It took great courage for Zaira Wasim, 17, to open up about a harrowing experience on a Delhi-Mumbai flight in December. The Dangal actor was allegedly molested by Vikas Sachdeva, a co-passenger. Wasim said Sachdeva, who was sitting behind her, put up his feet on her armrest. “I tried to record it on phone to understand it better. Because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it,” she said in a video posted on her Instagram page. “The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another five to ten minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck.”
The video went viral, prompting the Mumbai Police to record Wasim's statement and lodge an FIR. Wasim's family, however, was initially reluctant to file a complaint. Sachdeva, 39, was arrested and charged under sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 and the Indian Penal Code.
Why do survivors of sexual abuse or harassment hesitate to come forward and fight it out legally? Fear of victim blaming and shaming, says Dr Achal Bhagat, senior consultant, psychiatry, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi. Also, “the legal process is still tough in the country. The victim is made to tell her story over and over again, which is traumatising,” he says.
In India, a sexual assault case could go on for 10 to 15 years. “A rape survivor may get interviewed 16-18 times before she reaches a trial court to tell her story. Then the media comes in and your colleagues get to know. It even starts affecting your career prospects,” says Bhagat. That the conviction rate is low also dissuades many survivors from filing complaints.
But, not reporting the crime only emboldens the abuser, say experts, and a delay in filing the complaint could make it difficult for the investigators to connect the dots.
