Jasleen Kaur is an educator — she trains nurses at a hospital in Noida. Jasleen Kaur is a shy, quiet person. But her quiet countenance took a turn towards the vociferous when she decided to fight back against her online harasser this week.
Jasleen believes there’s a thin line between an unwarranted message, and one that borders on online abuse.
For months, she repeatedly received lewd messages from a random guy on Facebook. Jasleen, like many of us, thought it was best to ignore them. But recently, after a deeply offensive message landed in her inbox, she decided to publicly identify the harasser, and shame him across social media platforms.
Watch this video where Jasleen talks about the incident.
Many, Many Cases
The National Crime Records Bureau reports that in 2013, there were 1,203 complaints of obscene publication/ transmission in electronic form. Of these, 737 people were arrested.
Jasleen realised that if she didn’t speak up, her stalker could harass other girls too. She decided to register her protest because she wanted to challenge the notion that harassment was a girl’s shame. Jasleen believes that it is the harasser who should be shamed. Inspired by Prerna, the feisty girl who decided to give it back to the man who was harassing her, Jasleen took down her stalker.
If you think about it, Jasleen urges, the tool behind perpetrating online abuse, and the tool to combat it, is the same — the keyboard. She believes that any girl who gets stalked or harassed online should not think twice before giving it back to her harasser.
The Law
The law currently does not deem stalking as an offence, unless it leads to the publication of obscene images.
But a draft provision has widened the definition of stalking to include those who try to force online interactions, or interfere with the mental peace of an individual.
Those booked under the new amended law could get imprisoned for a minimum of one year, and a maximum of three years, along with a fine. But one will have to wait for the amended law to be passed.
Till the law comes into effect, Jasleen wants all girls to unite in the fight against online harassment, and publicly shame the creeps who pester them. Because for a woman, online harassment is no less than being harassed on the streets.
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