Everyone has a viewpoint: JNU officer on circular for counselling session on sexual harassment

JNU. Pic/ istock

A day after a public invitation for a counselling session by JNU on sexual harassment drew flak for its choice of words, the presiding officer of the varsity's Internal Complaints Committee said everyone has a viewpoint and their way of looking at things.

A line in the invitation read: "girls are supposed to know how to draw a tangible line between them and their male friends".

This drew the ire of student outfits and teachers who said it reeks of victim shaming.

The Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) had uploaded the invitation on the varsity's website saying that it will organise the counselling session on sexual harassment on January 17.

It also said that such sessions will be organised on a monthly basis.

Professor Punam Kumari, the presiding officer of the ICC, said, "Many of the cases that we receive are those where men and women are close friends. Women, if they do not like the way they are being touched should say it the first time and not keep to themselves. People get into a relationship after becoming friends. If they don't like the way they are being touched, they should convey it clearly."

She said that men are not aware about the repercussions of sexual harassment and the counselling session will educate them that if they are making someone uncomfortable or touching them inappropriately, despite being told not to, what can be the consequences.

When asked about the criticism, she said, "Everyone has a viewpoint and their way of looking at things. They can look at the counselling session in a positive way and see that such an event is being organised."

Under the subhead "why is the counselling session required", the invite said that it will make students aware about what consists of sexual harassment.

It also said that students are being counselled during the orientation programme and on the inception of each academic year, they need to refresh their knowledge about the same, time to time.

"ICC come across a number of cases where sexual harassment takes place among close friends. Boys generally cross (sometimes advertently, sometimes inadvertently) the thin line between friendship's bantering and sexual harassment. Girls suppose to know how to draw a tangible line (between them and their male friends) to avoid any such harassments (sic)," the invite read.

Earlier in the day, National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma sought withdrawal of the "misogynist" circular issued by the university.

"Why all the teachings are always for girls only? Time to teach harassers not the victims. The misogynist circular of JNU should be withdrawn. Internal committee should have victim-centred approach and not otherwise," Sharma said on Twitter, while tagging the invitation.

Calling the invitation 'atrocious', JNU professor Ayesha Kidwai, in a Facebook post, said the invite shows why women do not want to approach the ICC.

"It shows us why women complainants do not want to complain to the ICC for fear of being punished themselves. It also explains why the loss of GSCASH has effectively silenced all discussion of SH (sexual harassment) on JNU campus altogether, as the ICC and its supposed awareness programmes have created an atmosphere which is virulently hostile to sexual harassment being seen as a misconduct, a human rights violation, and a blatant exercise of patriarchal and hierarchical power in the workplace," the post read.

The JNU administration replaced the Gender Sensitisation Committee against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) with the ICC in September 2017 in its 269th executive council meeting, a move which was extensively criticised by student and teacher bodies, apart from women's rights organizations.

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