Mobile Phones: New Venue of Victimisation - A Study among Young Girls in Chennai, India

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has grown in an unprecedented way, particularly the use of mobile has become rampant in the Indian society. About 73 percent of the population according to the Indian Telecom News now has access to cellular phones. This new and emerging ‘mobile culture’ among the people in general and among the youth in particular has both positive and adverse effects on their life style and behaviour. They are addicted to this culture. This new culture gives a way to new forms of harassment. This shift of physical venue to the ‘mobile’ venue of harassment throws newer challenges to the present society in India. This study would reveal how, significantly and particularly the young girls are more likely to be more harassed through mobile use. This study also explores various aspects of mobile harassment meted out on the young girls and the ways, the harassed girls deal with it and finally suggests ways and means to counter the emerging culture of youth. The structured questionnaire, particularly designed for the purpose of the present research in view of getting insights into the quantity, experience and intensity of mobile harassment was used to collect data from a sample of 200 young women in Chennai below the age of 30. Further this study discusses view points on victimisation and its link with the socio-economic status of the respondents and their reporting behaviour.