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Women in jeans no-no on Kanpur campus
The Australian - June 13, 2009
Amanda Hodge, South Asia correspondent – Women students have been banned from wearing jeans in India by university officials who blame Western dress for rising incidents of sexual harassment and assault.
The decision by four women-only colleges in the northern city of Kanpur has sparked outrage among women's groups and students and prompted a call for the national government to review funding for the institutions.
The colleges, all affiliated to the city's main Chhatrapati Sahuji Maharaj university, defended the move this week as the best way to protect students.
"We found the offenders mostly target girls in jeans. (The decision) was necessary as we keep receiving complaints from parents and students who expect us to act against the offenders," said Dayanand Degree college principal Meeta Jamal.
"We inform the police about the incidents but the college's authorities have jointly decided to refrain girls from wearing jeans or using cell phones on campuses.
"By the time the colleges reopen (in a fortnight) we believe the students would have accepted the decision,"Ms Jamal added.
That is unlikely, judging by the reaction of groups such as Mahila Dakshata Samiti (Vigilant Women's Committee).
Vice-president and lawyer Vinay Bharadwak told The Weekend Australian the group would write to the Minister for Women and Children's Welfare over the issue, and demanded a review of the university's grants.
"I feel very angry because despite 60 years of independence we have not yet become civilised," she said. "By saying women should not wear this dress we are taking our society backwards. This kind of moral policing is to be detested."
Ms Bharadwak said sexual harassment, known in India as eve-teasing, was "rampant" but was ignored by the political class.
At Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, where jeans appeared to be the universal dress code, the consensus reaction among female students yesterday was indignation, but they expressed little surprise.
"This isn't about the girls. It's about our society and what guys have on their minds," said Onen Jamir, 23, a Masters of Philosophy student.
Dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, Ms Jamir said she would not dare walk out of the campus in such an outfit for fear of harassment.
Emeni Kayina, 28, a PhD student from Nagaland in the northern tribal belt, said she had found the transition to the capital difficult because of the restrictions on women.
"It's not fair that women are being made the scapegoats over this," she said. "Where I come from women have a lot more liberty."
Simpy Sinha, 27, said she suspected a political motive in the harassment in Kanpur, similar to the annual campaign by Hindu nationalist groups to prevent Valentine's Day celebrations.
"These people, they just try to create some havoc to get attention. Why not tell these boys not to leave their houses after 6pm?" she said. "Even girls wearing salwar kameez (long shirt and pants) or saris get raped."
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