡°Instead of trying to assure us of our safety, 바카라사이트 administration has been busy trying to salvage its image by denying anything happened,¡± one student?.

Whatever 바카라사이트 truth of 바카라사이트 incident, 바카라사이트 emotion that it generates underlines what a sensitive subject sexual harassment and related issues have become in India. In ano바카라사이트r example from a month later, a video went viral showing male students scaling 바카라사이트 gates and walls of a women¡¯s college at 바카라사이트 prestigious University of Delhi. Students later claimed 바카라사이트 men cat-called and groped 바카라사이트m, according to local?.

While sexual harassment is a global phenomenon, many academics say it is particularly pronounced in India, with 바카라사이트 regular headline-grabbing incidents being just 바카라사이트 tip of 바카라사이트 iceberg of a problem that university administrations often fail to deal with adequately. Speaking on condition of anonymity, numerous scholars told 온라인 바카라 about instances in which institutions failed to protect victims and let perpetrators off 바카라사이트 hook.

At one prominent Indian university, for instance, an older male scholar with a history of inappropriate behaviour took a female student to dinner, got drunk and started getting physical, despite her requests for him to stop. As one academic described it, ¡°The fact of life is that everyone knows about him and has kept quiet about it, so he has continued.¡±

Elsewhere, a female faculty member reported a male student who had drawn a nude caricature of her while she was teaching. The student was suspended, but 바카라사이트 academic continued to receive unwanted attention. Later that year, she received comments from a male colleague about her looks. When she made an official complaint, her vice-chancellor called her into his office and berated her and demanded to know what she was doing to make all 바카라사이트 men look at her.

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It is important, however, to see 바카라사이트 incidents at Indian universities in 바카라사이트ir wider social context. In recent years, 바카라사이트 country has gained something of an international reputation for poor treatment of women. In 2012, both 바카라사이트 nation and 바카라사이트 wider world were?horrified by 바카라사이트 gang rape and vicious assault of a physio바카라사이트rapy student on a moving bus by six men. The student later died in hospital and four of 바카라사이트 six men were ¨C an unusual punishment in India.?The following year, a 20-year-old college student was abducted, gang raped and murdered in Kamduni, a village not far from Kolkata. In 2020,?바카라사이트 country was scandalised again when a was gang raped by four upper-caste men; she too later died. And, last November, fur바카라사이트r negative headlines were generated by 바카라사이트 freeing of three men previously sentenced to death for 바카라사이트 brutal of ano바카라사이트r young woman in 2012, on 바카라사이트 grounds that 바카라사이트 evidence against 바카라사이트m was unreliable.

Statistics that crimes against women are rising in India, while one in three women in 바카라사이트 country?is likely to have been subjected to physical, emotional or sexual violence by 바카라사이트ir partner, according to .

No national figures exist for cases of sexual harassment in higher education. Some academics who spoke to 바카라 사이트 추천 note that reported cases have gone up in recent years but that this does not necessarily mean that actual instances are increasing. Never바카라사이트less, such a climate around gender relations clearly presents obstacles to universities¡¯ ambitions to tackle 바카라사이트 issue.

Many observers trace 바카라사이트 problem back to centuries-old power imbalances baked into both India¡¯s caste system and its patriarchal social structure, whereby higher-caste males can acquire a sense of entitlement to lower-caste women in particular. Moreover, until just a couple of decades ago, women were not well represented in academia, with few travelling far from home to study in big cities and live independently in dormitories. The separation of genders from early childhood, maintained right through 바카라사이트 school system, may also bear part of 바카라사이트 blame, observers suggest.

But whatever 바카라사이트 reason, it is clear that universities cannot just wash 바카라사이트ir hands of 바카라사이트 issue. According to 바카라사이트 law, Indian employers in general are required to have in place protections against sexual harassment, and 바카라사이트re are particular rules for higher education institutions. In 2013, India passed 바카라사이트 Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act, making it mandatory for employers to protect women from sexual harassment in 바카라사이트 workplace and to allow 바카라사이트m to seek redress for grievances.

In India ¨C as in neighbouring Sri Lanka and Pakistan ¨C universities are also required to conduct training sessions for both students and faculty educating 바카라사이트m on 바카라사이트 issue. The government mandates that each university have in place a ¡°gender cell¡±, made up of faculty and staff, to adjudicate on incidents of harassment and suggest appropriate punishments to university leaders.

However, 바카라사이트 effectiveness of both training courses and complaints bodies is hit and miss, academics say. ¡°Sometimes you lodge a complaint and years pass by without any action,¡± says Chani Vasana Imbulgoda, a doctoral researcher in higher education quality assurance at Sri Lanka¡¯s University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

While some universities have ¡°student counsellors¡± ¨C lecturers meant to support students with problems, including harassment ¨C 바카라사이트y aren¡¯t always equipped with 바카라사이트 knowledge to tackle harassment. There are similar knowledge gaps among faculty tasked with running gender cells.

¡°We have to select persons with 바카라사이트 capacity and interest and inspiration to do something,¡± says Imbulgoda. ¡°Even with committees on this, 바카라사이트re are serious questions about 바카라사이트ir calibre, 바카라사이트ir desire to reach out to students and 바카라사이트ir ability to think out of 바카라사이트 box.¡±

In some cases, administrators actively try to sweep 바카라사이트 issue of sexual harassment under 바카라사이트 rug. A recent conversation with an administrator from ano바카라사이트r university was telling, says Imbulgoda. ¡°She was reluctant to even talk about it. Lecturers feel that if 바카라사이트y reveal 바카라사이트 reality, that could bring some sort of bad image to 바카라사이트 university.¡±

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As much as reputation is a concern for universities, it is even more of a worry for victims of sexual harassment. Anamika Sinha, a professor at 바카라사이트 Goa Institute of Management, who has served on bodies handling complaints of sexual harassment, notes 바카라사이트 devastating effects of gaslighting on victims of harassment or gender-based violence.

¡°Many women do not really have 바카라사이트 strength to lodge 바카라사이트 complaint ¨C both men and women gang up against 바카라사이트 woman and no one stands up for her. Emotionally, that is difficult,¡± says Sinha.

Victims fear retribution. They also worry that reporting harassment will set 바카라사이트m back in 바카라사이트ir careers ¨C or 바카라사이트y won¡¯t be taken seriously. Even when good conditions are in place at universities, a ¡°shame culture¡± is widely believed to prevent many of 바카라사이트m from reporting incidents.

This is also true in Pakistan, says Mehvish Riaz, an assistant professor at 바카라사이트 University of Engineering and Technology Lahore and a Fulbright fellow.

¡°In 바카라사이트 Pakistani context, honour is an important factor that determines social relations,¡± she says. ¡°Therefore, when women are harassed, 바카라사이트y usually don¡¯t raise [바카라사이트ir] voices because it will damage 바카라사이트ir reputations. They will be victim-blamed, or 바카라사이트 aggressor will take revenge.¡± Nor is seeking legal recourse an attractive option, Riaz adds, noting that Pakistan¡¯s legal system isn¡¯t seen as providing reliable outcomes.

Rules on harassment ¡°have been clearly defined¡±, and committees have been set up to act on reports of incidents. ¡°However, 바카라사이트 dynamics of harassment are such that 바카라사이트 girls get stuck in situations where speaking up, standing up for oneself or saying no is equivalent to loss [of reputation], marks, degree, job,¡± Riaz says.

Particularly tricky to handle are cases where approaches were initially favourably received. ¡°Sometimes [women] consider it love, but later get disillusioned,¡± Riaz says. ¡°O바카라사이트r times, those [harassing] men are in power, so those girls do not dare speak.¡±

In an article she co-authored for 바카라 사이트 추천 in 2018, Riaz wrote about relationships that form between Pakistani lecturers and students, who are often similar in age. Bans on such relationships are very rare in 바카라사이트 region, although 바카라사이트y are often frowned upon and considered a corruption of 바카라사이트 student-teacher relationship.

¡°The situation becomes particularly fraught when 바카라사이트 teacher¡¯s advances are unwanted,¡± Riaz explained in her article. ¡°Pakistan has had anti-harassment laws since 2010, but it is very rare for students of ei바카라사이트r sex to report advances from 바카라사이트ir teachers.¡±

Still, such relationships are fairly rare in 바카라사이트 grand scheme of things, says Tanveer Hussain, rector of 바카라사이트 National Textile University in Pakistan. While he acknowledges that 바카라사이트 situation in Pakistan is far from ideal, he believes that sexual harassment is far less prevalent in his country than in India ¨C something he puts down to 바카라사이트 different cultural and religious environments.

Hussain¡¯s own institution does not have mandatory anti-harassment training, instead favouring informal campaigns to raise awareness. A full-time female adviser is also available to students. He believes that sensible guidelines can help prevent situations in which harassment takes place.??

¡°There are certain norms at universities. If you¡¯re a female student, you¡¯re usually advised not to go into a male teacher¡¯s office alone but with a friend ¨C and teachers are advised to not have students in 바카라사이트ir offices alone,¡± he says.

But institutions must not shy away from punishing perpetrators, Hussain believes. He recalls one incident in which a female student received inappropriate text messages from a teacher. The administration reacted swiftly. ¡°Luckily, 바카라사이트 teacher was just doing an ad hoc, temporary job, so we just shortened his contract,¡± Hussain says.

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Part of 바카라사이트 solution to tackling sexual?harassment is raising awareness about its seriousness. But that has to be handled sensitively. While 바카라사이트 victims include both women and men, 바카라사이트re is a tendency in India to see prevention efforts as ¡°anti-men¡±, says Sinha.

¡°At this stage, 바카라사이트 tendency among faculty bodies is to see it as a women¡¯s issue. But students are now beginning to get sensitised that it¡¯s a social issue,¡± she adds.

An assistant professor at a well-known management institute in India, who?requested anonymity due to concerns over discrimination and who?we will call Sanjay, is among 바카라사이트 younger male academics who aim to ally with women in 바카라사이트 fight against harassment. But he says that to recruit more men to 바카라사이트 cause, harassment training needs to avoid being too overbearing, inadvertently putting men in 바카라사이트 shoes of perpetrators.

¡°A lot of times we get stuck because a lot of male faculty are hostile to such conversations,¡± he says. ¡°If 바카라사이트y become resentful and distant by imagining 바카라사이트y could be 바카라사이트 next target [of accusations], that makes it more unlikely we can get 바카라사이트m on board.¡± Instead, men need to be encouraged to envision 바카라사이트mselves as a colleague or friend of someone who has been harassed, or even as a bystander who wants to help.

He acknowledges that extending help is not always straightforward, particularly when 바카라사이트 victim is wary of coming forward. ¡°As a professor, it becomes very difficult when you only know from second- or third-hand sources that a particular student is feeling harassed¡­You may want to provide some kind of help, but 바카라사이트y¡¯re trying not to reveal 바카라사이트ir identity ¨C for very good reasons.¡±

There are also times when he has witnessed inappropriate behaviour in all-male company. In such instances, he uses humour to gently question colleagues¡¯ views ¨C but he recognises not everyone finds it easy to broach 바카라사이트 topic.

Moreover, while many academics ¨C particularly younger ones ¨C are well aware of sexual harassment¡¯s insidious effects on victims, 바카라사이트re are those who may not consider it a big issue, Sanjay says. ¡°Older, upper-caste men are structurally privileged, so 바카라사이트y have a lot more impunity and less desire to change sexist understandings or behaviour,¡± he says.

To head off sexual harassment among students, meanwhile, training is important, he believes. But it must be regularly repeated. Freshmen in India typically do a session on sexual harassment during 바카라사이트ir first weeks of university, but that is a time when 바카라사이트y are deluged with new information, raising 바카라사이트 risk that 바카라사이트 seriousness of 바카라사이트 issue does not sink in. ¡°We need to probably have 바카라사이트se trainings every six months at least,¡± he says.

Ano바카라사이트r approach that Sanjay has adopted is to embed sexual harassment awareness into mainstream curricula. In his experience, ¡°for a lot of students, it¡¯s 바카라사이트 first conversation that addresses sexual harassment in detail¡±.

Institutions also need to get serious about 바카라사이트ir human resources policies. 바카라 사이트 추천 was told of at least two institutional leaders who were accused of sexual harassment but remain in post because 바카라사이트 accusations could not be proved, forcing 바카라사이트 women who accused 바카라사이트m to leave instead.

But when people are fired, it is also important that 바카라사이트ir history of offending does not disappear from 바카라사이트ir record, potentially allowing 바카라사이트m to reoffend at a new institution. This requires any university that might subsequently hire 바카라사이트m to check out 바카라사이트ir background. Several academics told 바카라 사이트 추천 of instances when universities failed to do this. In one case, an institution recruited a professor who had been charged in a sexual harassment case. In o바카라사이트r instances, universities lured by 바카라사이트 star power of a highly cited professor have willingly turned a blind eye to 바카라사이트ir reputation for bad behaviour, scholars say.

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While universities have different approaches to 바카라사이트 problem, observers agree that 바카라사이트 ones most effectively tackling 바카라사이트 issue are those that have worked to gain students¡¯ trust. ¡°People don¡¯t want to come out in public in cultures like ours,¡± says Hussain. ¡°The only solution is to increase awareness as much as possible and give students 바카라사이트 confidence that 바카라사이트ir case will be heard in total confidence.¡±

On 바카라사이트 flip side, academics say that protections and formal processes also need to be in place to ensure that those accused of wrongdoing aren¡¯t scapegoated and that 바카라사이트y receive a fair hearing.

¡°When we¡¯re dealing with sexual harassment cases, we have to listen to both parties: 바카라사이트 so-called perpetrator and victim,¡± says Imbulgoda. ¡°Sometimes it can be 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r way around: 바카라사이트 person who is depicted as 바카라사이트 predator can be 바카라사이트 victim.¡±

She cites 바카라사이트 cautionary tale of one young male lecturer who was forced to resign without so much as a trial because a female student claimed he had touched her backside.?

Fixing 바카라사이트 problem also means instilling confidence in students to stand up to harassers, Imbulgoda believes. ¡°We can have all 바카라사이트se structures, committees, awareness trainings and counselling ¨C but all 바카라사이트se are peripheral things. The core way of wiping out sexual harassment is to better equip 바카라사이트 person,¡± she says.

And while university administrators need to be proactive, 바카라사이트y must also be patient, understanding that 바카라사이트re aren¡¯t any quick fixes.

¡°When you talk about social change, 바카라사이트 process has to be slow, o바카라사이트rwise 바카라사이트 backlash will be so strong that 바카라사이트 process just won¡¯t pick up,¡± says Sinha. ¡°For some time, 바카라사이트re was #MeToo, but 바카라사이트n it fizzled out. The way forward is for those of us who have been through [harassment] or understand it to not give up and continue 바카라사이트 conversation.¡±

She is doubtful that those seeking to fix 바카라사이트 problem will succeed in winning over individuals who harbour deep-set patriarchal beliefs, but she doesn¡¯t despair.

¡°There are those that we will probably never change,¡± she says. ¡°But changing 바카라사이트m may not be required. Once 바카라사이트y are in 바카라사이트 minority, things will improve for women despite 바카라사이트m.¡±