What ought to have been an issue framed within the binaries of powerful upper caste male professors and young vulnerable students was turned on its head as new binaries emerged — young versus old, dalit versus savarna and established feminists versus upstarts. It is due to the power they wield over the internal complaints’ committees that due process mechanism has failed and those approaching these committees are re-victimised. We know that patriarchal power is augmented with other power structures and hence, the “due process” does not provide a level-playing field. The legal avenue of “seeking justice” is just one way, but it is not the best option as many have experienced it the hard way.It is not that as a lawyer I will negate “due process” or advise women to take the law in their own hands. Based on her experience, she offers a few tips: “Start saving money and before you speak up, get yourself a lawyer.With this, the floodgates were thrown open.The doubts expressed by articulate young feminists, about the efficacy of legal structures to bring respite to victims, are refreshing.
Until such time, we lack the moral authority to state the “only” or “correct” path to bring redressal. There have been many instances where victims had declined to name their abusers, but despite this, the issue was highlighted in the media, seeking the resignation of the person concerned. So even before I became aware of “the list”, the anxious statement endorsed by a dozen-odd Delhi-based feminists urging that it be taken down as “due process” had not been followed went viral. The whisperings and anecdotal stories which used to travel through the grapevines of academic institutions, corporate offices, court corridors and NGO networks suddenly acquired a name — “Hall of Shame”. But this logic has been rejected by several feminists across the generational divide.end-ofTags: feminism, sexual harassment.It has been a season of feminist churnings.
The support they need is long drawn and unflinching, and may span over several years. In an article by Namita Bhandare, “Culture of Silence Makes It Difficult for Women to Speak up Against Predatory Behaviour by Men”, published in The Wire, the Teri researcher urges all the victims to speak up. But even while we acknowledge the failure of “due process” in selective spaces within carefully crafted structure, we continue to express faith that it works for ordinary women out there — the poor, the illiterate and the marginalised, obliterating their scepticism about the efficacy of legal redress.Will it create a problem for those who are named? Those who helped in compiling the list seemed confident that no such danger exists. As one subsequently commented: “I never perceived myself as a powerful person holding a privileged position”.As the pent-up anger and frustration of the younger lot led China mold wear blocks manufacturers to a “no holds barred” barrage of accusations, the signatories to the statement were unable to fathom what hit them.The concern of established feminists stems from four decades of over-investment in law.Yet the demands for more stringent legal provisions continue. The notion of “feminist collectives” has helped many to camouflage the power each of us hold due to our individual class, caste, social status, institutional affiliations or the titles we hold.
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