More that 65 percent of all young women in the country become victims of sexual harassment, according to a survey.
Of these, 35.49 percent said that they had been harassed through indications of perverted sexual desire. 29.62 percent young women have been the victims of unwanted touch and 22.26 percent have been victims of eve-teasing.
This information came up in a survey conducted by the research organisation Aachol Foundation ahead of the International Women's Day on March 8.
A total of 1,014 young women, aging from 18 to 30 years, from different districts across the country participated in the survey titled “Socio-economic context of young women and its impact on mental health”.
According to the survey, 45.27 percent of young women face sexual harassment on public transport. 84.10 percent young women experience sexual harassment at the bus stand, 4.58 percent on trains or at rail stations, and 1.53 percent are harassed when availing ride-sharing services.
The survey also found that, 64.92 percent victims of sexual harassment also experienced unwanted touch and 20.04 percent of young women became the victims of stalking.
Young women are the most likely to become victims of such harassment when walking alone. 75.60 percent of women were harassed while they were alone, 21.57 percent were abused while being accompanied by their mother, sister, friend, or other female partners, and 2.83 percent while being accompanied by their father, husband, brother, or other male partners, showed the survey.
Among the women who participated in the survey, 88.17 percent were unmarried, 10.95 percent were married and the remaining are divorced or separated. The study report combines data on how much discrimination, sexual harassment, and social and family barriers they faced, and how that has affected their mental health.
According to the information of the coordinators, 38.86 percent of young women were sexually abused in childhood. Of these, 35.28 percent were harassed by relatives, 28.17 by strangers and 16.50 percent by neighbors.
Such incidents in childhood gave rise to distrust in the minds of 28.43 percent and misandry in 28.17 percent. Besides, 15.74 percent are afraid to be alone due to this childhood trauma.