Street harassment is a type of harassment that includes unwanted comments, gestures, whistling, catcalling, exposure, following, persistent sexual advances and being touched by strangers in public areas such as streets, public transport, shopping malls, etc.

Despite having laws that are against street harassment, 80% of women and anybody who self identifies as a woman, face street harassment on a daily basis.

Women do not deserve to walk the streets being scared. We should be assured with confidence that the law protects us. Being groped, catcalled, yelled at, whistled at, is NOT okay. It is NOT a compliment. It makes us feel powerless, objectified, and threatened. It can be really traumatic and cause a lot of emotional damage.

It is noticeable that in our country, women are forced to change and adapt to different routes, like wearing clothes that are "less-provoking" to the men, restricted to step out in the night, restrict our opinions and behaviour, everything for our own safety. This is not okay. This contributes to victim blaming and hence, rape culture.

We want to eliminate rape, but how are we ever going to get there without starting at the roots?

There are countries that are fighting back against street harassment. When will it be india's turn? Are we going to sit back and watch till something happens that is horrible enough to help you realise the magnitude of this problem?

Street harassment gives harassers the idea of feeling superior over their victims. Making street harassment a criminal offence in india, will empower the victims, by which i mean majority of the women and anybody who self identifies as a woman, to come out and report the incidents and hold their harassers accountable to their crimes, cut the misogyny and patriarchy to a large extent.

Imagine how our country is going to change, when every woman of the country steps out of that door fearlessly

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