The Silent Epidemic of Harassment: Everyday Violence, Everyday Silence

Unseen, Unheard and Unnoticed

-KAJAL JAIN

Recently, at a public event during the day, my friend and I were catcalled. When we gathered
the courage to speak up, they began misbehaving, mocking us, escalating the situation leaving
us with no choice but to walk away. And the worst part was that wasn’t the first time, it has
happened far too often. The fact that it occurred in broad daylight, in a public space, with people
around, says everything. What frustrates me the most is that even when you finally dare to
speak up, when you gather that little ounce of courage, you're still shut down, humiliated, and
made to feel helpless. And in that exact moment, you realise you can’t do anything about it.
That helplessness burns. It makes me angry and more than anger it creates this void and fear in
my mind. Because no one should have to choose between safety and self-worth.

Every woman knows this feeling. A hand that lingers too long. A stare from those eyes that
strips you down in public. A "harmless" comment thrown at you on the street. The worst part?
These aren’t rare, headline-making crimes, but these are Everyday. Unseen. Unheard.
Unreported Crimes. Why? Because we’ve been conditioned to believe these are just “petty
offences” and no one has time for those. These offences are becoming so common that even
the victims of them have started accepting it, not because they want to, but because of the
helplessness and the fear. Every woman reacts differently when faced with these situations, but
the Rage, Exhaustion, Fear and Frustration they cause is the same. The same feeling we are
constantly told to suppress.

Imagine this, you are just using public transport. You’re standing in a packed metro. Suddenly,
someone brushes against you in a way that doesn’t feel accidental. You move away and say
nothing. Thinking that it is not worth the drama or the effort of reporting and explaining to the
police that “you weren’t asking for it”. And even if you do, who is going to listen? Instead of
getting to all these hassles of reporting, I should just accept it as it is easier. But what about the
whole incident causing an emotional erosion in your mind, giving you flashbacks of all the
times it had happened before, and reminding you how helpless you felt? And at that very
moment, you can’t even understand what is happening. The fear and the shock that you go
through in that instant, is that not a good enough reason?
Ask yourself honestly, how many times have you been eve-teased, groped, stared at, or
“accidentally” touched in public and how many times have you reported it? The answer most
women give is: zero. And I am not surprised, as every woman I have met in my entire life has
been a victim of these “petty offences” at least once in their lifetime.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2022 data, over 44,000 cases were
registered under Section 354 (assault on women with intent to outrage modesty). But that’s
just the tip of a deeply submerged iceberg. The majority of the cases are not even registered;
they just go Unheard. Unseen. Unnoticed. Due to the fear of humiliation, the judicial process
is slow or, simply, futility.
A study done by Thomson Reuters Foundation has ranked India as the world's most dangerous
country for women and this is not just because of extreme crimes but due to these petty
offences which remain unheard and make up everyday life.

Society plays a major role in shaping these offences as futile. Society is still quick to blame
the woman and never puts a finger on the perpetrator, even the victim’s own family. The fact
that society still thinks helping or standing up for someone in these cases is humiliating and
holds on to this mindset that it’s “none of their business” until it happens to a woman in their
own household says everything. Standing up to these perpetrators is still considered taboo.
Even when the offence is happening in front of anyone or in the general public, no one dares
to speak up, rarely does someone stand up to these people, and this encourages them. And after
getting a little courage, you go and report these crimes, and all you hear is: “no proof,” “it must
have been a mistake,” “you are safe now,” or “just forget it.” And to evade this, most of the
offences remain unreported.

And to avoid and ignore these things, the only thing left to do is this , be constantly alert, walk
faster, cross roads, and wear headphones to avoid catcalls. It feels more like surviving, not
living. There’s a constant fear in the minds of our parents and endless restrictions on women.
We should be able to live freely instead of just surviving, which feels more like a war.

Here’s what we can do as a society because someone has to take the first step.
Reframe Public Discourse: To bring a change we have to stop calling these offences “petty
offences” and stop telling women that “ it’s normal and to just accept it, it happens with
everyone”. Change the language, change the perception.

Legal Reforms: Push for increased fines, mandatory community service, and recording of such
offences in local police logs. Even if they don’t go to court, they must not go unheard, unnoticed
or unseen. While also taking into account the stricter consequences for filing false complaints.

Awareness and Encouragement: Spread awareness and conduct workshops to teach people
how to identify and intervene safely in these cases and speak up. Encourage the use of reporting
apps like Raksha, Safetipin, and Himmat Plus (Delhi Police), which allow women to report
incidents without entering a police station. These reports can help track hotspot zones and push
for better surveillance.

To conclude, to stop these crimes we have to break the silence and speak up, silence is what
sustain these crimes. Women don’t want to merely survive, accept, and move on. We’re tired
of brushing it off, tired of being told to stay quiet, tired of pretending it doesn’t matter. To truly
live and fight back, our voices need to be raised. Everyone deserves to live freely , without fear,
without hesitation. Let’s speak up about the things they call “small” because it’s never small
when it happens to you.
References-

• Is India really the most dangerous country for women?- 28 June 2018
https://bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-42436817
• (Crime in India-2022-Statistics- Volume 1)
https://www.ncrb.gov.in/uploads/nationalcrimerecordsbureau/custom/170160757
7CrimeinIndia2022Book1.pdf