29% of Indian women face molestation in public places: Survey

Public places continue to remain unsafe for women with a new survey showing that 29% of them have faced molestation or sexual advances in public places at least once and 9% multiple times but only one in four managed to get an FIR registered or complaint filed against culprits.

Conducted by LocalCricles on the eve of International Women's Day, it also said that trains, stations, public gatherings and streets are top locations where Indian women have experienced molestation or sexual advances.

According to the survey, 20% of the 8,347 respondents said “myself and, or one or more of my family members have experienced it once or twice” while 9% have faced it multiple times, taking the total number of respondents who experienced molestation to 29%.

Around 17% said they were unsure if women in their family had faced molestation or sexual advances with the survey report saying that the actual number of women facing sexual advances and molestation in public places might be much more, as many women might have chosen not to tell their families about the episode.

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Though the number of women facing such trouble are high and when it comes to filing police complaints, the numbers are dismal. Only 23% of those who faced molestation or sexual advances filed a police complaint.

In what could be described as police insensitivity, the survey said 15% told that they tried hard to file an FIR but investigators did not register it or take any action while 3% said police "did not register an FIR or police complaint but the culprits were beaten up or harassed by police”.

Another 3% said that “public around me went after them but no complaint or FIR was filed” while 18% said that “thrashed them on the spot but did not file a complaint or FIR”.

According to the survey, 15% said they “decided not to register an FIR or police complaint”, while 23% “took no action.”

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A 2018 survey revealed by Indian National Bar Association indicated that 68% of victims of sexual harassment don't report fearing consequences.

"The more women and their families tolerate, the more it happens. Sexual advances and men trying to molest is not a trivial issue; however, it is often a 'just ignore' attitude of the victim and more so their families due to various reasons including dealing with courts and the social harassment, that perpetrators continue to do what they have been doing," the survey report said.

Asked about the public places where most incidents take place, 23% said train or railway stations, 20% said public gathering, 17% said local train or metro or its stations, 17% said streets, 10% said markets and 7% religious places.