Zeshan Nabi
Sexual harassment in academia occurs in various ways, including sexual remarks, inappropriate touches, emotional abuse, and intimidation. One of the most alarming aspects of sexual harassment is the gross misuse of power. People in positions of authority often use the opportunity to force students into providing sexual services in exchange for good grades or other forms of academic help.
Schools, colleges, and universities are places of learning and self-improvement where people discover themselves as well as learn from books. Furthermore, the educational institution plays a critical role in developing a moral and ethical framework for an individual’s life and makes him understand his civic responsibility. This process presupposes a relationship of trust and cooperation between a teacher and a student.
Traditionally, teachers were perceived as guides who not only taught their students the basic principles of literacy but also acted as mentors and spiritual fathers of the latter. Nowadays, the idyllic picture of relations in a classroom is being destroyed by the reality of sexual harassment in educational institutions.
Sexual harassment is becoming one of the major problems for Kashmir’s educational institutions, where numerous sexual harassment cases occur. A few cases are reported in newspapers and generate public discussions, but the problem is much bigger than it seems to be at first glance. Sexual harassment in the educational environment is not a recent phenomenon and definitely not a separate event but a problem that results from the existing gender inequalities in society.
One of the main challenges involved in tackling this problem is the huge culture of silence around it. The majority of victims choose to be silent due to fears of social stigmatization, defamation, and negative repercussions from their respective communities.
There are significant social ramifications attached to speaking up. Often, the behaviour of the victim is heavily criticized while that of the perpetrator goes relatively unnoticed. Victims are made to remain silent by their families to avoid embarrassment and preserve family honour. This response demonstrates the patriarchal tendency to prefer image over supporting the victim.
The failure of institutions further worsens the current situation. Despite the presence of policies and guidelines against sexual harassment and violence, there are no practical steps to ensure that such policies are enforced properly. Many institutions fail to establish proper processes through which complaints can be made.
In addition, some institutions make efforts to cover up cases in order to save their image rather than safeguarding the interests of their students. In such an environment, it is very difficult to get any concrete action in place.
Sexual harassment in academia occurs in various ways, including sexual remarks, inappropriate touches, emotional abuse, and intimidation. One of the most alarming aspects of sexual harassment is the gross misuse of power. People in positions of authority often use the opportunity to force students into providing sexual services in exchange for good grades or other forms of academic help. This type of behaviour is not personal misconduct; it is a complete breach of ethics that should govern teaching activities. By using such power, places of learning cease to be empowering sites and become places of abuse.
The consequences that the victims have to suffer are severe and prolonged. Apart from causing emotional distress to the victim, harassment can trigger anxiety disorders, depression, trauma, and lack of self-esteem. All these issues are bound to negatively affect the student’s academic performance in the form of bad results, absenteeism, and sometimes even leaving education. Sexual harassment, thus, is detrimental not only to the victimized individual but also to gender equality since it prevents young women from receiving quality education.
Addressing the crisis in question requires taking serious action at various levels. The educational institutions should ensure that effective complaint mechanisms are put in place. Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) should be empowered to work independently, without any kind of political interference, with complete confidentiality, a fair investigation process, and immediate resolution of complaints. Along with stringent regulations, institutions should conduct periodic programs for sensitizing all students, faculty members, and administration regarding the issue of consent and professional standards.
Society, at large, needs to change its mindset. Families, local communities, religious leaders and civil society organizations have to stop the practice of victim-blaming. There should be no taboo surrounding issues related to gender justice. Moreover, police and legal institutions should rigorously enforce laws and penal measures to make sure that the offenders are punished while the victims receive adequate protection.
In conclusion, sexual harassment in educational institutions in Kashmir is not just an issue of unethical behaviour. This is essentially an issue of crisis of trust, accountability, and professionalism. If the educational institutions are supposed to fulfil their social mission, then they have to ensure the safety and equal rights for all students. Without it, education will fail in its core purpose as a tool for human empowerment and social progress.
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