There's more to sexual assault than skin-to-skin contact

 Image source- Monash Impact

The recent judgement of Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court has made all people feel more unsafe than what we feel already. It ruled that groping a minor without 'skin to skin contact' isn't sexual assault under POSCO. 

Sexual assault is unfortunately very much normalized in our country. All girls and women feel unsafe. I myself know many who have gone through any kind of sexual assault. Pepper sprays, holding keys between fingers, inspecting cars or cabs multiple time before getting in, learning self defense, having to give up short clothes, having to have a male with us to protect us, and the list goes on. Though this is not only experienced by minors, but also adults irrespective of gender.

Image source- Twitter @egyptianbeyonce

 

This ruling will make the matter for girls and women and even boys even more worse. Unfortunately, for minor boys, they cannot even complain or raise their voice as "Boys don't get sexually assaulted", and "mard ko dard nahi hota". For boys, no one accepts. And girls and women are suppressed and told not to speak of their sexual assaults and keep within ourselves. Also unfortunately, adult men.

We all face non skin-to-skin sexual assaults in various ways. Groping private parts with clothes on in any place (public places particularly) and in transit, placing hand and squeezing the shoulders, 'accidental' bumping into the person by any push or vehicle break, verbal sexual abuse, staring at private parts, and there are many more ways of sexually assaulting a person without skin to skin contact. All this are enough to make the victim/survivor uncomfortable and even traumatize them for life. 

Though The National Commission for  Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had asked the Maharashtra government to urgently appeal the High Court judgement and several organisations moved to top court again the High Court judgement. Hoping that this judgement is challenged and drawn back very soon.