The Supreme Court indicating steps to states and Union territories towards curbing the public molestation of women is a welcome move. Normally referred to by the politely misleading term 'eve-teasing', such molestation - often brutal and degrading - occurs with alarming frequency in crowded areas and public transport. Often, the victim is blamed for the incident and expected to keep it to herself. Numerous cases show concerned authorities not assisting women in reporting such crimes or even - as with the case sparking the Supreme Court's ire, of a policeman reinstated in Tamil Nadu after misbehaving with a woman - giving molesters continued social acceptance. However, with the Supreme Court's directive, the burden of such crimes is shifted from the victim and placed directly onto her assailants.
The Supreme Court has tackled women's molestation on three different levels. Spatially, it has directed that states and Union territories post women police officers in plainclothes across public spaces, from train stations to malls, and set up CCTV cameras in such locations too. While the latter can act as a deterrent, the former should assist women needing police aid in moments of harassment. Secondly, emphasising communication, the Supreme Court wants special helplines to be instituted enabling women to report such crimes and finally, it has broadened the ambit of responsibility from the victim alone, demanding that drivers or other employees in public transport help a molested woman report the crime - or face their permit being cancelled. All these measures are crucial in underlining the fact that molestation is an extremely serious crime towards which there must be no public apathy or tolerance
