As the dust began to
settle on a case which highlighted the illegal and also immoral use of a camera
by a store in Candolim, one began to look at the problem on a larger scale.
Reports began to point out that this was not the only instance in which
complaints of hidden cameras in changing rooms were made. Complaints of a
similar nature have apparently been pouring in from across the country.
Of course, as a
woman, or even a man for that matter, this is a matter of outrage. One’s
privacy is a matter of great concern. Efigenia Miranda of Margao feels, “I
think that every woman needs to be well aware of her surroundings! You don’t
walk into a changing room blindly. That being said, I also think that there
should be regular inspections of boutiques so as to ensure appropriate
positioning of cameras!”
For others, while
voyeurism is itself an issue that isn’t appealing by any stretch of the
imagination, it poses less of a threat than other atrocities towards women, and
should be dealt with swiftly, but with less hullaballoo than what was created
in the given case. Shankuntala Khawthankar (name changed to withhold identity)
of Panjim opines, “I find the thought of a hidden camera in a dressing room
less threatening to my existence that some of the other scourges that a woman
has to contend with on a daily basis. Voyeurs aren’t welcome, but I would
settle for letting them be if the same level of enthusiasm that is shown when
it comes to penalising them is directed at rapists. I also think that the
entire game of police action on this given issue is a PR exercise in damage
control. The news of surprise checks via newspaper headline? Then who is the
surprise for?”
