Calling for a bikini ban is a dangerous response to assaults in India

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/03/bikini-ban-response-assaults-india-goa

Version 0 of 1.

Just a day after Tapas Pal, an MP from the ruling Trinamul Congress party in West Bengal, was seen exhorting his party members to rape women associated with the opposition party, a minister in Goa, Sudhin Dhavalikar, has come up with his own unique formula to stop increasing incidents of assault on women: ban bikinis and alcohol.

The two politicians might have different ideologies, but the misogyny is frighteningly similar. One encourages an attack on women, and the other proposes to "protect" them – but they both reflect equally dangerous aspects of patriarchy.

These pronouncements have led to widespread outrage in India, especially among women, who see this as another attempt to curtail hard-won freedoms. But, unfortunately, both Pal and Dhavalikar have been protected by their concerned chief ministers. Pal was let off the hook once he submitted a written apology, which the (female) chief minister of West Bengal believed to be sufficient atonement. Despite his open provocation to rape, there is no suggestion the MP will be sacked, although a public interest litigation has been filed in the Kolkata courts.

Similarly, Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar supported Dhavalikar, saying that it was his personal opinion and not government policy. He explained that the minister merely meant bikinis could be worn on the beach but not to inappropriate places such as temples, and that he would not ban the wearing of bikinis so long as it did not become a "public problem".

This slightly ambivalent interpretation has not led to public unease dying down, even though the minister for tourism has also reiterated that there will be no attempt to ban either bikinis or alcohol. Dhavalikar, meanwhile, has maintained his position, clarifying that it is difficult to protect women if they continue to wear bikinis on the beach and elsewhere, also adding that this goes against Indian culture.

While the statement made by Pal is easy to condemn, the worrying reality is that sentiments such as those expressed by Dhavalikar are beginning to find resonance with the public. In the absence of adequate security for women, increasing cases of assault and little impact of the stringent anti-rape laws passed a few years ago, attitudes like this are gaining traction.

Residents of Goa, especially those who are not actively involved in the tourism trade, often rue the poor image of their state, particularly after the well-publicised case of the rape and murder of the British teenager Scarlett Keeling in 2008. It is possible that a quick fix "solution" like this might have some appeal.

But there are more complex issues at play. As Goa continues to be a cheap tourist hub, it has seen a deluge of domestic tourism. Far too many young men, usually from highly conservative backgrounds and little exposure to beach culture or respect for individual privacy, gather here. I have personally seen Indian men taking photographs of women sunbathing, or even approaching them if they happen to be alone. For them the sight of bare flesh seems like an open invitation.

Alongside this, some parts of Goa have associations as an international party zone, often with free-flowing alcohol, drugs and sex. This combination of conservatism and libertarianism is combustible, sometimes leading to far more serious consequences of sexual harassment. Dhavalikar was therefore just repeating what even local, liberal Goans say, sotto voce.

This is typical of the uneasy confluence at which India stands today: caught between rapid modernisation, and an old-fashioned value system. It is women who are victimised in the absence of robust laws.

Instead of trying to ensure that women's security is prioritised through infrastructural and social changes, the most simple solution is always to thrust them back, out of the male gaze, into purdah.