I've lived in Tokyo for years, and have been stared at many of times, masturbated at, molested on the train, and have had unwanted filming up my skirt.
I think these experiences prepared me to keep my expectations low when traveling.
I was not too shocked by the staring (and photo taking) in India, even though it occurred at a level I'd never experienced before. I was also lucky enough to be traveling with two Indian friends (a guy and a girl), and they DID mind when we found other people taking my picture.
I remember thinking many times I was lucky to have traveled and lived abroad before visiting India; otherwise I would have been as shocked as the author of this article.
While we should be able to expect more, people (and especially young Americans) need to know that society's rules and how much they are actually respected can be completely different. Dancing at a festival or shopping in an extremely crowded place may be exhilarating but even these simple activities come with risks that are just not there back home. (Even a woman going outside alone comes with risks in some countries. I would not feel safe going outside in India without the company of a trusted male friend). Even if rape is technically illegal, that technicality will not protect you, or even provide much comfort after being harmed. Maybe the world feels smaller than ever since technology is connecting us all, but it's safer to not assume everyone is working within the same moral framework. I found that out the hard way.
Women absolutely should not have to worry about these risks, and it is shameful that we do. But we should be aware of it and not ignore it when we are outside of our own country and law systems. This needs to be discussed with students before they embark on study abroad. It's good to talk about it so that others realize they need to be very careful in some places, but I think in this case change needs to come from within India itself.
This reminds me of the Japanese business word "Ho-Ren-Sou", which stands for houkoku (report), renraku (contact, communicate), and soudan (consult, get feedback).
It also means "spinach", so it is easy to remember ;)