Exhibitionism; Will you please have a look at this?

That was one of the first few days of my visit to Mangalore. I enjoyed exploring the city. Jasmine was being my tourist guide cum roomie those days. I loved the beaches and shopping malls the most.

On the way back to the room, jasmine held my hand tight and said, “ Don’t panic” and simply keep looking at the ground and keep walking. Don’t run. Act normal. I did as I was been told. On reaching the room, I asked, “So is there a mad dog here?” she seemed perplexed. With a sigh she said, “Yeah sort of”. We got busy looking at the photos we had clicked on that day.

As usual I woke up late and rushed out grabbing a sandwich. Jasmine came running and stopped me. I thought I might have forgotten something. She held my hand and advised, not to look here and there and keep my eyes focused on the ground while I pass through the lane besides S.D.M Law College, I nodded and hurriedly left.

I thought of jasmine as a very protective person as she kept advising me and all of that sounded strange. This in fact got me curious and I did just the opposite of what I was been told. I looked at many dead rats throughout the lane and concluded that looking here and there leads to seeing poor dead rats every morning.

The next day she advised the same. And few more days passed counting the dead rats on the way. I heard a man calling out “Excuse me madam” I turned and said “Yes”. The polite way of calling me out sounded gentlemanly to me. The man looked fine. Well dressed, his shoes shined black. He continued, “Will you please have a look at this ma’am?” and this answered all the strange advises of jasmine. It was an example of an exhibitionist.

It was a very awkward thing to talk to people about. It was the way we girls had to pass through every day and often finding such people who are even hard to suspect caused lots of trouble. As a result, we suspected every man who passed on that way.

Ritika, a student of Canara College, had recently joined a hostel. She had a similar experience, when she saw a Maruti 800 stop closer to her, and the well dressed, mid aged man asked, if she would have a look at it!

Tanya’s favorite blanket was snatched away from her by a strange man, as one night, he climbed the pipe and pulled her blanket from the open window. Losing the furry blue blanket wasn't such a grief, but seeing the same blanket wrapped on a nude man. How did she get to know that? It’s when he followed her asking, “Will you please have a look at this Madam?”

We reported this incident to the police and one among them was behind the bars. But that’s not the end of it. Someday he will be out and probably do the same. Providing the treatment is necessary. Curing the problem by the roots is needed. That is when the change takes place.

I happened to hear about many such cases around. People are shy talking about it. Girls find it very unsafe moving on the lane.

What kind of behavior is this? It is known as exhibitionism. It is a psychological disorder. Exhibitionism, which involves exposing one's genitals or sexual organs to a stranger, falls under the psychiatric sexual disorders category of paraphilias, "abnormal or unnatural attraction" or obsession with unusual sexual practices or with sexual activity involving non-consenting or inappropriate partners. These patients derive sexual pleasure by exposing themselves before the strangers, usually the children or women and are aroused shocking the victims.

They are not being treated until they are caught by the authorities.  Suppression of such issues leads to an unsafe environment. Hence such cases should be taken care of and the treatment should be provided based on the severity of the condition. The medical treatments administered are, psychotherapy, medications, aversions therapy or surgical castration, in severe cases.

 Today, only few areas of Mangalore are experiencing this threat. You would surely not like to have a stranger climb the pipes in the mid night and pull your favorite blankets or ask you, “Will you please have a look at this madam”, Right? Hence report the cases, if any in your areas, BECAUSE, “Your safety is important!”