Men should not tailor clothes for women or cut a woman’s hair either, the Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Women has proposed to protect women from “bad touch” and stymie the ill intentions of men.

The proposal suggests that men should not be involved in tailoring women’s clothes or cutting their hair. It also includes measures like banning men from taking women’s measurements and installing CCTV cameras in relevant spaces. These suggestions came after a meeting held on October 28, 2024, and reflect the State Women Commission’s concerns about safety of women in these settings.

The Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Women, led by its Chairperson Babita Chauhan, proposed that men should no longer be involved in tailoring women’s clothes or providing haircuts to women, Himani Agarwal, a member of the Women's Commission said on Friday.

She claimed that in a meeting of the Women's Commission on October 28 last, a proposal was floated that only female tailors should take the measurement of stitched clothes worn by women and that CCTVs should be installed in these areas.

“We have also said that in salons, it should only be female barbers who should attend to female customers,” she disclosed.

She said, “We are of the view that because of men being involved in such professions, women are molested. They (men) try to indulge in bad touch.”  Agarwal further clarified that the proposal does not imply that all men in these professions have bad intentions, but rather acknowledges that some men may take advantage of their role to harass or molest women.

“The intention of some of the men is also not good,” she said, before adding, “Not that all the men have bad intentions.”

Agarwal explained that the proposal was introduced by Babita Chauhan, Chairperson of the State Commission for Women, and it received support from the members present at the meeting. She also clarified that this is currently just a proposal, and the Women’s Commission plans to request the state government to consider enacting laws based on these recommendations.

While the intention behind the proposal is to protect women from harm, the broader question of whether gender-specific restrictions are the best solution to the problem of harassment remains open.