Making Women ‘Saksham’ in Jammu District

Introduction

Ensuring women’s safety in higher education institutions is a growing concern of stakeholders in the education field. Keeping in view this concern, in 2014, the University Grant Commission (UGC) of India issued the Saksham guidelines, mandated for higher education institutions in the country. These included ‘Measures for Ensuring the Safety of Women’ and ‘Programmes for Gender Sensitization on Campuses’, both emphasing zero tolerance of any kind of harassment. The guidelines suggested the setting up of task forces to assess various parameters available in higher education institutions to ensure women safety. Then feedbacks were taken from different open forums.

The guidelines addressed four main categories/rubrics/concerns namely those regarding:

Measures for gender sensitization including the content and conduct of refresher courses, teaching modules and workshops to address issues of gender-based violence and cultures of impunity and silence that are prevalent on campuses, including the reinforcement of stereotypes. The need for academic and theoretical inputs, including learning modules on gender issues, was emphasized.

Keeping these priorities in mind, UGC decided to prepare a handbook on sexual harassment and gender sensitization, proposing that its Gender Sensitization Unit works with existing expertise and experience to prepare the handbook. A model curriculum was to be prepared for gender sensitization that was to be taught in relevant departments and courses in colleges and universities. Infrastructural arrangements in higher education institutions like female guards, lighting, CCTV surveillance etc. for women’s safety  were  to  be  ensured  (https://www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/5873997_SAKSHAM-BOOK.pdf).

Implementation Status of Saksham Guidelines in Jammu District

The present study explores the implementation status of Saksham guidelines in higher education institutions of Jammu district of India. For the study, between January and July 2016, a questionnaire provided by UGC was used for data collection. In addition, for a better understanding of problems faced by girls in higher education institutions, focus group interviews were also conducted. Out of a universe of 90 co-educational undergraduate and postgraduate colleges, 20 government and private colleges of Jammu district were chosen on a random basis. For a qualitative exploration of women’s safety in higher education institutions, focus group interviews were conducted with 80 girl students from these colleges. In the sample collected by the researcher, about 65 per cent of the colleges belong to urban areas and about 35 per cent of the colleges belong to rural areas. The percentage of women enrolled in these colleges was approximately 70 per cent.

Analysis of data indicated that while girls seemed reluctant to speak about direct instances of sexual harassment, there were many complaints about facilities. Around 50 per cent of the colleges in the sample had complaints regarding safety, public transport to/from the institution, lighting on the campuses, and overall dissatisfaction with toilet facilities, accommodation, health facilities and counselling services for women students. Most of the participants of the government colleges complained about the unhygienic condition of washrooms in college. They usually avoided going to these and many times, some were forced to go to paid public toilets outside the college. One of the girls said, ‘I usually don’t use washroom in college and generally go to the toilet after going back to home’. However, in private colleges washrooms were comparatively better than government colleges.

On the issue of patrolling squads, most of the girls in the sample were unaware of them. After the meaning of patrolling squads was explained to them, one of the girls in a private college said, ‘There is no patrolling squad and female security guards in our college’. Our research showed that only about 10 per cent institutions in the sample have patrol squads in and around campus, only a quarter have women security guards and a mere 30 per cent of the colleges have displayed women helpline number displayed at various places on campus. About 60 per cent of the colleges have the CCTV cameras and about 95 per cent of the colleges have orientation programmes at the beginning of the session and personal discussions with their students as well as lectures on gender-sensitive issues. These colleges have separate common rooms for girls. Only half the colleges have vigilance committee and over 60 per cent of the population has women’s grievance redressal committees. Most (85%) have the suggestion boxes for girl students to put in their suggestions.

During the focus group interviews, researchers explored the grievance redressal mechanism in their colleges. Girls generally filed complaint with class representatives or women teachers whom they trusted who in turn generally forwarded the complaint to the principal. However, interesting contrasts were found among girls regarding redressal of grievance, as one girl said, ‘If my complaint will not be addressed by formal mechanism in college, I will file a police complaint’. On the contrary, another girl said, ‘its generally difficult to file complaints as most people will then raise questions about my character rather than that of the boy, so its better not to indulge in this complicated process’. Few girls said that they usually talk with their parents, especially mothers, or older sisters if they come across such issues.

Researchers observed that most girls in government colleges were not aware of the grievance redressal mechanism in college. Many participants from private colleges were aware of anti-sexual harassment committees, women’s grievance redressal committees, vigilance committee, women’s cell etc. A few said, ‘In our college these type of information have been given in orientation programmes at the beginning of the session and various awareness programmes are organized in our campus like seminar, workshop, debates, play etc.’. But none of the government college students were aware of these programmes nor had they ever attended any orientation relevant programme.

Although UGC had made it mandatory for every college to make its own policy and procedure for dealing with sexual harassment, the present study showed that only 35 per cent of the colleges had established their own policies. To publicize these, about 71 per cent of colleges used the notice board and 5 per cent had printed brochures. In 10 per cent of institutions, the college assembly was used to publicize policies and procedures against sexual harassment. According to the sample collected by the researcher, two meetings were held in a month and most colleges had not received any complaint regarding sexual harassment in last two months prior to the study. However, one college had received nine complaints in the last two years.

About 85 per cent of the colleges in the sample take lectures, workshops and seminars on gender issues and the rest have no such awareness programmes. Furthermore, about 90 per cent of the colleges have held personal discussions with women students. All institutions ensure that the women students have equal access to facilities such as the library, laboratories or any other campus events at all times. Three-quarters of the colleges have only girls’ hostels; there are differential timings for male and female hostel residents to return to their respective hostels. In these colleges, ‘late nights’ are not allowed for girls and for boys as well, a time is fixed. In the researcher’s sample, about 30 per cent of the colleges have given suggestions for improving gender equality on campus. Most of colleges suggested that CCTV cameras should be installed, female security staff should be appointed and that there should be patrol squads in and around campus and so on.

Researchers conducted focus group interviews to ascertain the views of girl students on ragging in their college campus as none of the college reported even a single incident of ragging. The participants felt that since they had joined college, they had not heard any case of ragging.

Most of the participants had filled in affidavits on anti-ragging that were signed by parents as well. Though UGC had mandated the posting of helpline numbers and email of anti-ragging committees on college notice boards, no college in the sample had done so.

While some participants in both government and private colleges spoke of a congenial atmosphere in their campuses, in one private college female participants shared their views regarding derogatory comments on their dress: Male students passed comments on their attire, and stared within and outside the campus. They were of the view that male students are conservative and ‘generally don’t behave like educated persons’. One girl in a government college said, ‘One day I was wearing Capris (below the knee length trousers) and Surprisingly one female teacher of my college commented on my dress’. The girl was shocked and didn’t reply to her teacher. She said, ‘I was just wearing Capris and I felt ashamed that even a female teacher taunted me’. During a focus group interview a girl studying in a private college made some revealing comments: ‘A male teacher asked few of us, if you want ‘A’ grade, you need to prepare for your final exam at my home. When we violently objected and said that we could complain to the anti-sexual harassment committee, he quickly said that we need not go to his home’.

During the focus group interviews participants said that though programmes like workshops, seminars, debates on gender sensitization were organized in their colleges, the majority of students remain unaware of these activities. It was mainly class representatives, volunteers of the National Service Scheme (NSS) and National Cadet Corps (NCC) who participated.

In the sample collected by the researcher about 45 per cent of the colleges have Women’s Studies Centre/Department or Women’s Development Cell in their institutions. Researchers found that in most departments and institutions, there was no full course in the curriculum which focuses on women, and gender-related topics.

Conclusion

It needs to be reiterated that the safety of girl students in educational institutions is their right—and not a luxury. The present study would indicate that issues related to the safety of women influence their enrolment in higher education. Fieldwork showed that students are unaware of the various measures stipulated by the UGC for women’s safety in higher education. UGC’s guidelines state that first and foremost requirements for women’s safety in higher education institutions are the proper functioning of acts and stipulated provisions. Implementation of these measures would be valuable inputs for girls and their parents who would feel that there is safety on campuses. Due to lack of proper knowledge about the Sakhsham guidelines, girl students face various problems like inadequate infrastructure, ragging, harassment etc. on campuses. Though the UGC had made it mandatory for every college to follow these guidelines strictly, the present study observes that the implementations of these provisions are faulty.