Men shouldn't be ladies' tailors: UP women's panel

Men should not take women's measurements at tailor shops, they should not cut a woman's hair or train her in the gym either -- these are some of the proposals from the Uttar Pradesh State Women Commission to protect women from “bad touch” and stymie the ill intentions of men.

The radical raft of suggestions, which includes installing CCTVs in gyms, cloth stores and coaching centres, and having a woman for security in school buses, followed a meeting held on October 28.

The commission said it has sent letters on the guidelines -- which seem to be an attempt to segregate men and women in public spaces to improve women's safety -- to all district magistrates in the state to ensure compliance on the matter.

"There have been increasing complaints of 'bad touch' by male trainers in gyms and in women's boutiques where tailors who take measurements are mostly male," Babita Chauhan, chairperson of the UP women's body, told PTI.

"What we are saying is that it isn't a problem if the tailor is male but only women should take measurements," Chauhan said.

In a press note, the women's panel proposed that women's gyms and yoga centres should only have female trainers. The gym and the trainers should be verified, while CCTV and DVRs at the establishments should mandatorily be in working condition, it said.

It said boutiques should have a female tailor to take women's measurements for clothes, with a functioning CCTV at the store. Shops selling women's clothes are required to have female employees, it said.

It is mandatory to have a female dance teacher at drama centres and a female security guard or teacher in school buses, the guidelines added.

Chauhan said, "We are aware that trained women will have to be employed at all these places and this might take some time." However, it would also help employ more women, the UP women's commission chairperson added.

Himani Agarwal, a member of the commission, said the proposal floated by Chauhan on October 28 was accepted by the panel.

Explaining the rationale behind the proposal, Agarwal said the involvement of men in such professions can lead to women getting molested. "They (men) try to indulge in bad touch."

"The intention of some of the men is also not good," she said, before adding, "not that all men have bad intentions".

Agarwal added that it is just a proposal as of now and the women's commission will subsequently request the state government to make laws on it.

The proposal has drawn mixed reactions, with Samajwadi Party MLA Ragini Sonkar saying it should be left to individuals to decide which store or gym they want to go to.

"I don't think this is a justified decision as it should be an individual choice on whether one prefers a male or a female to attend to them. It is a matter of choice," said the MLA from Machhlishahr in Jaunpur district.

"We are okay with the proposal about women's presence being mandatory at shops selling women's garments and at tailoring shops. But then, ultimately, it boils down to individual choice and this can't be limited to a particular sex," Sonkar said.

However, social workers Veena Sharma and Mohsina Choudhary welcomed the proposal, saying there are many complaints of women being harassed while giving measurements at tailor shops. They said that the proposal should be law.

Sharma is the Muzaffarnagar district coordinator of Mission Shakti -- a government women empowerment initiative, while Choudhary was earlier a member of the Child Welfare Board in the district.

Head of Kiran Sewa Samaj Uthan committee Ravita Dhagne in Muzaffarnagar also agreed with them.

Supriya Kohli, who runs a boutique at Lucknow's Prag Narain Road, said, "Usually there aren't any objections on the issue of who is taking measurements but we do have women to take measurements if the client demands it. There is nothing wrong with the move per se.