Ernakulam tops in eve-teasing cases

Kochi: Eve-teasers have given Ernakulam district a bad name although eve-teasing cases have been on the decline throughout the state.  

Ernakulam   tops  the list in the number of cases registered in the state during  the last couple of years, according to the data  with the State Crime Records Bureau.

Kasargod can take pride as the district with the least number of cases with just one registered this year so far.  

After Ernakulam,  where 25 eve-teasing cases were booked till June,  comes  Thrissur with 17. Malappuram and Kottayam  have 14 cases each,  Thiruvananthapuram  has  six and Kozhikode five.

There has been a decline in eve-teasing cases  registered in the state, including in Ernakulam where 63 incidents  occurred  in 2013 and  56 in 2014.

In Kozhikode, 59 cases were registered in 2013,  14 in 2014 and just five in 2015 (till June).

In Thiruvananthapuram,  60 cases were booked in  2013,  36 in 2014 and six so far this year.    In Kollam, from 31 cases in 2013,  the number  came down to  20 in 2014 and 7 this year.

Eve-teasing is generally a word or expression or act used by men in public for sexual harassment or molestation of women.   The activists have demanded  paying more attention to solve the problem.  

“Eve-teasing is a major issue in a city like Kochi and most women here might have faced it  at least once in their life. At public places like buses and shopping malls,  women come across such issues. It is a complex problem which  requires more attention,” said Archana Devi, who works at a textile shop in the city

City Police Commissioner P. Dinesh said, “more cases have been booked in Kochi because of the special drive initiated by the police.  To ensure the safety of women workers, who leave work places late in the evening, we have taken various measures,”  he said.