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Title: How do women travelers avoid sexual harassment when in foreign countries?
written on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 @ 8:03 PM ✈{ 12 comments }
Women travel
for many reasons – shopping, discover new things or simply to relax. Compare
women to men, women face greater obstacles when traveling such as getting
sexually harassed and assaulted. These two are global problems women could
easily come across when traveling.
What caught
my attention was an article written by Georgia Arlott here. She shared her
experience of travelling around India, during which sexual harassment was a
constant problem there.
Wandering
hands
Georgia
shared how when she rode on a rickshaw, hands would slip underneath her
trousers when watching fireworks display. Not knowing what to do, she would
just push the offending limbs away and make a quick escape.
Another
incident happened when she went to swim at a popular beach. Knowing that the
women there were always fully clothed in the water, she dutifully presented
herself in t-shirts and full-length trousers. However, this didn’t deter a
group of at least ten young men to follow her. Before she realized what was
happening, hands were everywhere.
Bribery
Georgia
stayed at one of her friend’s house, and each morning before her friend went to
work, he would simply lock her (& her group of friends) into his flat. According to him, white
women were a curiosity and it was not safe for them to sleep in an unlocked
house in the mornings.
Every night that
she stayed there, the Indian police would arrive asking for bribes. They
claimed that Georgia and her friends must be prostitutes. They would spend the
evenings out, but when they got home, the same story would repeat each time.
Beauty
Rape in India has been described by Radha
Kumar (an author and expert on ethnic
conflicts and peace processes) as
one of India's most common crimes against women and a “national problem” by the UN’s
human-rights chief.
However, we
all have to agree that India – a country known for its culture, monuments, nature
and home to the famous landmark Taj Mahal, is a beautiful country. Despite the
increasing number of sexual assaults being reported every year (source), it is still one of the most
popular countries in the world and a popular choice for travel destination
which receives millions of tourists every year.
Measures to take
- Behave
confidently. Act
as if you know exactly where you’re going and what you’re doing, even if you’re
lost. If someone makes you uncomfortable, keep your composure and remove
yourself from the situation at once.
- Avoid
eye contact. In
some cultures, meeting a man’s gaze may suggest that you want his company. A
simple solution is to wear dark glasses in public places.
- Take
your cue from the local women. If they don’t sit in cafés or parks alone or wear tank tops
or miniskirts, neither should you. Avoid wearing form-fitting clothing that may
be considered provocative.
- Wear
a (fake) wedding ring. Also
carry a photo of your husband (or an imaginary one), which you can show to
persistent suitors. Being seen as married will lower your profile and stave off
uninvited advances.
- Be
vigilant when travelling on public transport. Crowded buses and trains can be hot spots for anti-social
behaviour. Some men may exploit the opportunity to harass female passengers. If
you’re targeted, make a fuss. Point at the offender and chastise him in a loud
voice. He’ll probably slink away. To avoid such advances, consider choosing
reserved seating or insist on sitting next to another woman.
·
My thoughts
Reading the
article by Georgia Arlott actually surprised me that men nowadays are so
daring. We all must keep in mind that sexual harassment and assault can happen
anywhere, not only in India. However, it must not stop you from visiting the
beauty of another country. Instead, you should take pre-cautions before
visiting other countries and know how to protect yourself.
Do you have
any other tips to share for other women out there? Share with us by dropping us
a comment!
By: Nur Liyana Bte Roslan
|
Title: How do women travelers avoid sexual harassment when in foreign countries?
written on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 @ 8:03 PM ✈{ 12 comments }
Women travel
for many reasons – shopping, discover new things or simply to relax. Compare
women to men, women face greater obstacles when traveling such as getting
sexually harassed and assaulted. These two are global problems women could
easily come across when traveling.
What caught
my attention was an article written by Georgia Arlott here. She shared her
experience of travelling around India, during which sexual harassment was a
constant problem there.
Wandering
hands
Georgia
shared how when she rode on a rickshaw, hands would slip underneath her
trousers when watching fireworks display. Not knowing what to do, she would
just push the offending limbs away and make a quick escape.
Another
incident happened when she went to swim at a popular beach. Knowing that the
women there were always fully clothed in the water, she dutifully presented
herself in t-shirts and full-length trousers. However, this didn’t deter a
group of at least ten young men to follow her. Before she realized what was
happening, hands were everywhere.
Bribery
Georgia
stayed at one of her friend’s house, and each morning before her friend went to
work, he would simply lock her (& her group of friends) into his flat. According to him, white
women were a curiosity and it was not safe for them to sleep in an unlocked
house in the mornings.
Every night that
she stayed there, the Indian police would arrive asking for bribes. They
claimed that Georgia and her friends must be prostitutes. They would spend the
evenings out, but when they got home, the same story would repeat each time.
Beauty
Rape in India has been described by Radha
Kumar (an author and expert on ethnic
conflicts and peace processes) as
one of India's most common crimes against women and a “national problem” by the UN’s
human-rights chief.
However, we
all have to agree that India – a country known for its culture, monuments, nature
and home to the famous landmark Taj Mahal, is a beautiful country. Despite the
increasing number of sexual assaults being reported every year (source), it is still one of the most
popular countries in the world and a popular choice for travel destination
which receives millions of tourists every year.
Measures to take
- Behave
confidently. Act
as if you know exactly where you’re going and what you’re doing, even if you’re
lost. If someone makes you uncomfortable, keep your composure and remove
yourself from the situation at once.
- Avoid
eye contact. In
some cultures, meeting a man’s gaze may suggest that you want his company. A
simple solution is to wear dark glasses in public places.
- Take
your cue from the local women. If they don’t sit in cafés or parks alone or wear tank tops
or miniskirts, neither should you. Avoid wearing form-fitting clothing that may
be considered provocative.
- Wear
a (fake) wedding ring. Also
carry a photo of your husband (or an imaginary one), which you can show to
persistent suitors. Being seen as married will lower your profile and stave off
uninvited advances.
- Be
vigilant when travelling on public transport. Crowded buses and trains can be hot spots for anti-social
behaviour. Some men may exploit the opportunity to harass female passengers. If
you’re targeted, make a fuss. Point at the offender and chastise him in a loud
voice. He’ll probably slink away. To avoid such advances, consider choosing
reserved seating or insist on sitting next to another woman.
·
My thoughts
Reading the
article by Georgia Arlott actually surprised me that men nowadays are so
daring. We all must keep in mind that sexual harassment and assault can happen
anywhere, not only in India. However, it must not stop you from visiting the
beauty of another country. Instead, you should take pre-cautions before
visiting other countries and know how to protect yourself.
Do you have
any other tips to share for other women out there? Share with us by dropping us
a comment!
By: Nur Liyana Bte Roslan
|
Travel in Pink
For the ladies who love to travel, this is the perfect site for you. Join me in the journey to find the perfect hang-out places in Singapore for you and your girlfriends!
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What do you know about me?
A loud and cheerful girl, Liyana Roslan loves k-pop so much that she dreams of becoming a k-pop star one day. If that fails, she aims to be script writer and produce dramas with high profile k-pop artistes acting in them. She likes to read books during her spare time and her favourite author is Jodi Picoult. After getting emotionally affected after reading Jodi Picoult’s books, she hopes to instill the skills of influencing people through emotions if she becomes a script writer.
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Contact me
Email: liyana04077@gmail.com
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