It was 7th May 2022 when my life turned upside down. I was sexually assaulted by someone I considered a dear friend, a trusted confidante, a college batchmate. 

The incident played on repeat in my mind, haunting me day and night. I felt like there were no protections in place, no avenues for justice. I didn’t know who to speak to, where to complain, how to complain. For months, I suffered in silence - having to look at my predator day in and day out on campus having fun.

Almost all of us, across different colleges have never been educated about the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) Law which leaves us vulnerable to sexual abuse - unaware of our rights and protections. There is very little accessibility and visibility of ICC - Internal Complaint committee - for grievance redressal and justice. An Article on The Wire states that

- 1 in 10 women are subjected to sexual harassment in Higher Education Institutions

- Less than 5% of victims of harassment notify college authorities

- Despite being required by law to do so, 85% of educational institutions do not have a policy in place to handle accusations of sexual harassment.

What happened with me, must not happen with others to come. IIIT-Delhi is one of the leading institutes in India and has proven to be consistently responsive towards the evolving needs of society and their students.  I request IIIT Delhi to lead by example, by placing Zero tolerance for Sexual harassment boards on the entrance of the college, with a QR code to the complaint filing process. I request IIIT to host mandatory announcements and awareness sessions about ICC as part of their orientation programs and then subsequently every semester.

Hurry and sign as the college reopens in July and a new batch of students will enter its gates.

If the change we are seeking saves even one student from trauma it will be worth every bit. And hopefully other colleges will follow IIIT-Delhi's positive example. This small step by universities can be very affirming for us survivors.

Your signature will lead to safer campuses and a better world.

  #MakeCampusesSafer