苦惱:性騷擾之苦困擾印度女性大綱

Juhi Nondi, a 20-year-old college student, takes the train every day to and from school here, toting a satchel of textbooks and looking stylish in her skinny jeans and T-shirts─and long, sharp fingernails.

朱希?儂迪(Juhi Nondi)是一名20歲的大學女生，她每天都要提着一個書包乘火車在加爾各答郊區的巴拉薩特(Barasat)和學校之間往返。她穿着緊身牛仔褲和T恤衫，外型時尚，而且還留着鋒利的長指甲。

'They're not just for fashion,' she says of her pink nails, 'but also for self-defense.'

她在談到自己的粉色指甲時說道：“留着它們不只是爲了時尚，也爲了保護自己。”

Aggressive sexual harassment is a daily part of her commute in this bustling suburb of Kolkata. A man grabbed her breast one morning, she says. Another day, someone grabbed her hip. Friends carry chili powder, she says, to throw in the eyes of an assailant, a sort of homemade pepper spray.

極具侵犯性的性騷擾成爲了她在喧鬧的巴拉薩特坐火車往返學校的日常組成部分。她說有一天早晨一名男子襲擊了她的胸部，還有一天被人捏了臀部。她的朋友們會攜帶辣椒粉，將一種自制的辣椒噴霧噴進襲擊者的眼中。

'If I'm even a half-hour late coming home, my parents panic,' Ms. Nondi says.

她說：“哪怕我只晚了半個小時到家，我的父母就會很恐慌。”

Barasat, which boasts a shopping mall, a KFC restaurant and a growing number of women in the workplace, is a typical, if modest Indian economic success story. But it is typical of urban India in another way, too: Here and nationwide, women say harassment of women is a fixture of daily life.

巴拉薩特有一家購物中心和一家肯德基(KFC)，工作場所也出現了越來越多的女性。該地區在經濟上取得的成功（即便只是一般的成功）算得上是印度的一個典型。此外，它在另一個方面也是印度各城市的典型──在這兒以及印度各地，女性們都表示性騷擾已成爲她們日常生活中的常事。

In December, India's climate of sexual violence burst onto the world's consciousness after a young woman on a bus in New Delhi was so brutally gang-raped and assaulted that she died of her injuries. That attack provoked nationwide protests and prompted national introspection about the broader spectrum of harassment─from stalking to groping─that often goes unpunished and can lead to more aggravated assault, experts say.

去年12月，繼一名在新德里搭乘巴士的年輕女孩因遭到殘忍的輪姦和毆打而受傷去世之後，國際社會突然意識到了印度的性暴力風氣。此次暴力事件在全印度引發了抗議活動，促使印度國民開始反思性騷擾的問題──從跟蹤到撫摸身體，性騷擾的形式越來越多樣，而且據專家們稱，這些行爲常常不會遭到懲罰，因而可能會引發更加惡劣的侵犯。

Here in Barasat, interviews with two dozen women yielded consistent stories of recent and repeated harassment. Men trail women on foot or on scooters, making crude remarks and grabbing at the scarf worn to cover the chest. It happens at the train station, they said, in the fish-market lane, on the road to the university and outside the police station.

在巴拉薩特，記者對二十餘名女性的採訪發現，她們基本都在最近遭遇過騷擾或者以前曾經不斷地受到騷擾。常常有男子走路或騎摩托車跟蹤她們，對她們說粗野露骨的話，伸手抓她們圍着遮擋胸部的圍巾。她們說她們常在火車站、魚市的小路、去往學校的路上甚至是警局門外遭到騷擾。

Many women interviewed complained that police do little to stop it. One local officer, when asked about that by a reporter, responded: 'If these incidents don't happen, what will happen to our jobs?'

許多受訪女性控訴警方几乎沒有采取什麼行動來制止性騷擾。巴拉薩特當地一名警員在迴應一名記者對此事的提問時說道：“如果不出現這些事情，我們的飯碗怎麼辦？”

A senior Barasat police official said the police take all complaints seriously. The police said the department couldn't provide hard numbers on harassment complaints, arrests or convictions.

當地一名高級警員稱，警方對所有投訴都認真對待。警方稱，警局不能提供有關性騷擾投訴、拘捕或定罪的確切數字。

Women say they travel in groups, some carrying sharp objects─safety pins, pocket knives─to discourage harassers. Still, occasionally there are more serious assaults. In early 2011, a 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death trying to protect his 22-year-old sister, Rinku Das, as she returned home one evening from her call-center job.

女士們說她們會結伴出行，有些人還會攜帶安全別針和小折刀等鋒利物品以趕跑騷擾者。儘管如此，偶爾還是會出現非常嚴重的襲擊。2011年初的一天夜裏，一名16歲的男孩在護送自己的姐姐、22歲的琳庫?達斯(Rinku Das)從客服中心下班的途中因試圖保護她而被人刺死。

As usual, her brother picked her up on his bicycle from the station, Ms. Das says. Three men blocked the bike, she says, poured alcohol on her, and attacked her brother as he sprang to her defense.

達斯回憶道，那天晚上弟弟像往常一樣騎着自行車到車站接她，三名男子堵住了自行車的去路，往她身上倒酒，並在弟弟奮力保護她時對他發起攻擊。

As her brother was being beaten with bamboo canes, Ms. Das says, she pounded on a nearby senior police officer's bungalow. The guards outside told her they couldn't help. 'I screamed and shouted for help in the middle of the street,' she says.

她說，在弟弟遭受竹條毆打時，她跑到附近一名高級警官的住處前用力敲門，門外的警衛告訴她他們無能爲力。她說：“我站在街中央尖叫，大聲呼救。”

Kalyan Banerjee, the main police officer dealing with Ms. Das's case, said the bungalow guards aren't allowed to leave their posts.

處理達斯一案的主要警員卡爾揚?班納吉(Kalyan Banerjee)說，警官住處的警衛不得離開崗位。

The three alleged attackers face murder charges and have pleaded not guilty. They are in judicial custody.

那三名嫌疑人現面臨謀殺指控，他們都辯護自己無罪，目前正遭到司法監禁。

After the killing, police say, they intensified patrols, put more plainclothes officers on the street and opened a new women's police station across from the Barasat Government College. From there, 18 female officers patrol high-frequency harassment areas.

警方稱他們在這起命案發生之後加強了巡邏，增派了更多便衣警察上街，並在巴拉薩特政府學院(Barasat Government College)對面新設了一家女子警局。來自該警局的18名女警員會在性騷擾高發地區巡邏。

But the roots of the problem run deep, starting in childhood. Across India, daughters are often less valued than sons─a reality that shows up in India's skewed gender ratios.

然而，性騷擾問題的源頭根深蒂固，從人們的童年時期便已開始。在印度各地，女兒往往沒有兒子受重視，這一事實也在印度失衡的性別比例中得到體現。

India has 37 million more men than women, partly because the preference for sons prompts sex-selective abortions and infanticide. Women also have a higher overall mortality rate than men, partly because of bias and neglect over a lifetime, according to recent research, as well as mortality during childbirth.

印度的男性數量比女性多出3700萬，部分是因爲對兒子的偏愛導致人們選擇性別墮胎和殺嬰。此外，近期也有研究顯示，女性的總死亡率也高於男性，其中一部分原因是她們在一生當中都遭到歧視和忽視，另一部分原因則是有些女性在分娩期間死亡。

Some argue that the harassment is a byproduct of economic growth in places like Barasat. A few decades ago, Barasat was a dirt-road town of a few thousand people. Today it is a growing suburb of sprawling Kolkata, with apartment buildings and gated communities with names like Fortune Township. The population tops a quarter-million.

有些人認爲，性騷擾是像巴拉薩特這樣的地方經濟發展的副產物。在幾十年前，巴拉薩特還是一個只有數千人口、全是泥土路的小鎮，如今它成爲了不斷擴張的加爾各答的郊區，處於發展之中，興建起一座座公寓樓和擁有像“Fortune Township”這樣的名字的封閉式社區，現在其人口超過了25萬。

Men and women alike have benefited greatly, but society remains deeply conservative. 'For generations, men haven't seen women so empowered,' says Mayank Saksena, an executive at consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle who has developed real estate in Barasat and has studied the town closely. 'It builds jealousy and envy.'

男性與女性均從中獲益匪淺，但是社會依然極度保守。諮詢公司仲量聯行(Jones Lang LaSalle)的高管馬彥克?薩克塞納(Mayank Saksena)說：“多少代人以來，男性從未看到過女性如此強大，這導致了他們的嫉妒與羨慕。”

In particular, men lacking enough formal education to climb the economic ladder may find casual work as food vendors, rickshaw pullers, drivers or laborers, which might pay about $100 per month. Around them, in Barasat, they see growing numbers of young, modern women making their way to colleges and call centers.

特別是那些缺乏足夠的正規教育因而無法提升經濟地位的男性可能會從事食品商販、人力車伕、司機或是工人等月薪或許只有100美元左右的臨時工作。在巴拉薩特，他們發現身邊有越來越多的年輕摩登的女性開始上大學或是進入呼叫中心工作。

A report commissioned by the Indian government after the Delhi rape and murder described the danger nationwide of 'young, prospect-less men' whose frustrations are 'lending intensity to a pre-existing culture of sexual violence.'

一份在新德里輪姦及謀殺案發生後由印度政府委託所作的報告描述了全印度各地普遍存在的“前途渺茫的年輕男性”的沮喪情緒“加劇早前已存在的性暴力文化”的危險。

In response to that report, the government this month enacted a temporary ordinance that cracks down on various types of sexual harassment and assault. For example, 'unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures' are punishable with up to five years in prison, while 'making sexually coloured remarks' can yield a one-year jail term. Parliament must ratify the ordinance to make it permanent, otherwise it will expire in several weeks.

爲應對這份報告所提出的問題，印度政府在2月份頒佈了一項打擊各種類型的性騷擾和性侵犯行爲的臨時法令。其中，“令人不悅的公然的性挑逗”最高可遭到監禁五年的處罰，而“說帶有性意味的言語”可被判入獄一年。這項法令必須獲得內閣的批准才能成爲永久性法律，否則它將在幾個星期後失效。

Anima Sarkar, a political-science student, described an encounter with three Barasat men late last year. The 23-year-old and three of her male friends were walking the few hundred yards from the college to the train station, when the men started verbally harassing her, she says. 'Women are like a commodity, a product,' she recalled one of them saying. 'You are a good product.'

政治學系學生阿尼瑪?薩卡爾(Anima Sarkar)講述了在去年年底遭到三名巴拉薩特男子騷擾的事情。23歲的她和三名男性友人走在從學校通往火車站的那條几百碼長的路上時，那幾名男子開始對她進行言語騷擾。她回憶稱其中一名男子說道：“女人就像商品，像產品，你這件產品不錯。”

She scolded one of them, she says, by asking: 'Don't you have a sister or mother at home?'

她說她斥責了其中一人，問道：“你家裏難道沒有姐妹和母親嗎？”

A skirmish ensued between the men and Ms. Sarkar's friends. One man grabbed her scarf and hand, she says, and she slapped him.

接下來那羣男子與薩卡爾的朋友們爆發了衝突。她說有一名男子抓住她的圍巾和手，於是她煽了他一巴掌。

Bystanders intervened and dragged one of the alleged attackers, Tapan Sen, down the street to the police station. Police later tracked down two other suspects, Mintu Sarkar (no relation to Anima), and Raju Biswas.

圍觀者施以援手，將其中一名襲擊者塔潘?森(Tapan Sen)拉拽至街尾的警察局。警方後來追查到了另外兩名嫌犯──明圖?薩卡爾(Mintu Sarkar，與阿尼瑪沒有親屬關係)和拉祖?比斯瓦斯(Raju Biswas)。

The men, who spent a night in jail, are out on bail as police investigate harassment-related charges. None has been charged with any wrongdoing. In interviews, they say they were out shopping that night and encountered Ms. Sarkar but deny harassing or assaulting her. They allege that a fourth man, whom they know by the nickname 'The Master,' insulted and groped her.

這三名男子在監獄裏呆了一個晚上，他們在警方調查騷擾相關指控期間獲保釋出獄，無一人被指控有任何違法行爲。這些人在採訪中稱他們在那晚外出購物時遇到了阿尼瑪，但否認騷擾和侵犯了她。他們指稱另一名他們認識的綽號名爲“老師”(The Master)的男子侮辱和撫摸了阿尼瑪。

Mr. Sen, 23, is a part-time driver who dropped out of school after ninth grade to work at a car-repair shop. He earns about $75 a month.

在這三人中，23歲的森是一名兼職司機，他在讀完九年級後輟學進入一家汽車修理店工作。其每個月的收入約爲75美元。

Mr. Sarkar, 34 years old, owns a shop that makes door and window frames. 'I really began this business from scratch,' he said. He is unmarried and lives with his parents, two elder brothers and their wives. He has a high-school diploma.

今年34的明圖?薩卡爾有一家制作門框和窗框的店鋪。他說：“我是真正白手起家開起這家店的。”他擁有高中文憑，至今未婚，與父母和兩個哥哥及嫂子住在一起。

Mr. Biswas is a 23-year-old orphan with a wife, a 3-year-old daughter and no formal education. He says he makes about $150 a month as a contract laborer in Mr. Sarkar's shop, getting paid according to the number of pieces he makes.

今年23歲的比斯瓦斯是一名孤兒，已婚並有一個三歲的女兒，沒有接受過正規教育。他說他在明圖?薩卡爾的店鋪做一名合同工，每個月大約掙150美元，領取的是計件工資。

The men described the fourth man, The Master, as a middle-aged, part-time teacher who hung around their window-and-door-making shop. 'He would stare lewdly at women passing by in the market,' Mr. Biswas said.

他們稱第四名男子──“老師”──是一名中年兼職教師，經常在他們的門窗店鋪附近遊蕩。比斯瓦斯說：“他會在市場中用猥褻的眼光盯着路過的女性看。”

According to Mr. Biswas's account, The Master was with them the night of the attack. He spoke to Ms. Sarkar and lunged at her, but then disappeared into the crowd, Mr. Biswas alleges, leaving the others to take the blame.

根據比斯瓦斯的描述，“老師”在襲擊那晚和他們在一起。他和阿尼瑪有過言語交談，然後向她撲去，但是後來混在人羣中消失，留下其他人承擔過錯。

The Master couldn't be reached for comment. Police said they were unaware of him and his alleged role in the attack.

記者未能聯繫到“老師”置評。警方稱他們不知道“老師”其人及其在這次襲擊中扮演的角色。

After the incident, Ms. Sarkar says, her neighbors told her parents that she must have done something wrong─that somehow the attack was her fault. Her parents grounded her for weeks, so she lost her job tutoring kids in math and science.

阿尼瑪說，在發生這件事情後，鄰居對她的父母說她肯定做了什麼不對的事情──從某種角度來說這次襲擊是她的錯。她的父母將她禁足了幾個星期，她爲此丟掉了爲小孩輔導數學和科學課程的家教工作。

Ms. Sarkar, the daughter of a fruit vendor whose family of four lives on about $100 a month, plans to go to law school, but not in Barasat. 'My friends and I say it's better if we run away from here when we graduate,' she says.

阿尼瑪的父親是一名水果商販，她們的四口之家依靠每個月大約100美元的收入維持生計。她計劃以後去讀法學院，但不準備在巴拉薩特讀。她說：“我和朋友們都認爲如果我們在畢業時逃離這兒肯定會更好。”

Police say they are investigating charges of harassing a woman with intent to 'outrage her modesty.' Before the new ordinance, it was the only crime in India's criminal code dealing with harassment of women.

警方表示他們正在調查那些有關懷着“冒犯其尊嚴”的意圖騷擾女性的指控。在那項新臨時法令頒佈之前，這是印度的刑法中唯一一條涉及對女性進行性騷擾問題的罪名。

The law allows for a maximum of two years' imprisonment. In practice, such punishments are rare. Maheshwar Banerjee, public prosecutor in Barasat, said that he can't recall any harassment case since he took charge of the office in October 2011 that resulted in punishment.

此類行爲最高可判兩年。在實際執法過程中，此類懲罰非常少見。巴拉薩特檢察官馬哈什瓦爾?班納吉(Maheshwar Banerjee)稱，自從他在2011年10月上任以來，他不記得有任何一起性騷擾案件遭到了懲罰。

Often, the complainants don't appear in court because they are afraid of tarnishing their family's image or hurting their marriage prospects, he said. 'The women's families don't like to pursue the cases,' he said.

他指出，性騷擾控訴常常不會訴諸法庭，因爲受害女性害怕這樣會玷污家庭的形象或是破壞她們的婚姻前景，因此那些女性的家庭不願意提起訴訟。

The areas where women complain harassment is most commonplace are the busy markets and intersections near the train station and the heart of town. One lane from the station passes the local courthouse. The other lane begins at a police station, passes a fish market and vegetable vendors and reaches the office of the District Magistrate, the most senior official.

女性控訴性騷擾事件最高發的地方是繁忙的市場、火車站附近的十字路口和市中心地區。其中有一條路始於火車站的小巷經過當地的法院，另一條路始於警局，經過一家魚市和一批蔬菜攤、最後達到當地最高長官──地方行政官──的辦公地。

The streets are packed with bicycle rickshaws and shoppers visiting jewelry stores, Internet cafes and snack vendors. Men gather at the tea stall on the road to the college.

這些街道上滿是人力車、逛珠寶店的購物者、網吧以及小吃攤販。通往大學的那條路上的茶攤上總是聚集着一羣男子。

Behind the college is an alley known for illegal liquor shops, where men drink and gamble. Barasat has one police officer for every 1,030 people─just about India's average─compared with one policeman per 390 people in the U.S. and one per 236 people in New York City.

在大學的後方是一條以非法酒鋪聞名的小巷，不少男性聚集在那兒喝酒賭博。巴拉薩特警員與居民的比例是一比1,030，大約只是印度的平均水平。相比之下，美國的警員與居民比爲一比390，紐約市的比例則達到了一比236。

Some policemen appear more concerned about being punished for not stopping harassment than protecting women from such incidents, according to several women interviewed who commute regularly by train.

幾名經常乘火車通勤的受訪女性稱，一些警員更關心的似乎是不要因爲沒有阻止性騷擾而受到處分，而不是保護女性免受性騷擾。

Shumi Kundu, 22, says that last month she had an encounter with two police officers that left the impression they were more concerned about their own well-being than hers. At the time, she was sitting on a bench at a train platform. The cops approached her and asked her to leave.

現年22歲的舒米?坎都(Shumi Kundu)說，她在上個月碰到的兩名警員讓她覺得他們更關心的是自己的利益而不是她的利益。當時她正坐在一個火車站站臺的長凳上，那兩名警察走到她身旁要她離開。

'They said if I didn't leave and something bad happened to me, they'd be blamed for it,' Ms. Kundu said.

坎都說：“他們說如果我不離開，要是我出了事的話，他們就會爲此受到責罰。”

A.K. Sarkar, an official in the Barasat Railway Police, which is in charge of security on train platforms, said officers take their duties seriously. 'If anything at all happens, then we go and intervene,' he said.

巴拉薩特鐵路警局負責鐵路站臺安全工作的警員A.K.薩卡爾(A.K. Sarkar)稱，警員們都認真對待他們的職責。他說：“如果有任何事情發生，我們都會出動干預。”