Capability Approach Lens to Public-space Sexual Harassment of Women: Evidence from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan

Sexual harassment of women and girls in public spaces is often trivialised by the “eve-teasing” label in South Asia. While extensive research exists on domestic violence in South Asia, the literature on public-space sexual harassment (PSH) is sparse. This is the first study to articulate and examine a broad range of consequences of PSH using a capability approach lens. Based on an online survey conducted during 2021–22 in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, we descriptively analyse the quantitative and qualitative information using the capabilities lens. Responses to questions about twelve specific forms of harassment indicate that PSH experience is ubiquitous in the samples. The capabilities lens shows that women who experience PSH are not only unable to lead lives free of harassment but also deprived of the ability to enjoy emotional well-being, be physically mobile, seek educational opportunities, earn a living, and be free of restrictions overall. The capability approach highlights the institutions that contribute to the persistence of PSH and can serve as an effective educational tool to sensitise men and boys to the gender norms that perpetuate PSH, the multiple deprivations that PSH engenders, their interlinkages and potential far-reaching impacts.