Isn't Groping the First Step Towards More Heinous Crime like Rape?

#MondayAwakening

Woke up to, if I must say, a ridiculous verdict that High Court of Bombay produced for a case where 39-year old male sexually assaulted a 12-year-old minor.

In a sense of this case, minor's testimony was basically rejected and the man was freed from all counts of sexual harassment as it was a mere groping. And, the case moves forward towards charges of indecency.

It's a shame that a woman (Justice #PushpaGanediwala) finalized such a verdict - "?????????? ???? ???????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????????????? ?????? ??????????????, ?????? ?????????????? ???????????? ???? ???????????? ???? ???????????? ?????????????? ??????, ??????????????, ?????????????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ?????????????????? ?? ??????????'?? ?????????????? ".

Are you kidding me? ??????????????????, ???? ??????'???? ???????? ??????????????, ?????? ?????? ?????? ?? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ????????'?? ?????

My only question is - Do we now have to give lessons to these #judges and #advocates on things like how not giving #rightful #punishment fuels the inflated ego of these perpetrators and encourage them to do it again, in fact at a higher degree than before?

Also, lessons on #EmotionalImpact that these #ForcedPhysicalEncounters on minors, and women-kind in general have.

What message does this 12-year girl get out of this - there is a difference between groping private parts and an actual rape?

Wouldn't it be emotionally and mentally similar to her? Does she have to wait for an actual rape to happen first? How insecure society would become if this is the message we are giving to the general public, I wonder!

#EveTeasing is the best example here. It's hardly a skin-to-skin contact, but then is that not classified under sexual harassment? And if not, aren't you sending a wrong message out there to such men & society at large, that it's okay to consider any woman walking on the street as your property. ?????? ??????'?? ???? ?????????????? ?????????? ???? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????? ???????????? ????????????. 

Another question: If they get away with groping easily, isn't actual sexual assault [Rape] the very next thing to happen? After all, it will fire up their guts to do it.

I would love my #GalSquad to pitch in their thoughts: Kritika Kulshrestha, Sangita Marda Agarwal, Neha Agarwal, Gauri Das, Sanaya Dhamodiwala, Vanita Visvanath, Suba Lakshminarasimhan, Madhurima Mazumdar, Durva Leena Arun, Sucharita Pradhan, Ruchi Sharma (She/Her) and others.