New ‘victim shaming’ circular from top Indian university draws ire

A circular released by one of India's top universities on sexual harassment has been slammed for asking women to take responsibility for their safety and "draw a tangible line between them and their male friends."

Jawaharlal Nehru University's internal complaints committee (ICC) uploaded the circular on the varsity's website announcing that it will organise a counselling session on sexual harassment on 17 January.

Under the subhead “why is the counselling session required?” the circular stated it will make students aware of what comprises sexual harassment.

"ICC comes across a number of cases where sexual harassment takes place among close friends. Boys generally cross (sometimes advertently, sometimes inadvertently) the thin line between friendship’s bantering and sexual harassment. Girls are suppose to know how to draw a tangible line (between them and their male friends) to avoid any such harassments,” the circular read.

The varsity added that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards any kind of sexual harassment which takes place on their campus.

National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma sought the withdrawal of the "misogynist" circular.

"Why all the teachings are always for girls only? Time to teach harassers not the victims. The misogynist circular of JNU should be withdrawn. Internal committee should have victim-centered approach and not otherwise," she wrote.

The university's students’ union president Aishe Ghosh said the regressive circular puts the onus on survivors and goes against the ethos of gender sensitisation.

"Such a remark will institutionalise harassment on these lines. This is a regressive step from ICC, which is meant to be a redressal mechanism, but it is indulging in victim-blaming," Ms Ghosh told The Independent.

She added that the language of the circular shows harassment as a binary concept limited between a man and a woman. "It limits the understanding of students. It also portrays that the harassment is only limited to students, whereas in such a campus, it can happen to professors, staff, anyone".

This diktat has irked students and brought back the call to reinstate the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) on campus, which was replaced by the ICC.

Komal Singh, a researcher at the university, said the ICC has been flawed from the beginning which is why it was opposed by everyone.

"Not surprised this entire ICC was a flawed institution from the very beginning. That’s why everyone opposed it. We have seen how GSCASH successfully made JNU one of the safest zone for womenfolk," she wrote.

Punam Kumari, the ICC’s presiding officer told The Indian Express that she receives complaints about sexual harassment between close friends.

“They touch each other, hug each other. But the moment women feel that they don’t feel comfortable about this, they should state this clearly to their male friend,” she said.