"Don't wear miniskirts." That is the warning female tourists who visit India are receiving from Mahesh Sharma, India's tourism minister. Not only are they being told to not wear miniskirts, but they are being asked to not stay out late or wander off into places that are not crowded. There seems to be speculation about the reason behind these precautions, however, India feels that by passing out a welcome kit, included with these tips, they will prevent women from the danger that is sexual assault.
These women are tourists.These women are being asked to restrict their bodies and their freedom of expression. However, the real root of the problem is the potential perpetrators who are provoking these women. They have no respect or regard for the idea that women aren't objects and due to this patriarchal idea that Indian men can violate women without any consequences, it is allowing outsiders to believe that it is due to a particular clothing item or a "wrong place, wrong time" factor. The truth is, female tourists shouldn't have to worry or be self-conscious about what they wear or what they are used to wearing. Sure, once they enter a foreign country they should respect the culture and customs and perhaps dress a bit more conservatively (not miniskirts per se) but it doesn't mean that they need to act, think, or be any different because of it. These welcome kits are harming women more than they are helping them. Where in the welcome kit does it tell these men to not sexually assault these women? According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 92 women are raped every day in India. And that number isn't limited to just female tourists.
The substantial problem with do's and dont's like these is that by putting the responsibility on women to behave in a certain way, we undermine the issue of rape culture in India. We allow it to be the woman's fault. A woman's clothing does not say "yes" when she says "no." India must take initiative to face the way men are treating their own women and the women visiting their country. Women are being misrepresented and subservient to men and in addition, it goes far beyond just rape. According to CNN World News, they rank 134th in the world out of 142 countries when it comes economic opportunities, 126th for educational opportunities, and place 141st when it comes to world health. We must understand that every culture has its own beliefs and we can't expect these oppressive issues or continuous rape laws to be improved upon within a short time span--they require open dialogue. It's more than just miniskirts.
