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Harassment and Mental Illness: Growing Concerns in Present Times

Harassment can take various forms, including verbal, physical, or visual, and can occur in workplaces, educational settings, or personal relationships

Saturday May 31, 2025 4:00 PM, Raqif Makhdoomi

A student ends his life because of harassment he had to face over a tattoo. The boy was harassed to such a level that he had to end his life. Imagine what he must have been made to go through, that he found no other option than to end his life.

An incident of harassment took place in West Bengal, where a 12-yr-old boy ended his life over allegations of stealing a chips packet. The boy left behind a suicide note which reads, “Maa I didn’t steal the chips”.

Suicides become the last option for people, who fail to achieve their goal. After the competitive exam results are out, suicides become day to day news. The reason that leads them to do this is the unnecessary harassment they facing for not making it up.

EXAMPLES OF HARASSMENT

Verbal Harassment:

• Derogatory remarks: Using offensive language or slurs based on someone's race, gender, religion, or other protected characteristics.
• Insults and name-calling: Repeatedly using disrespectful language or nicknames.
• Threats: Making intimidating statements or gestures.
• Spreading rumors: Maliciously spreading gossip or false information about someone's reputation.
• Unwanted invitations or requests: Pressuring someone for dates, sexual favors, or other unwanted social interactions.

Physical Harassment:

• Unwanted physical contact: Touching, pushing, shoving, or other physical aggression without consent.
• Intimidation: Using gestures or body language to make someone feel uncomfortable or threatened.
• Disabling or damaging objects: Hiding, damaging, or removing items needed for work or other activities.

Sexual Harassment:

• Unwanted sexual advances: Making unwelcome sexual comments, gestures, or requests.
• Display of offensive images or posters: Posting or displaying sexually suggestive, pornographic, or discriminatory material.
• Sexual jokes or innuendo: Making inappropriate or offensive remarks about sex or sexual orientation.

Harassment Based on Protected Characteristics:

• Race or ethnicity: Making derogatory comments or jokes about someone's race or ethnic background.
• Religion or belief: Making unwelcome comments about someone's religion or religious beliefs.
• Sex or gender: Making comments or jokes about someone's gender or gender identity.
• Age: Making negative comments or assumptions about someone's age or abilities.
• Disability: Making derogatory comments or jokes about someone's disability.

Cyber Harassment:

• Spreading rumors or making offensive comments online: Using social media or other online platforms to spread false information or make offensive comments.
• Inappropriate emails or texts: Sending unwanted messages, images, or other content.

Workplace Harassment:

• Unwanted sexual advances: Making unwelcome sexual comments or requests.
• Physical or verbal abuse: Using physical violence or abusive language in the workplace.
• Bullying or intimidation: Creating a hostile environment through bullying, intimidation, or other forms of abuse.
• Discriminatory treatment: Making decisions about hiring, promotion, or other workplace issues based on protected characteristics.

Other Forms of Harassment:

• Stalking: Repeatedly following, watching, or contacting someone in a way that causes them fear or alarm.
• Abuse of power: Using one's position or authority to harm or intimidate someone.
• Incidental harassment: Actions that, while not intended to be harassing, create a hostile environment.

There have been over 400 cases of sexual harassment at work cases every year from 2018 to 2022. In 2022, Himachal Pradesh reported the highest number of workplace sexual harassment cases at 97, followed by 83 in Kerala, 46 in Maharashtra, 43 in Karnataka. The average number of cases reported yearly in this period was 445. In 2022, it was 419 cases, or about 35 a month.

In today’s time, online harassment has become a norm. The trolling become harassment when it’s done regularly and a person I unable to handle it. The harassment become a reason of stress and also leads to mental instability.

Harassment leads to severe psychological issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Victims often experience difficulty sleeping, concentrating, and performing daily activities, significantly affecting their mental health.

Always remember “Harassment is any unwanted behavior, physical or verbal (or even suggested), that makes a reasonable person feel uncomfortable, humiliated, or mentally distressed. Depending on state laws, the definition and boundaries for what's considered harassing behavior may slightly vary”.

We often forget to draw a line between criticisms, having and opinion, jokes and Harassment. We sometimes criticize to such level, that we fail to understand that now it’s no more criticism but harassment.

No doubt that under “Right to speech and Expression “we have right to criticize but there are reasonable restrictions laid down by the law.

A harassment case involves unwelcome, offensive, or humiliating behavior that is directed at an individual. It often involves repeated or persistent actions that create a hostile environment.

Harassment can take various forms, including verbal, physical, or visual, and can occur in workplaces, educational settings, or personal relationships.

In recent times we have seen harassment by In-laws by not getting in enough dowries. And that has often led to suicides. Most of the dowry death cases don’t even get reported and those which get take years long to get justice.

We often harass our friends for fun, with no intention of causing them any harm. But what it does to his mental health is something that even he can’t speak out because he doesn’t want to be labeled as a cry baby. Men are often shy at expressing their mental health problem because they are to be a “Man” and live with it. But the pressure and anxiety knows no gender. It’s equal for all.

In today’s time when life has become a race, stress has become a common thing. It’s time to acknowledge that mental health issues are real issues and we start taking them seriously.

[The writer, Raqif Makhdoomi, is a law student and a human rights activist.]

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