Youth gets 18 months in jail for calling a girl ‘item’

A young Mumbai resident has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for repeatedly calling minor girl ‘item’.

The sentence was served on the 25-year-old on Thursday, by a special court.  According to the victim, while she was returning from school on July 14, 2015, the boy, who was sitting on a two-wheeler, followed her, pulled her hair and called her ‘item’. The girl told the court that the boy in question used to do the same with other girls too in the vicinity. ‘Item’ is a word used in Hindi films and the society to refer to a girl or woman in a sexual manner.

Serving the sentence on the boy, the court said the term (item) is generally used by boys to address girls in a derogatory fashion as it objectifies them in a sexual manner. The judgment was passed last Thursday by a special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) in Dindoshi Court, in Mumbai.

Special Judge S J Ansari said, while delivering the judgment, that such offences need to be dealt with a heavy hand as a lesson needs to be meted out to such roadside Romeos to protect women from them from uncalled for behaviour (by such men). Judge Ansari said in the order that the prosecution has proved that he had sexually harassed her and no question arises of showing unwarranted leniency to him. 

The court stated that the youth had followed her and had been doing so for some weeks, addressing her as ‘item’ shows he had sexual intent. “Using the term to address any girl is obviously insulting in nature”, the order said.

The court said that the accused’s act certainly proves the fact that he outraged her modesty. Judge Ansari said this is so because the two were not related or in any kind of relationship, so it was “wholly inappropriate” of the accused to act in the manner that he did and held that the act qualifies as a criminal force on her.  ​​​​​​​