Student suicides rise in Odisha as harassment, apathy, and red tape claim young lives
Every student in a Third World country carries on their shoulders hopes and aspirations of not just themselves but of their family, too, and in some cases, of their whole village and community. And that is just one reason among many as to why a crime against such a person is a crime against society and especially when it results in their lives being snuffed out on campus. Yet, instances of students committing suicide for various reasons keep coming to light from various states with the numbers in Odisha of late being unacceptably high.
The latest student to take her own life is a B. Ed. undergraduate in Balasore. She committed self-immolation. This is not only the darkest of tragedies, but also a preventable one, for the young woman had complained to the authorities about the harassment she had been subjected to by the head of her department. She even mentioned that the man in question was asking her for sexual favours, yet the authorities took no action. A couple of Nepali students were found dead on campus in February and May this year, while a girl and boy took the extreme step in April and earlier this month, following ragging by seniors.
There are laws to prevent ragging on campus, and then there are indeed laws that seek to address sexual harassment in the workplace. However, the events in Odisha are testimony to their ineffectiveness and/or tardy implementation. The authorities and the agencies tasked to implement them either take their jobs lightly or get mired in office politics and red tape associated with law enforcement in this country.
This must end. Laws to protect students from harassment and ragging on campus must be made simple and accessible as easily as through a phone call. There must be legislative and administrative oversight of the arrangement at the highest level. We do not send our children to campuses to pour kerosene on themselves and set themselves on fire.
