Sexual harassments are not only existent physically, but also in words, verbally. Whether a sexual misconduct is happening verbally or physically, it is violating in all ways. However, there are some defenders who believe that sexual assaults happening physically are often more worst than verbal ones. Verbal assaults can often lead to mental sickness and anxiety and can be threatening. Often a prelude to any sort of physical misconduct. Therefore, sexual assaults, in any nature and form, after all cannot be and should not be termed as less or more harmful.
Recently, in a shocking incident, a woman allegedly accused two officer at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi of acquiring sexual favours. A woman claimed that officers offered help with visa only on the condition of returning favour sexually. The woman in an official statement to various new channels stated that one of them acted inappropriately with her both physically and verbally. The officer held her by holding her hand and asked her derogatory questions on her marital status and religion during the visa interview, claimed woman. Furthermore, he crossed the limit asking about her sexual desires and what she did to fulfil them. Woman on revealing her marital status, another officer named Tahir Abbas allegedly moral police her about how wrong it is to live without a man.
The woman also claimed that these officer tried to make her to write a hate comment for India, Kashmir and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Also, if she fulfilled their sexual needs, she would get her visa approved within 24 hours. The above stated incident took place in March 2022, however it came to light after almost ten months when the woman revealed the misconduct. Although, she initially reported this incident to the Pakistan High Commission, but no action was taken.
Verbal Sexual Assaults Against Women
There are myriad of such incident where women are humiliated and sexual comments are made. Often these incidents go unnoticed or are underreported by the survivors. This ignorance might lead to an inflammation of these types of abuses. There is a voluntary incorporation of verbal sexual abuse amidst of abusive arguments as well- be it in private or public sphere. Recent research shows why verbal abuse is not a big deal in India. The primary reason being that Indians are accustomed to it.
Across the wider perspective there is still a doubt if verbal harassment can be termed as a sexual harassment? In order to make this clear, there are
several forms of verbal harassments that must be reconsidered. A few of them are: unwanted and unwelcome flirting, demand for sexual favours, derogatory jokes, sexist statements, and obscene emails and comments that are indicative of a sexual nature. Therefore, it must be understood that in order to curb such instances of a verbal sexual abuse, we must create awareness so it is not ignored. Commonly used terms such as “Leave it, these were just words” or “What can we even do? We can’t file a complaint against mere words” These terms tend to strengthen the audacity of the abuser’s who later turn into assaulters. Therefore, its time to opt out of this dictionary and be the rule breaker.
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