It is heartbreaking to see how our society is struggling with an increasing number of sexual assault cases against women. Doesn’t matter if she is a 3-month-old baby or 30-year-old mother or 66-year-old woman, she isn’t safe.
After Nirbhaya and Disha, many women are striving hard to find an answer to one simple question: Why Aren’t We Safe In Our Own Home, In Our Own Country?
In the light of authorities failing to protect women, some brave & courageous women have taken the responsibility on themselves. They are raising bold voices against sexual assault.
Like many of us, have you been shown lewd and inappropriate gestures by men in public spaces? If yes, then what did you do? Did you report them to make sure they learn their lesson or just ignored it like many of us?
One woman refused to ignore and we are celebrating her courage!
Recently, a popular activist who extensively works for the transgender community was sexually harassed inside the moving bus while she was sleeping.
This young woman refused to stay silent. Rather than being scared of shaming, this woman made sure the accuser is behind bars so that he never gathers the courage to do the same with any other woman again. She recorded the incident and shared the details on Facebook.
According to TNM, the woman took to Facebook to shame a man who was allegedly sexually harassing her inside a moving bus. The man was sitting next to her and allegedly harassed her while she was sleeping.
This shameful incident happened around 3 am when the bus was within the limits of Kottakkal police station in Malappuram district of Kerala.
After the incident, the courageous woman took to Facebook and posted a live video to share her experience and reveal the accused’s identity. In her video, she is heard saying:
“He noticed me when he entered the bus. There were some issues with the curtain, but the operators fixed it for me. I went to sleep after that.”
Sharing how she felt a hand rubbing her back, she mentioned:
“My t-shirt was a little loose. I first thought since I was in deep sleep, I might be dreaming. I opened my eyes and went back to sleep. But I soon realised that it was a hand rubbing my back. I immediately yanked his hand, got up and raised an alarm.”
She also shared how the man first feigned ignorance and pretended to be asleep. She turned on her phone and recorded the video to confront the man. On hearing the noise, the other passengers also woke up. She further added:
“When the driver decided to make the man deboard, I insisted that I want to go to the police station.”
Not only the bus was taken to the police station, but also the complaint was filed against him. Based on the complaint, police have taken the 23-year-old accused under custody and registered a case for making physical contact and advances involving explicit sexual overtures.
Meanwhile, the accused told police that it was a mistake and he was trying to move the curtains near the aisle.
As a society, we need to celebrate the courage of young women who are raising their voices to fight for their dignity. This woman’s brave spirit will manage to get one such offender off the streets, but how many more sex-deprived men like him are roaming free on the roads.
At IFORHER, we hope this story inspires many more to fight back the next time they are shown lewd and inappropriate gestures by men in public spaces!
