Silence

Mumbai apparently prides itself on being safe for women; a fact that I had no idea of until a few years ago when an act of violence had been committed against a woman here. Hearing about the experiences some women here have had I thought if this is considered safe, what are the other cities like? How much worse can it get? A lot, it seems.

Amid all the savagery that goes on, from obscene name calling (this is a lot worse than you might imagine, it certainly was beyond what I guessed), 'innocent' run-ins, stalking and worse there is a resounding call. The call for silence.
Far too often they are told to stay silent that their 'reputation may be preserved' and to avoid the situation that led to it since, after all, boys will be boys. You know they're all just mindless, lust controlled machines. I don't get how people could have let this myth perpetuate, it's an insult to us guys too. If you spot an incident yourself, back the woman on it. Your calling on it can help them to stand up too or be the second voice confirming what they say so the crowd doesn't just think she's making it up. Even when not explicitly told to be submissive there is a tendency to shy away from creating a scene among some.
Perhaps this has gone on for so long that some people just got used to it and don't see how it could be any other way. Convincing people that this is normal is one level of insanity, blaming the victim is the next.
We've all heard the phrase 'she was asking for it'. That somehow being 'provocatively' dressed is an invitation to sexual assault. Well guess what, it doesn't even matter if they're covered head to toe. Just the thought that the person inside that tent might be female is enough as one unlucky journalist found out.
A part of why men do it is for the power. They feel big picking on a 'defenceless' woman and making her uncomfortable, they might think they're just putting her back in her place. What right does she have coming into the workplace? What right does she have to choose what clothes to wear? What right does she have travelling at night and feeling safe?
The above paragraph should evoke anger against the perpetrators but unfortunately our patriarchal society does produce some women so drained by it that it might actually make them feel helpless, hopeless and *believe* that those are valid arguments. If not for yourself fight back so no one has to feel that this is the way it is. There's even a way for you to register a complaint online. !
Think about it this way, your silence sends the message that it's okay to treat you and any woman this way. After all, if you don't object you must be fine with it, right?