Tutor Called 16-Year-Old Girl A “Prostitute”, Has Been Arrested Under POCSO. Can We Stop Slut-Shaming Girls?

Slut-shaming isn’t a new concept to us. We have all heard of multiple incidents of it happening and we have been victims of it too. However, minor girls being slut-shamed has always shocked me. Be it for clothing or having male friends, a woman’s character is always questioned and put under scrutiny for no good reason. So imagine how unsurprised yet amazed I was when I heard of this tutor based in Andheri, Mumbai calling a 16-year-old female student a ‘prostitute.’ 

A 48-year-old tutor based in Andheri west has been arrested under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) for calling a female student a ‘prostitute’ because she let a male student lay his head on her lap. Yeah, wow. The Oshiwara police mentioned that the tutor runs private tuitions in Andheri West. The incident occurred on October 29 in a class of about 8-10 students. The tutor’s justification for his filthy words towards a minor was that he saw her allowing a male student to lay his head on her lap. This allegedly angered him so much that he scolded her and called her a ‘prostitute’ for this.

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The victim returned home and complained about the incident to her parents who went to the Oshiwara police to file an FIR against the tutor. The girl said that the boy’s head accidentally touched her lap when he bent down to pick up a dropped pencil. The tutor was booked under Section 12 (sexual harassment) under POCSO and Section 509 (act, word or gesture intended to insult woman’s modesty) under the IPC.

The fact that a 48-year-old educator felt comfortable saying such a lewd thing to a girl less than half his age is astounding to me. If a child cannot feel comfortable and safe while they are getting an education, how do we expect there to be any progress in the country? Moreover, when are we gonna base a woman’s character on superficial factors like such?

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