New Delhi: Almost half the women sexually harassed in the Indian capital and its neighbourhood are from the northeast, says the Northeast Support Centre. Two sisters from Manipur who were molested and beaten up last weekend were only the latest victims from the region.

Madhu Chandra, the man behind the Northeast Support Centre and Helpline, a help centre dedicated to youth from the northeast living in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), said they were flooded with complaints related to sexual harassment.

"It's been just three months since we launched the Northeast Support Centre and we have received more than 10 reports of sexual harassment," Chandra told IANS.

"From what we have researched and according to media reports, we have found that nearly 50 per cent of the cases of sexual harassment are targeted at women from the northeast."

The Delhi-NCR region has nearly 85,000 people from the northeast. More than 4,000 northeastern youth take admission to various undergraduate and other courses in Delhi University every year.

Chandana Saikia from Assam who graduated from Delhi University and is now working in a public relations firm in the capital said that even after seven years of staying in this city, she didn't feel safe or secure.

"Every other day we keep hearing of cases of molestation and sexual harassment in Delhi. Although I take all of this in my stride, my parents back at home are always worried and give me panic calls if they can't get through my phone," Saikia told IANS.

"But despite giving everyone an impression that nothing scares me, I am always on my guard. Even after seven years of staying in the capital, I don't feel at home here," she added.

Similarly, Lara Subba from Manipur, who lives with her friend in north Delhi, said she doesn't feel secure in the capital at all and constantly feels threatened.

"The other day I and my friend were coming in a rickshaw when two men started following us, calling us 'chinkies' and passing lewd remarks. Scared, I started screaming at the top of my voice, which made them change their route," Subba said.

"Just because we look different and wear more Western outfits, people think that they can take us for granted. That's why we usually stick together, with people from our own community."

In May 2005, a 19-year-old Delhi University student from the northeast was raped by four men in a moving car after dragging her from a roadside eatery in south Delhi's Dhaula Kuan area. The sensational case made headlines for days.

In September last year, there was a huge outcry when three northeastern girls were molested in the Delhi University campus. Then in December, the Northeast Support Centre received a complaint from a girl from Manipur working as a receptionist in a private company in Gurgaon that her boss molested her in the office.

Similarly, a minor northeastern girl in Gurgaon is still suffering after she was molested three times in December by her house owner.

Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research and president of Women Power Connect (WPC), said this issue is more prevalent in the northern belt because of the mindset of the men.

"In the northern belt, the mindset is such that the men believe they can control women physically. That's why they can't stand the freedom of sexuality that men and women in the northeast enjoy," Kumari said.

"There's no way out of this problem but for women to take charge of these issues. In this regard, we will be observing a National Shame day across the country, hopefully coinciding with the Women's day March 8, to tell people that women must be respected."

D C Srivastava, the deputy commissioner of police, north Delhi, however, said that in the past year-and-a-half, they have registered just two cases of sexual harassment against northeastern women.

"The number of such cases is not that high," he said.

The reason for this, according to Chandra, is that victims of sexual or any other kind of harassment hesitate to lodge an official complaint with the police.

"Staying so far away from home and not wanting to get into any complicated situation, most complainants who come to us hesitate to approach the police and lodge a first information report (FIR)," Chandra said.

"When we tell them that we are not here to replace the police, but help facilitate smoother communication with them, they leave the case at that. That's why most of the crimes go unreported and the accused goes scot-free. This is a major hurdle that we are facing," Chandra said.

(IANS)

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1. No matter whether you read newspaper, magazine, novels, dictionary, bible, textbook or anything else but do not crave to sleep, footle, gossip and ramble because these things will bring you poverty.

2. No man is born to be what he is today. But his attitude and character molded him what he is today.

3. Nothing is free in this world. Even a heartfelt gift needs to be paid.

You can kill man but you cannot kill idea"

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Appreciation sprouts in the land of jealousy free zones.

Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali

May you all enjoy this Diwali with lots of love and laughters with your loved ones.

May the light of Diwali shine in your life...

Warm Regards,

Thohe Pou

_________________________________

Where have all the Women gone?

Community sex ratio in India in 2001

Community _________Percentage________ Overall sex ratio____ Child sex ratio (0-6)

Hindus_____________81.4________________931______________925
Muslims____________12.4________________936______________950
Jains_______________0.4_________________940_____________ 870
Sikhs_______________1.9_________________893_____________786
Christians___________2.3_________________1,009___________ 964
Buddhists___________0.8__________________953____________ 942
Others_____________0.7___________________992___________ 976

*Check the sex ratio in state wise in India*
The highest sex ratio in India in 2001 was Kerala (1058) and the lowest is Haryana (861) in U.T. Daman and Diu is 709 only.

Sex- Ratio in India down through the 20th Century Year ____ Sex Ratio 1901_____ 972 1911_____ 964 1921_____ 955 1931_____ 950 1941_____ 945 1951_____ 946 1961_____ 941 1971_____ 930 1981_____ 934 1991_____ 927 2001_____ 933

"All material possessions whether purchased or received as gifts will rust one day but the knowledge that you gain from books will remain forever" Thohe

That a sleeveless T-shirt would pose a problem in this posh and "liberal" campus in the country's capital, miles from her home in Nagaland, disappointed the sophomore.

For long Delhi's residents have opined and the northeasterners have listened— about how they should dress, what they should not eat, how they should travel.

Not any more. A brave young crop of students from the region is now gearing up for campus elections in JNU, hoping to tell their fellow mates and at least some parts of Delhi that, well. keep your hands off, guys. wearing low-cut jeans is not such a crime after all.

The campus is now abuzz with pre-poll preparations with the likes of Annis Pharung Awungeshi, a sociology student from Imphal, raring to make an impression in the forthcoming elections.

Contesting as an Independent candidate for the post of secretary of the Gender Sensitisation Committee against Sexual Harassment of JNU, Annis feels that it's high time the bias against Northeasterners was broken.

"An image has been created that women from the Northeast have themselves to blame for acts of sexual harassment...that the problem lies with the way we dress. That, unfortunately, extends even to JNU," said Annis.

The group formed by students from the region — Forum for People's Rights — contested the polls last year too, but the plight of girls from the Northeast, they say, has worsened "significantly since Delhi has become even more unsafe for us over the past years," said Annis.

Moses Kharbitai, who is contesting for the post of vice-president of the JNU students' union, pointed out how a recent police manual effectively accused Northeast girls of dressing indecently.

"When you say that women from the Northeast are vulnerable because they dress in a certain way, you are revealing your own mindset towards people from the region. The forum will fight against all such instances of racism, on campus and outside," said the political science PhD student.

Telegraph india

24th oct. 2007