It was afternoon and we had just finished our lunch. The weather was really good and 4-5 of my colleagues and I decided to go for a coffee break. We went to a small tea vendor outside. I was about to finish my coffee when one of my colleagues told me, I will not send my son to school if school kids are like this. I was surprised and shocked as well. I asked her with a smirk on my face – “What happened? What are you talking about?” And, her answer made me silent. She told me, “Look at those 15-year-old school kids and see what they are doing.” They were staring at a girl’s navel who was wearing a crop top and was waiting for the red signal to cross the road.
The girl at the red signal is not the only person who has experienced such a thing. In a country where an actress’ breast becomes the hot topic of the day – shows what we think about women. From a huge actress of Bollywood to a normal working girl – almost all Indian girls have witnessed the ‘thirst’ of men once in their life. In fact, Indian women are blamed for their very existence. What happened on New Year’s Eve in Bengaluru and how our leaders reacted on the issue is well known.
It is breaking news for a young guy if he sees a girl’s bra strap. I wouldn’t accuse the young generation of this. The fact is, the more we hide things, the more it will increase curiosity. This is human nature. When I was a child, I was never told what sex is and what the female body parts are. Neither by my parents nor by the teachers. We must teach our kids what is sex and all that they want to know about it. If you think this is going to spoil them, then you’re wrong. They will find their own way of knowing things and that can be dangerous as it’s the era of the internet.
The kids at the red signal wouldn’t have stared at the girl – if our education system had taught them well. We must stop presenting girls as creatures from a different planet. The lack of sensitisation is one of the main reasons behind sexual harassment and other sexist attacks.
_