Women are strong minded and confident, but protecting themselves when physically threatened requires a different skill set. Recently, the case of a young woman from Haryana being stalked came to
light when her father complained to the police and posted on social media about
the same. The police were quick to track down the culprits and took
action against them even though he was the son of Haryana’s BJP Chief.
In Goa too, stalking is something most women have had to face. While walking on the
street itself, a stranger could
keep a
lookout for you or come up and try to start
a
conversation. “I work in Panjim and even during the day, when the
streets are buzzing with people, there are men who stalk women.
As I was walking for lunch, a man on a bike stopped and asked for directions.
Even though I noticed that it was a Goa registered bike, I explained the route.
The next day, he again asked for directions. This time I bluntly asked him, if
he really wanted directions. That’s when he said that he wanted to be friends with me. I was furious and I yelled at him in public. Since then, thankfully, I have not seen him again,” shares Dorothy D’Silva.
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Mary
Fernandes from Mapusa works at a renowned hotel in Panjim. Working the night shift, she used to ride home. Now, she travels by car which is
much safer. “The stretch from Sangolda to Guirim has no proper street lighting
and though it is the highway, it gets pretty dark when there are no vehicles on
the road. I travel home after I finish my duty, around 3am, and I
often come across men on bikes and cars who slow down or dodge their
vehicles when they realise it is a single woman. When I used to be on the bike,
boys, even locals, would
purposely ask for directions to strike up a
conversation. I never stopped or replied because that was not the time or place
to make small talk with potential threats,” says Mary.
Perpetua
Fernandes from Margao faced online stalking
when she added a
stranger on a calling and messaging app on her phone. That was her biggest
mistake which she regretted for two whole weeks. “I received a Facebook
Messenger request to chat and I added this individual who I thought was a
college friend who shared the same name. From the moment I accepted his request,
I started receiving calls from his account which I did not respond to. Usually,
if one refuses to answer your call, you should understand that this person is
not interested in having a conversation. However, this person went on calling
and messaging me for two continuous weeks. The minute I used to open the app, I
would start getting calls and messages, till one night, when I
went online and messaged that person not to bother me. When he
still didn’t oblige, I finally blocked him,” Perpetua recollects that ordeal.
Though we
regard Goa to be much safer than other states in the country, women should
always have their guard up against possible threats. Safety, whether
online or in the real world, should not be
taken for granted.
