It’s the same old story every day. Step on the street in the morning and you jump out of your skin as a car hurtles towards you and changes direction just before smashing you to a pulp and the driver gives you an infuriating laugh.

Even as you are still cursing him under your breath, you walk past a group of men standing at a corner who burst into a laughter.

You pretend not to hear. You get into a taxi, and the driver adjusts his rear view mirror to get a better look at you and you sit with your files and hand bag clutched close to your chest as you avoid eye contact with him through the journey.

A motorist peeks into the taxi, decides he likes what he sees and follows you lecherously, giggling excitedly until you reach your office.

Suddenly, at the office gate, two men come out of nowhere and pass lewd comments at you.

No girl has been spared from being a victim of eve teasing. This is a harsh reality in Bhutan. One place where it happens with alarming frequency is on the road, the streets.

Eve teasing is misbehavior in youth. It’s a form of sexual assault and ranges from sexually indicative remarks, catcalls, brushing in public places to totally checking you out.

Many men say that women themselves are inviting eve teasers. The way a woman dresses up is one of the main reasons for them to fall prey to eve teasers. “I say women are to be blamed. They dress appropriately, and men will respect them,” says Tenzin, a tourism council employee.

Men say eve teasing can be avoided by wearing conservative clothing, though eve teasing has been reported both by women who wear short skirts and conservative dresses.

Because of this, some women have resorted to carrying sprays and pen knives. “My family finds it bizarre when I tell them I carry a pen knife whenever I’m out with my friends. I use it for many purposes – to cut a fruit or to open a canned food. But I also intend to use it to defend myself,” said a 26-year-old private employee.

Others stay home to avoid eve teasers. “Men have never stopped eve teasing us. But nobody seems to do anything about it. So I make sure I stay home after dark. If I have some work at night, I go with my brother or a guy friend,” says Dolma, a private employee.

Karma Deki, 22, a graduate from India said eve teasing was another means of fun for men. “They enjoy seeing women wobble at their feet,” she said. “But once I shouted at them; they couldn’t even look straight into my eyes. All the girls should do the same.”

In Thimphu only a few cases of eve teasing have been reported. But none of the cases has gone to court.

“People tease each other in a friendly way; as long as no one considers it as a threat to one’s mental or physical health, everybody has no problem with eve teasing,” says Dr Rinchen Chophel, Executive Director of National Commission for Women and Children.

“It depends on what kind of teasing you are doing. If you are just being funny and teasing someone with words, then know when enough is enough. If you are hurting someone by teasing them, it’s a serious problem since eve teasing is a violation of modesty and dignity of women,” he added.

The Penal Code of Bhutan says a person shall be guilty of the offence of disorderly conduct, if with the purpose to cause public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, the defendant engages in the following acts in public; c) engages in affray or fighting, or eve teasing …

A person guilty of eve teasing shall be fined the daily national minimum national wage rate for a maximum of 90 days.

Source: Bhutan Observer