“Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.”
- Margaret Atwood
Since 1981, November 25 each year has been observed as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This aims to shine a spotlight on a very pressing global issue that transcends geographical, cultural, and socio-economic boundaries. According to the United Nations, an estimated 736 million globally – almost one in three – have been subjected to physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives. Of these, at least 86 per cent of women and girls live in countries where there are no legal protections against gender-based violence.
Women experience violence at different times in their lives. It starts from female foeticide or infanticide from the time they’re conceived or born. Those lucky to escape this, go on to face other kinds of violence, ranging from female genital mutilation to cyber violence.
Gayatri Menon, Independent Development Consultant, Research Scholar/ICCSR Doctoral Fellow at the Department of Social Work in New Delhi says, 'Women in India have been at the receiving end of violence for a long time now. Right from the domestic and individual level at home, to a larger social level. Also, violence can be a spectrum – sexual, physical, verbal, emotional or psychological. If a woman or a girl is not allowed to go to school, or to work to become financially independent, even that is violence. Marital rape is very obviously violence, and remains unreported. Inevitably, all of this is intertwined with a patriarchal system, which women have also normalised and accepted. If a husband beats a wife, they feel ‘pati hai, kar sakte hain’ or ‘If not him, them who else?’. They’re justifying staying in abusive marriage. In fact, the gender bias, which is a more abstract institution within a marriage, is one of the factors contributing to domestic violence. I have worked with many victims of domestic violence, and I find that the problem starts with acceptance towards all kinds of violence.'
Gayatri adds, 'The first step to finding a resolution is realisation. A lot of women don’t even realise that they’re going through violence – especially in the domestic setup. Here, socialisation is one of the key solutions to changing things. Whom you speak to and interact with, the kind of exposure that you have, all of that moulds your thought process consciously or unconsciously. Secondly, the legal system needs to be more robust. The number of pending cases in India is so high. Thirdly, we are not centralising the policies for violence against women. We need a common policy that cuts across states. And then, even if it is implemented, we still need to see that it is reaching the right people. Lastly, finding the apt counsellor or helper, who will guide you with the tools to escape an abusive or violent situation is important. Once a victim is able to find that, there is clarity of thought and the ability to take a step in the right direction.”
In public life as well, women in the workplace are not immune to violence. According to a study by UN Women, as many as 82 per cent women parliamentarians across 5 regions have reported psychological violence during their tenure, such as threats, advances and sexist comments. Women journalists (around 73 per cent) have also admitted being at the receiving end of online violence, primarily from social media attacks.
'Women in night shifts are particularly susceptible to abuse or violence,' says Yasodhai Damodaran, Founder of AIPCC (Association of Indian POSH and POSCO Consultants). She has trained over 70 trainers as POSH facilitators across the country. “Once they work all hours, and start becoming accessible to co-workers during these hours, there is a preconceived notion that they are ‘available’ and there is violation of boundaries – physical and otherwise. BPOs, healthcare, logistics and real estate are some segments where this is rampant. Although there are policies on paper with every organisation, not everyone follows them. Some take it seriously, train all their employees and maintain a proper record. Others take the law for granted and feel they can easily tackle such issues. Victims are also silent unless they know that there’s an active ICC Committee or POSH policy. They usually either suffer in silence if they need the job, or find something else and quit.'
Yasodhai explains that workplace violence encompasses five categories – physical, verbal, non-verbal, quid pro pro, and hostility. The last two are rampant. 'With quid pro pro, women are constantly propositioned for sexual favours at the workplace, with the promise of career growth and higher pay. Managers abuse their positions of power. Awareness of what is POSH, where to complain, the motivation to complain and the confidence that it’s okay to do so, are all very important. At home we must educate our children – both boys and girls - on taking the right action. Gender sensitisation is required.'
The AIPCC aims to make India harassment-free by 2030 and is in the process of conducting Abhimaan, a series of conference at college and school levels at various locations across India, in collaboration with their trainers. In fact, as late as 2017, only 570 cases of workplace violence were reported during the entire year. A zero-tolerance code of conduct, installation of CCTV cameras, ensuring proper training for all personnel, checking each employee’s past records for abuse at the hiring stage, and keeping channels of communication open are just some of the basic steps every organisation should take. There should be a focus on prevention over treatment. Often, measures are implemented only after there is an unfortunate incident. This is entirely avoidable. If you are a manager, create a proper work culture and management style, which is in line with an anti-violence policy. Violence in the workplace is a threat to the whole organisation, because it harms the gender ratio and is a threat to employee well-being and contentment. Elimination of this violence will only result in enhanced employee engagement and productivity, which boosts an organisation’s performance and reputation.