bullying - Central News Hub

Jwala Gutta reveals she coped with ‘racist bullying’

Gutta further exhorted women to come out and voice the harassment they have faced, instead of keeping quiet…reports Asian Lite News

India’s ace badminton doubles player Jwala Gutta on Tuesday revealed she was bullied and faced a barrage of racial barbs about her looks but always held her own against bullies.

“I was criticised about how I am and how I look. When a woman is candid and articulates her opinions freely, it is never taken in a right way. I was called ‘Made in China’ and was asked to prove my nationality,” Gutta told News18, on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

“Earlier it used to be eve-teasing but now they (bullies) have a bigger platform. The power of anonymity has given them the confidence that they can harass or tease anyone without facing repercussions,” she stated.

The recipient of the Arjuna Award emphasised the need for stricter social media policing and counselling. “Social media policing must become stricter. Sometimes there are young kids using fake IDs to harass women on social media. More than punishment, they need counselling. Regular counselling is important. The kind of words these people have started using, I won’t be surprised if they become violent in real life as well, not just on social media,” she firmly asserted.

“The fear of getting caught is not there. Whenever I feel it’s critical or important, I report these things to the cyber-crime police. Trollers get worried but it still is not enough,” she added.

The conversation was part of Network18’s streamathon for its #ItsNotOk campaign where it partnered with Truecaller to raise awareness about why it’s important for women to ‘Call It Out’ on harassment issues.

Gutta further exhorted women to come out and voice the harassment they have faced, instead of keeping quiet.

“I think it’s very important for women to come out and speak about harassment they face. Keeping quiet or not doing anything about it is an encouragement to people who harass women online and offline. I would also like to tell women to stop doubting themselves. If you are the victim, you have nothing to fear. Come out and call out. Use the system to your advantage. The system is there to protect us. Don’t be scared. Believe that there will be a change in the future,” she said.

The celebrated sportsperson also gave a message for parents on how to bring up their children.

“This culture of victimising the victim or victim’s family has forced everybody to keep quiet about any kind of harassment. My dad always told me to stand up against eve-teasing. I always stood up for myself. There must be counselling sessions for children and parents in schools. Parents must talk to children about such issues and teach them to conduct themselves properly. The choice of words is very important,” she concluded.

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Report finds bullying, harassment of women in military

While many commanding officers want to do the right thing, it is clear that, too often, female service personnel are being let down by the chain of command,’ she added…reports Asian Lite News.

Sixty-four per cent of female veterans and 58 per cent of currently serving women reported experiencing bullying, harassment and discrimination (BHD) during their careers in the UK military, according to a new parliamentary report put out on Sunday.

The House of Commons Defence Sub-Committee on Women in the Armed Forces, in its report entitled ‘Protecting Those Who Protect Us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life’, said that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and military services are ‘failing to protect female personnel and to help servicewomen achieve their full potential’.

While most servicewomen and female veterans that were consulted for the report, nearly 90 per cent of respondents to a survey, would recommend the Armed Forces as a career, more than 3,000 (around 84 per cent) reported that female service personnel face additional challenges relative to their male counterparts.

‘Women are integral to our military’s success and our country’s security, yet women in the Armed Forces carry additional burdens to that of their male colleagues,’ said Conservative Party MP Sarah Atherton, Chair of the Sub-Committee.

“Women face barriers to promotion, issues with families and childcare, abuse and inappropriate behaviours, and an overrepresentation in the Service Complaints system. Female veterans face distinctive challenges when transitioning into civilian life and have specific needs, different to male veterans, that cannot be dealt with by broad-brush, one-size-fits-all veterans’ services,” she said.

A female veteran herself, Atherton said the stories the committee heard ‘paint a difficult picture’ for women in the military. Accounts of bullying, harassment, discrimination, ‘laddish’ behaviour, and sometimes serious sexual assault and rape were among the complaints.

‘The complaints system, as it stands, is woefully inadequate and leaves most feeling unable to come forward. We also heard accusations of senior officers sweeping complaints under the rug to protect their own reputations and careers. While many commanding officers want to do the right thing, it is clear that, too often, female service personnel are being let down by the chain of command,’ she added.

The Sub-Committee recommends that the MoD create a specialised Defence Authority to handle BHD complaints and that the MoD better resource the Service Complaints Ombudsman and make their decisions binding.

It also calls on the MoD to reverse the recent decision to reduce the appeals period from six weeks to two.

“It is clear from this report that more can, and should, be done to protect and provide for servicewomen and female veterans, who have, far too often, been let down by the Ministry of Defence. Where there has been injustice, rectifications must be made,” said Conservative Party MP Tobias Ellwood, Chair of the Commons Defence Committee.

“Our Sub-Committee has conducted in-depth research, over several months, on the issue of sexual assault and rape, and has an accurate and honest understanding of the problems women face. This is not a race to the bottom or a matter of saving face. We should place the issue itself at the heart of our work,” he said.

UK minister of state for defence Annabel Goldie said many changes have been introduced to improve the experience for women in the armed forces.

“The reality is that that experience is not yet equal, and very occasionally can be really harmful,” she said.

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