TNN | Jun 26, 2012, 12.48AM IST
BHOPAL: It's not just summer or dust that forces city girls to veil their faces and suffocate despite searing temperature. For them, it's more due to security and safety concerns.
Bhopal girls primarily cite eve-teasing and security threat, apart from heat and dust, as reasons for doing so.
Anamika, a student says, "Security is a major concern for girls and hence cover my face. I have often seen that boys follow girls till home or coaching centers."
Eve-teasing is another major reason why girls keep their faces covered, say many college going girls.
Akansha, a private engineering college student admitted," I try changing my route as frequently as possible. I have seen boys on bikes harassing girls."
However, there are some who contest such opinions. Bhupendra Kaur Sandhu, head, womenhelpline cell, says, "Covering face sends a wrong message. Girls need to become mentally and physically strong to overcome eve-teasing. They should take the help of police whenever they sense trouble. The state police run a campaign "we care for you" to protect girls from such incidents."
Nutan Girls College principal Shobhna Maroo says, "Girls do not need to cover their faces to protect themselves from eve-teasing. They should rather root out fear from within. Every year we have been running a programme called Mission Prahar in which Commando Deepak trains the girls for such things."
Sukanya, an engineering student, says, "Eve teasing in Bhopal is too rampant and almost every girl faces it. It is up to the individual if they want to ignore it or fight against it. Covering ones face hardly matters."
However there are other reasons too which many of them admit privately. "Some of us want to hide our identity from our peers when we are going around with boyfriends or a male friend to avoid unnecessary questions," says a student on the condition of an anonymity.
Helpline numbers: 1091 and 2443801Link: Afraid of eve teasers, Bhopal girls put on veils
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