Title – India couple’s kiss ‘not obscene’
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 3rd February 2009
I add these types of stories into this blog for good reason; if we can understand how countries expect their own citizens to behave, to meet the ‘moral code’ of the country, then we can learn how to behave when we visit.
Many will argue that foreign tourists would not face a similar sanction for similar ‘offences’ and they may well be right, but they are missing the point somewhat.
The boundaries of behaviour when we travel, should not only be dictated by the law of the country we visit, certainly we must always follow local laws, but we must also be aware of differences in culture and acceptable practices. In India, as in much of South and South East Asia and the Middle East, people frown upon public signs of affection such as kissing and in some cases even holding hands. In the strictest countries such public demonstrations of affection are not only frowned upon, but illegal and can carry heavy sanction; especially when participants are not married.
In this case the judge seems to have taken a ‘sensible’ stance and thrown the case out, but the fact is these were Indian Nationals in their own country. When we visit new countries we must always remember we are guests and have no right to dictate behavioural standards or transfer our morals and values onto others; we have to conform with the standards expected in that country and if we don’t like them, we shouldn’t visit. We always work by the principle that travel to another country is a privilege not a right.
What we find acceptable is wholly unacceptable in other countries and what is unacceptable here is acceptable in other countries. For example how would we feel if a group of Afghani tourist took their horses onto Richmond park and started playing Buzkashi, which can very loosely be compared to polo, but where the ball is substituted with a headless goats carcass? For most of us that would be completely unacceptable, but in Afghanistan it is the national sport. It may be a silly analogy, but you get the idea;
Cultural Awareness is very important when you travel.Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 3rd February 2009
I add these types of stories into this blog for good reason; if we can understand how countries expect their own citizens to behave, to meet the ‘moral code’ of the country, then we can learn how to behave when we visit.
Many will argue that foreign tourists would not face a similar sanction for similar ‘offences’ and they may well be right, but they are missing the point somewhat.
The boundaries of behaviour when we travel, should not only be dictated by the law of the country we visit, certainly we must always follow local laws, but we must also be aware of differences in culture and acceptable practices. In India, as in much of South and South East Asia and the Middle East, people frown upon public signs of affection such as kissing and in some cases even holding hands. In the strictest countries such public demonstrations of affection are not only frowned upon, but illegal and can carry heavy sanction; especially when participants are not married.
In this case the judge seems to have taken a ‘sensible’ stance and thrown the case out, but the fact is these were Indian Nationals in their own country. When we visit new countries we must always remember we are guests and have no right to dictate behavioural standards or transfer our morals and values onto others; we have to conform with the standards expected in that country and if we don’t like them, we shouldn’t visit. We always work by the principle that travel to another country is a privilege not a right.
What we find acceptable is wholly unacceptable in other countries and what is unacceptable here is acceptable in other countries. For example how would we feel if a group of Afghani tourist took their horses onto Richmond park and started playing Buzkashi, which can very loosely be compared to polo, but where the ball is substituted with a headless goats carcass? For most of us that would be completely unacceptable, but in Afghanistan it is the national sport. It may be a silly analogy, but you get the idea;
At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Cultural Awareness as well as Ethical and Responsible Travel alongside sessions on Travel Safety, Travel Equipment, Travel Health, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice and more. Travellers have in the past often fallen foul of local laws and customs (Briton faces jail for sex on Dubai beach / Kiss warning to Malaysia tourists) and there is no substitute for doing your research before you set off.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.
For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.
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