Eve Teasing

The Wales contingent shows a united front. (I always love discovering another Wales person on IM. Soon we'll have enough for our own meetup!)

Sure that would be nice. Good to make your acquaintance .

Just as long as we don't have to use English.

Thanks for the mental support, neeleem and karuna

I know it's unlikely to happen and I consider myself relatively streetsmart and India-smart, too. It's just a case of not wanting anything nasty happening to your loved one - and someone you've been talking to about India for the last two years.

I just have to prepare a bit differently in my mind this time, I guess...

Try not to think about it too much I suppose. You can't do nothin' about stuff that ain't happened!

Ych y fi!

Hey Vasko, I was traveling india for several months with a girlfriend, both first time india travelers at the time and it did happen a couple of times so i understand completely your concerns.

I really hope it'll go smooth for you!! I think it depends also on where you go, and crowded gatherings and celebrations are prone to be worst.
I think you and her need to be very firm (keep composed though) if something does happen. on one of the occasions I threatened the offender i would inform the police, although it was clearly not possible. he became afraid probably because of other people around, who reacted to the situation.

Anyway, I think it's good you at least keep aware it could happen and very hopefully it won't! I hope you'll have a great time.

Hi openair,

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I guess we'll just have to take it as it comes. It's just so different not having only yourself to look out for. On my solo journeys I always felt safe and thought I can manage whatever I run into. Ahh, maybe I'm just being neurotic.

Where did you travel and where did it happen? I've been all over, but this time we're heading South to Kerala from Bombay.

Fewer hassles, I would think. Not zero, fewer.

hey Vasko,
It happened in Diu, and might have been also attributed to alcohol- Some Gujrati men come to Diu to drink. the second time we went to India together it wasn't so bad, so might have to do with our awareness and attitude. I think you'll do fine. We had our best time in Kerala


I've also traveled in India alone and the experience is different than with a girlfriend. both has their ups and downs.. and maybe it needs some patience.. but it's a new experience and I wouldn't hesitate going with a girlfriend again. Anyway, hope you'll have amazing time!!

That is about a female college student who claimed she was molested by her male professor.

Incidentally I was in Diu last time around with two guys and a girl I met in Rajasthan. On one of the beaches we all came in for some major hassling but the girl received extra-special "attention". No physical contact but aggressive and intrusive verbal assault and quizzing. It was one of the low points of our travels together, to say the least.

But anyway, thanks again for the reassurance!

I'm afraid I have to strongly disagree with the people who comment on this thread that eve-teasing is uncommon. In fact, I think saying so and playing it down is a little irresponsible. Now I'll hop down off my high horse.
Eve-teasing is very common in India in my opinion. Every female I've spoken to who's been to India has experienced some degree of it and I know at least two girls who felt strongly enough to file police reports - not something you do lightly in India, I'd say.
My girlfriend and I arrived in Delhi and within 2 hours of leaving the hotel, she had had her breast grabbed as we drove past someone in a rickshaw. On another occasion a group of young men befriedned us, deliberately separated us, then set about groping her as a pack while I was fifty metres away. These are only the two most serious instances that happened to us in three months - I know of two cases where the girls were alone and at least felt like they were in much more danger than this. This doesn't mention the minor incidences of rubbing up in crowded places and the endless flicking tongues (which I would threaten to remove if I caught them). And this with a girl who was accompanied everywhere she went by a young, fittish male.
This doesn't mean that we didn't enjoy our time, we enjoyed it immensely (though I sometimes wonder how my girlfriend put up with it), but this is, in my opinion, the most serious annoyance in India, and one young women travelling alone or with men should expect and be well prepared for. I think the key is not to be afraid of doing something, whatever you decide it is. My girlfriend handled it well, she swould give them a shove and an impatient look, and generally tried to hide it from me, as she knew I would make a bigger scene.
By the way, the argument that this happens everywhere is also flawed in my opinion. It doesn't happen in SE Asia or North Asia and it doesn't happen in Western Europe, North America (with the obvious exception of Italy) or even South America (much). It is a genuine problem and I believe it is unique in scale in India. The problem is compounded by a (misplaced) sense that you have nowhere to turn, which is not true. As long as you are smart and assertive, you'll be fine. You should handle the situation the same way you would handle a similar situation in your own country - they're just dickheads looking for cheap thrills - make sure you are safe, give them a solid shove, walk away and if it keeps happening make one hell of a scene.

definitely - eve teasing is alive and kicking in india - it is as much a problem for indian women as well.

north india is aggressive - you really must be aware of this - nothing you can do by way of preparation though -
just that being ignorant of it just may throw you in a tizzy.

the groping slackens... as cap'n says... as you move southward ho.
wonder if anybody faced them problems in the east - say, bengal, orissa - the north east?


:brishti

I know somebody who did, and it was worse than the 'normal' stuff.

that sounds dreadful.
i hope she's ok.


:brishti