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Abstract

In recent years, many countries have tightened the rules against harassment in the workplace and violence in the home. On the other hand, incidences of sexual harassment against women in public places have not been paid sufficient attention. Developing countries like India have recorded an increase in sexual harassment cases in public places due to the increase in participation of women in activities outside the home such as education and employment. In India, the term “Eve-teasing” is a euphemism for sexual harassment in public places. Eve-teasing is identified as a significant problem in the patriarchal society of India that carries dreadful implications for women. Daily encounters with sexual harassment leads to a decline in their career, socio-economic, and political opportunities. In recent years, these misdeeds have been spread to every corner of our society and have become a national problem. Eve-teasing is not considered atrocious, so strong laws have not been enacted to counteract it. This study has been conducted to identify the socio-psychological repercussions of Eve-teasing on young women cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) aged between 19 and 24 years. Moreover, the significance of NCC in empowering the women cadets in dealing with daily harassment is also the focus of the investigation. Particularly, a structural feminist approach is adopted to offer a critical framework to examine the patriarchal socialization of men and women as the most common cause of Eve-teasing. A total of 262 women participated in this study. The data were collected at the national camp of NCC held in New Delhi through a semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussions from January 18-29 of 2020. Out of the total respondents, 83.20% were exposed to Eve-teasing in their lives, while 15.26% of them did not disclose public harassment. The study concludes by highlighting the negative implications of Eve-teasing on the life of young women. The respondents were the cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) which helped them to shape self-confidence to fight against such sexual harassment acts; therefore, it is suggested to the governments (state and central) to emphasize the involvement of the agencies having similar goals as NCC in empowering young women and girls.

Author Biography

Dr. Usha Rana is a Sociologist with a specialization in Sexual Studies and Gender Studies. She has more than 10 years of teaching and research experience. Dr. Rana is currently working as an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Social Work at the Dr. Harisingh Gour Central University (A Government Central University), Sagar, India. She completed her master’s and doctorate in Sociology from Jiwaji University, Gwalior India, and Dr. Harisingh Gour Central University (A Government Central University), Sagar, India, respectively. She has published more than 30 articles in national and international peer-reviewed journals/conferences, including SCI/Scopus, indexed journals published by Inderscience, Springer, Elsevier, and Cambridge, and edited three books. She also serves as a reviewer for many reputed journals indexed in SCI/Scopus. She has delivered lectures as a speaker in various national and international workshops. Dr. Rana is an active member of the International Sociological Association, Indian Sociological Society, and Women’s Indian Association.

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