Kerala Women and Child Development Minister Bindu Krishna's personal experience of being voyeuristically filmed at a school event has ignited a crucial push for a comprehensive state policy to combat the escalating issue of digital harassment against women.
Key Points
- Kerala Minister Bindu Krishna was filmed inappropriately during a school event in Kollam, with the footage focusing on her body parts rather than her face.
- The incident highlights the vulnerability of women and girls to digital harassment, even those in positions of power.
- Minister Krishna is pushing for a comprehensive state policy to address and curb the rising menace of digital harassment against women.
- She plans to meet with the Home Minister and Chief Minister to ensure inter-departmental cooperation for effective implementation of the new policy.
Keralam Women and Child Development Minister Bindu Krishna said that the State government is drafting a comprehensive policy to curb the rising menace of digital harassment against women, and shared a harrowing personal experience of being voyeuristically filmed during an event at a school in Kollam.
Minister Shares Personal Ordeal
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, Bindu Krishna detailed the incident where a person filmed inappropriate footage of her and asked that if a person in power is not safe from such 'audacity', the plight of common women and students remains a grave concern.
Elaborating on the ordeal, she explained, "Let me tell you an example. On July 6th, during the Higher Secondary Admission festival in Kollam, I visited several schools in my constituency. I didn't realise it at the time, but at one school, someone was taking photos."
"A person sitting behind him saw what he was doing and noticed that he wasn't zooming in on my face, he was zooming in on my body parts. Someone nearby saw it and told him to stop. I thought that was the end of it. But he still posted it online- not my face, but those body parts."
Call for Stricter Action
"Now, if someone has the audacity to take such photos of a state minister in a public place and post them, what would be the situation of the young girls or the female teachers in that school? It is a massive violation," she said.
Addressing the need for a stronger deterrent, she stated, "I don't usually like to trouble anyone, but in this case, I insisted on strict action."
Outlining her plan for legislative action, she noted, "We are formulating a policy to address this. I will meet with the home minister and the chief minister because their departments must be involved to make this effective. We need a system where women and girls feel safe from this kind of harassment."
