"Nobody teases good girls" A qualitative study on perceptions of sexual violence and harassment among young men in the slums of Mumbai

OBJECTIVES: This paper seeks to better understand attitudes on sexual violence among young men in slum communities in Mumbai, India. METHODS: Ten focus group discussions were conducted with boys age 14-17 and young men age 18-24. Thematic analysis was performed using Atlas.ti 7. RESULTS: Despite a consensus on the lack of safety for girls in the community, sexual violence was justified by a seemingly instinctive designation of "good girls" and "bad girls." This is understood within the larger context of inequitable gender norms, drug and alcohol use, and lack of community sanctions against violence. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest multiple points of intervention for community mobilization in order to promote change in attitudes and behaviors towards sexual violence among this population.Master of Public Healt