Reflections

While talking to my sister yesterday, she referred to an incident that had happened in a University. The case was of harassment or molestation by a professor of a foreign student. My sister had met somebody who happened to be the girl's friend. As far as we knew and I think that is public knowledge now, that there was no case against the professor. This guy whom my sister met also told about  some female students who had been to the foreign student's room to dissuade her to complain against the professor. Well, the case was also not pursued because the student went back to her country as I am told.

Well, we did not know the facts. What we were talking about was completely based on other people's versions. But even in other people's versions, there is a prominent point that stood out for both of us. There are so many cases of violence, rape, molestation where we do not take action or we deter the person who had been at the receiving end of the traumatic incident to not report or not pursue the legal course of action against the one who perpetrated the crime. Why? because it is a family member? it is someone who is renowned? someone who is known to the person?

Today in the newspaper, there was an incident reported . The news is from Delhi. The girl in question was discouraged by the PG owners even the police saying that he was a baccha. It seems the guy was known to PG owners as well as the cops. But does it undermine the nature of the act committed only because the person is known?

It struck me in the morning that we had a discussion on a related issue yesterday evening and in the morning the newspaper had an article. The article also mentioned people telling the girl not to report because what if he gets back and take a revenge.

Why are we telling the girl not to report? Why aren't we telling the other people , the relatives, the family members to report?