Addressing Societal Stigmas around Sexual Harassment at Savita Tai’s Class

Our Youth Outreach Officer from Pune, Mona More conducted a workshop regarding Sexual Harassment for the students of Savita Tai’s Classes on October 11, 2019, in the Premnagar community.

Mona met Savita Tai during one of the home visits she conducts to spread awareness about Sexual Harassment in the local communities. During the home visit, Savita Tai had mentioned that sexual harassment is a problem in the community, but no one addresses it.

The session was attended by 10 students. The session commenced with a small introduction. Topics like safety and the importance of safety were discussed. Few girls complained of sexual harassment in the community. It came as a shock when one girl said that even girls are at fault for being harassed, as they should understand what kind of a community we live in, and what kind of clothes should be worn.

Later, the children were informed about the Safecity organization, POSH, and Safecity App. The children were encouraged to share their stories of sexual harassment. A troubling observation was that the girls held themselves back from speaking up about their experiences, because of the stigma and stereotypes that put the blame of sexual harassment on the victims.