Sexual Harassment in Indian Army

[Forrest Griffin]

U.S. State Department Travel Advisory for India

U.S. citizens, particularly women, are cautioned not to travel alone in India. Western women continue to report incidents of verbal and physical harassment by groups of men. Known in India as “Eve-teasing,” these incidents can be quite frightening. While India is generally safe for foreign visitors, according to the latest figures by Indian authorities, rape is the fastest growing crime in India. Among large cities, Delhi experienced the highest number of crimes against women. Although most victims have been local residents, recent sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas underline the fact that foreign women are also at risk and should exercise vigilance.

Women should observe stringent security precautions, including avoiding using public transport after dark without the company of known and trustworthy companions; restricting evening entertainment to well known venues; and avoiding walking in isolated areas alone at any time of day. Female travelers are advised to respect local dress and customs. Women should also ensure their hotel room numbers remain confidential and insist the doors of their hotel rooms have chains, deadlocks, and spy-holes. In addition, it is advisable for women to hire reliable cars and drivers and avoid traveling alone in hired taxis, especially during the hours of darkness. It is preferable to obtain taxis from hotels and pre-paid taxis at airports rather than hailing them on the street. If women encounter threatening situations, they can call 100 for police assistance.

Link: India

 

[Molawchai]

This will be another reason why sexual harassment happened often in India Army.

Since 1971, the incidence of rape in India has increased by a whopping 734%.

Yes, that’s 734%. No typo here. (Source: National Crime Records Bureau)

 

[harrymohan]

This will be another reason why sexual harassment happened often in India Army.

Since 1971, the incidence of rape in India has increased by a whopping 734%.

Yes, that’s 734%. No typo here. (Source: National Crime Records Bureau)

In which part of perfect world you living where these kind of indispicable acts not happening!! stop showing India in bad light and change your flag to Green or red color ones!!

 

[Molawchai]

If you are really from Thailand, you don't need raping and all, since it's a world wide known fact that Thailand is Sex Heaven of the world, half your ladies are into prostitution. Now come up with a graph showing top ranking prostitution hubs of the world.

Ok, you want to insult me but i only show you facts, enjoy my dear Indian friend.

ACCORDING TO Human Rights Watch, there are approximately 15 million prostitutes in India. There are more than 100,000 women prostitution in Bombay, Asia’s largest sex industry center. Happy now?

Prostitution: A burning issue in India today

 

[Forrest Griffin]

Watch this video. It is no wonder India is #1 in AIDS.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frow03p359

 

[MarkTheTruth]

This probably can explain why sexual harassment common in India Army

Crime Statistics > Rapes (most recent) by country

Showing latest available data.
Rank Countries Amount
# 1 United States: 95,136
# 2 South Africa: 52,425
# 3 Canada: 24,350
# 4 Australia: 15,630
# 5 India: 15,468

Rapes statistics - countries compared - NationMaster

(Sad for Indians that) Pakistan is not in the top 5 in this list.

NOT EVEN IN TOP 50

 

[Spring Onion]

hey, by the way my name is Sajjad Ahmad and not Sajjad Shaukat. Sajjad Shaukat Sahab is a very famous and renowned writer of Pakistan, whose articles always proved to be full with good amount of research and analysis. While I am just running the website, where u reading the articles of Sajjad Shaukat.

And congratulations on your new website. and thanks for not agreeing on all things with me. Your site looks great, even better than mine. wish u best of luck. Though, you now have ur own site but your writeups are still welcome at MTT.yea?

))) You know well we had some argument sometimes back over some issue of Daniyal's website if you remember.

Thanks for the compliment. would talk to you about MTT (i have some suggestions, feedback and reservations)

 

[MarkTheTruth]

Ok, you want to insult me but i only show you facts, enjoy my dear Indian friend.

ACCORDING TO Human Rights Watch, there are approximately 15 million prostitutes in India. There are more than 100,000 women prostitution in Bombay, Asia’s largest sex industry center. Happy now?

Prostitution: A burning issue in India today

You notice none of Indian had so far admitted that their military officers found involved in such inhuman activities. All of them(the indinas) are trying to justify the wrong doings of their generals by blaming others.

 

[Spring Onion]

Ok, you want to insult me but i only show you facts, enjoy my dear Indian friend.

ACCORDING TO Human Rights Watch, there are approximately 15 million prostitutes in India. There are more than 100,000 women prostitution in Bombay, Asia’s largest sex industry center. Happy now?

Prostitution: A burning issue in India today

But that is an industry or profession so we can give them some room.

But such behavior in a professional army really makes it look damaging.

 

[MarkTheTruth]

Y u people are busy in projecting only indian army is Bad

following are the facts which is Happening in u.k army

1 in 4 women reports offensive male behaviour

Sexual harassment is rife in the armed forces, with 99% of servicewomen reporting they had been subjected to some form of sexual remark or material by male colleagues in the past year. One in seven - 15% - say they have had a "particularly upsetting" experience over the same period, ranging from sexually explicit comments through to sexual assault.


More than half of all servicewomen, or 9,384 personnel, responded to the survey, and almost all had experienced sexual jokes and stories or been exposed to sexual language and material in the workplace. The survey found a high tolerance for such behaviour, but more than half of the respondents said they sometimes found it offensive. Women were most insulted by explicit sexual language, details of sexual exploits and pornography.

More than two-thirds of the women had direct experience of sexual harassment, which ranged from unwelcome comments to unwanted touching and sexual assault.

link:Sexual harassment rife in armed forces | UK news | The Guardian



So now can we sat that the british army is bad offcourse not
the point is it happen's in all the army around the world So i would suggest not to highlight only indian army is involved in this

Because this thread is for sexual harrasment of women in the hands of high profile indian army officers.

 

[Spring Onion]

Y u people are busy in projecting only indian army is Bad

following are the facts which is Happening in u.k army

1 in 4 women reports offensive male behaviour

Sexual harassment is rife in the armed forces, with 99% of servicewomen reporting they had been subjected to some form of sexual remark or material by male colleagues in the past year. One in seven - 15% - say they have had a "particularly upsetting" experience over the same period, ranging from sexually explicit comments through to sexual assault.


More than half of all servicewomen, or 9,384 personnel, responded to the survey, and almost all had experienced sexual jokes and stories or been exposed to sexual language and material in the workplace. The survey found a high tolerance for such behaviour, but more than half of the respondents said they sometimes found it offensive. Women were most insulted by explicit sexual language, details of sexual exploits and pornography.

More than two-thirds of the women had direct experience of sexual harassment, which ranged from unwelcome comments to unwanted touching and sexual assault.

link:Sexual harassment rife in armed forces | UK news | The Guardian



So now can we sat that the british army is bad offcourse not
the point is it happen's in all the army around the world So i would suggest not to highlight only indian army is involved in this

Yes indeed such practice prevailing in any army is bad and should be condemned, Its not nationality specific. So do not take it as aimed at Indians. its just that this thread is about the same in Indian army so we are debating it that way otherwise it doesnt mean that its just your forces to be blamed

 

[Spring Onion]

There were some reports of Army probing the incidents but in between the human rights activists have some reservations.


Indian Army flouting guidelines on sexual harassment?
August 31st, 2009 - 11:25 am ICT by IANS


By Ritu Sharma
New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) The Indian Army goes by the Army Act while probing allegations of sexual abuse. But in the process it may be blatantly overlooking guidelines issued by the Supreme Court on sexual harassment at workplace, say activists.

“We do not go by the Supreme Court’s guidelines. The army officers first come under the Army Act and we take serious note of sexual allegations,” a senior Indian Army official told IANS requesting anonymity.

Former judge advocate general of Indian Army Maj. Gen. Neelendra Kumar said: “The army has a standing policy that every case of serious nature invariably goes to the military court. The Supreme Court guidelines are not applicable as we have the Army Act.”

The apex court had issued guidelines for conducting inquiries into cases of sexual harassment at workplace in an August 1997 judgment and these are meant to be applicable in the absence of any specific legislation.

“In the absence of legislation to provide for guarantee against sexual harassment and abuse, particularly at workplace, the Supreme Court has laid down guidelines and norms for due observance at all workplaces or other institutions in India, until legislation is enacted for the purpose,” K.P.S. Satheesh, chairman of NGO The Guardian Foundation, told IANS.

The Army Act 1950, which was formulated for men when women had not been inducted into the forces, does not have specific provisions dealing with cases of sexual abuse. The allegations are generally clubbed with “unbecoming conduct” on the part of officers.

“The army’s argument that its personnel are under the Army Act cannot be accepted since the act was meant only for men. So in the absence of any specific rules, procedures or norms in the Army Act for solving sexual harassment at workplace, the apex court guidelines are very well applicable to the army as well,” Satheesh said.

According to Defence Minister A.K. Antony, during the last five years, 11 cases of sexual harassment have been reported in the armed forces, where the strength of women officers remains minuscule.

Currently, 5,137 women officers serve in the armed forces. They include 4,101 in the army, 784 in the air force and 252 in the navy.

A recent example is the case of Captain Poonam Kaur of the Army Supply Corps (ASC). In July 2008, she alleged that three officers of her unit had mentally and sexually harassed her and confined her illegally when she resisted their advances.

The army then constituted a court of inquiry whereby all three officers denied the allegations and she was found guilty on at least 20 counts, including levelling false charges against her senior officers.

The apex court has succinctly laid down that any inquiry team investigating a sexual harassment case should be headed by a woman, more than half the members should be women and there should be third party participation in the inquiry like that of a non-profit organisation.

However, the inquiry into Kaur’s allegations was presided over by Brigadier R.P. Attri of the army’s Western Command headquarters. Among the three members of the inquiry, only one was female and there was no representative from an NGO in the panel.

The Guardian Foundation has moved an application on the army in the National Commission for Women against “violation of guidelines and norms prescribed by the Supreme Court while dealing with cases of sexual harassment at workplace”.

(Ritu Sharma can be contacted at ritu.s@ians.in)
Indian Army flouting guidelines on sexual harassment?

 

[Darjun]

Though i dont agree with many things written by Sajjad Shaukat who is running Mark The Truth BUT if we talk about this harassment issue of women officers in Indian forces then indeed there is something.

Such cases have been reported time to time.

The concerned people know well how to deal with it or how to address it and they may be doing it. So instead of denying there must be some study over the reasons why such things are happening.

Can u prove it from neutral source ?? if not then I must say you are blindly hating us (Indians) and this is not good thing for you only. why making ours elf dustbin ? you are female and must know how to react on this matter. Few days before there was bomb blast in pakistan and I know your brother was there ... you was very upset and keep on praying for ur brother ....we also have feeling ...our brother ..sisters are also working army .... I mean to say ... Pain is same for both of us but please understand seriousness if such issue and then reply.... Again I am saying you are female and you must know how to react on such topic.

 

[Spring Onion]

It is said.

"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones?"

Perhaps you would want to pay heed it.

Now you would want us to point out skeletons in your closet ..would you??:

Why you guys always shy away from accepting the ills prevailing on your side.

Sure we dont mind if you post BUT please do it separately this thread is for harassment by Indian army.


Now come back to the topic and try to post the counter argument if the allegations by woman officers are wrong or right? If wrong why they say so and if right then what are the reasons.

 

[sparklingway]

We definitely need subsections for India as well.