Michaela Cross shared her experiences of repeated sexual harassment while studying abroad in India.
Michaela Cross, an American student at the University of Chicago, has written a powerful account of her study abroad trip to India last year, during which she says she experienced relentless sexual harassment, groping and worse.
Upon her return, she says she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and is now on a mental leave of absence from the school after a public breakdown in the spring.
Cross, a fair-skinned, red-haired South Asian studies major, titled her story "India: The Story You Never Wanted to Hear." She posted her account on CNN iReport under the username RoseChasm.
Her story has struck a chord around the world, racking up about 350,000 page views as of Tuesday morning. It quickly found its way to India, where many readers sympathized with the story and men felt compelled to apologize for the experience she endured. Others called for greater perspective and warned against making generalizations about India or its people.
India's deadly gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in New Delhi happened a few days after Cross left India in December, and she said that helped others understand what she and her classmates went through. The country has continued to see several high-profile cases of rape and sexual violence cases since then, and the government has introduced tougher laws and punishment for sexual crimes.
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On her return, Cross struggled to find a way to talk about a cultural experience that was both beautiful and traumatizing, she said in her essay.
She writes:
"Do I tell them about our first night in the city of Pune, when we danced in the Ganesha festival, and leave it at that? Or do I go on and tell them how the festival actually stopped when the American women started dancing, so that we looked around to see a circle of men filming our every move?
"Do I tell them about bargaining at the bazaar for beautiful saris costing a few dollars a piece, and not mention the men who stood watching us, who would push by us, clawing at our breasts and groins?
"When people compliment me on my Indian sandals, do I talk about the man who stalked me for 45 minutes after I purchased them, until I yelled in his face in a busy crowd?"
Later, she writes: "For three months I lived this way, in a traveler's heaven and a woman's hell. I was stalked, groped, masturbated at; and yet I had adventures beyond my imagination. I hoped that my nightmare would end at the tarmac, but that was just the beginning."
A university spokesman confirmed Cross is a student at the school and would not comment on her mental leave. He said the school is committed to students' safety at home and abroad.
Cross said she didn't say anything to the professors on the trip until things reached "a boiling point" -- what she called two rape attempts in 48 hours.
Should solo female travelers avoid India?
Dipesh Chakrabarty, a University of Chicago professor who was in India for the first three weeks of the session, told CNN that he was unaware of Cross' situation. He noted, though, that the university tries to prepare students for what they might encounter while abroad. The Civilizations Abroad in India program was based in the city of Pune, but the students traveled to other areas during the semester.
"Both faculty and staff in Chicago and our local Indian staff counsel students before and during the trip about precautions they need to take in a place like India," Chakrabarty said in an e-mail. "Ensuring student safety and well-being is the top priority of both the College and staff and faculty associated with the program."
The university provided this statement to CNN:
"Nothing is more important to us at the University of Chicago than caring for the safety and well-being of our students, here in Chicago and wherever they go around the world in the course of their studies. The University offers extensive support and advice to students before, during and after their trips abroad, and we are constantly assessing and updating that preparation in light of events and our students' experiences. We also place extremely high value on the knowledge our students seek by traveling and studying other civilizations and cultures, and we are committed to ensuring they can do so in safety while enriching their intellectual lives."
Her story sparked a wave of reaction online, with scores of Indians responding, many with sympathy to her plight and pointing out that Indian women also experience high levels of harassment and abuse.
Arvind Rao, a media professional in Mumbai, was moved to post this comment on her story: "It thoroughly disgusts me to be known as an Indian male ... An apology is extremely meager for all the trauma you've gone through." He expressed hope that politicians would "wake up and implement stricter laws against crime and sexual harassment on women."
"Every time my girlfriend goes out alone, I pray that she comes back home safely," wrote a commenter using the name Jajabar. "Being an Indian male, I apologize."
Others, however, observed that sexual harassment was by no means confined to India, and Indian commenter Sam1967 warned against condemning his home country when so many others failed to protect the women living within their borders.
"I accept what happened was definitely an embarrassment and a cause of trauma for her that might haunt her for the rest of her life. But this has happened in many other countries or places and therefore it may not be the right thing to single out India."
'She could have been me': Action urged after Delhi gang rape
Another woman who said she was on the same University of Chicago sponsored trip to India, posted a response on CNN iReport calling on people to resist stereotyping Indian men and recognize that sexual assault happens all over the world.
The student, Katherine Stewart, said she dealt with her own share of harassment on the trip, but "in my experiences in India, I have met a solid handful of warm and honest Indian men -- men who are also college students, men who also love the thrill of riding on a motorcycle in the busy streets, men who defended me at necessary times, and men who took the time to get to know me and my culture. And that should not at all be surprising."
Stewart said she believed Cross "had every right to tell her story" and in no way wanted to lessen the significance of her experience. But Stewart, who is black, cautioned that "when we do not make the distinction that only some men of a population commit a crime, we develop a stereotype for an entire population. And when we develop a negative stereotype for a population, what arises? Racism."
One thing is certain: Cross sparked a huge discussion with a story that she thought no one wanted to hear. She said she is thankful for her experiences in India, and wants to see more international exposure about what women travelers and residents endure.
"Truth is a gift, a burden, and a responsibility. And I mean to share it," she writes. "This is the story you don't want to hear when you ask me about India. But this is the story you need."
据美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）8月20日报道，美国芝加哥大学学生米夏埃拉·克罗斯日前撰文讲述了在印度期间再三经历性骚扰，回国后被诊断为创伤后紧张症，精神崩溃，不得不休学的经历。
白肤红发的克罗斯主修南亚研究，去年参加芝加哥大学文化体验项目前往印度。此次活动让她既感受到印度的美丽，也备受心灵创伤。她写道：“在这个旅行者的天堂，女人的地狱，我生活了3个月。在此期间，有人跟踪我，触摸我，还有人冲我手淫，还有过超出我想象的冒险经历。”
她和同学在集市讨价还价时，周围男人盯着她看，挤来挤去，抓她们的乳房。她买了一双凉鞋后，一个男人跟踪了她45分钟，直到她当众冲他大喊。她曾在48小时内遭遇两次强奸企图。
她的故事引起全世界的共鸣，网民反应强烈。截至20日早晨，网页浏览量已约有35万次。许多印度人表示同情她的处境，称许多印度女性也频繁经历骚扰和虐待。他们认为，那些男人必须为她的经历道歉。另一些人则呼吁更全面地看问题。
孟买媒体人阿尔温德·拉奥评论道：“作为印度男人，此事令我作呕，就你经历的精神创伤来说，道歉微不足道。”他希望政客们“清醒过来，实施更严格的法律，制裁对女性的性犯罪与性骚扰。”
网民Jajabar说，每次女朋友单独外出，他都要祈祷，希望她能安全回家。他以印度男人的身份表示道歉。
也有人指出性骚扰不只局限于印度。印度评论家山姆早在1967年就告诫人们，不要只谴责他的祖国，因为其他许多国家也没能保护境内的女性。他承认克罗斯身上发生的事情将影响她的一生，但是他认为不应该只把印度提出来批评。
同行学生凯瑟琳·斯图尔特表示，她曾受到过骚扰，也遇到过很多热情而诚实的印度大学生。他们在她需要的时候帮助她，也花时间了解她和她的文化。身为黑人的她认为克罗斯有权讲述自己的故事，但是要区分清楚：一个国家只有部分男人犯罪，否则会产生成见，最终造成种族歧视。
芝加哥大学发言人确认克罗斯是该校学生，但是没有对她因精神疾病休假发表评论。他表示，该校一直致力于保护学生在国内外的安全。
去年12月，在克罗斯离开印度后几天，印度新德里发生轮奸23岁女子致其死亡的恶性案件，此后，印度又发生多起性暴力案件，震惊印度和世界。