A wake-up call from Odisha
The tragic end to the young woman's life offers at least two takeaways for the government, college authorities, and society at large, on curbing sexual violence. One, complaints about harassment must be heard with empathy and responded to immediately — more so in places of learning that are viewed as laboratories of societal change. The tendency is often for the authorities to back the faculty/staff member facing allegations — from caste-related complaints to sexual harassment — and silence the complainant. A thorough probe can ascertain or refute guilt, but the complaint should be acted upon immediately, and necessary counsel provided to the complainant. The process has been laid out in several legal provisions on sexual harassment, including the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act, but their implementation is often tardy — deliberate or otherwise — and sometimes the response is even hostile. Timely intervention can save lives, as the Odisha incident shows — the young woman's act was undoubtedly one of untold despair when relief didn't seem forthcoming.
Second, the trust between the student and the teacher is fraying for a host of reasons. There is a certain power dynamic embedded in this relationship, as underlined by the MeToo list some years ago. Hence, clear red lines must be drawn so that people at one end are aware of their rights and those at the other, of their responsibilities. Most college students are fresh out of their teens, staying away from home, and emotionally vulnerable; guardrails are necessary so that this situation is not exploited by faculty and other staff at educational institutions. A bigger challenge is to ensure that the trust between the faculty and the student community on campuses is restored.
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