Sexual harassment in university and college campuses in Mumbai

Assessing the extent of the problem is the first step in the process of intervention. This also serves as a primary vehicle for prevention as well as creating awareness. The present study on sexual harassment in University and college campuses in Mumbai, therefore, primarily aimed at determining the extent of sexual harassment, or what constitutes sexual harassment; whether such incidents get reported; and how are they then dealt with. The final objective was to evolve a policy and a model strategy to effectively and sensitively deal with such instances. A draft policy is presented at the end of this article as an appendix. The collection of data was spread over a span of eight weeks - from January 1999 to March 1999. The target group included students and faculty members and a few heads of: some institutions. Nearly 196 questionnaires were distributed to students in various college/university settings in Mumbai - individually, in groups, in classrooms, in campuses and so on. Seventeen students were interviewed individually and about 51 students' views were taken by group discussions. Thirty faculty members, including principals and deans, were contacted and three service staff, who were ready to speak, were interviewed. A limitation of this study was that students were not ready to speak because of the sensitivity of the issue and the possible repercussions.