Millions of netizens took to social media to post with the hashtag #MeToo. Some to share their own story, some in support and some to just play the devil. Here’s a low down on the international movement against sexual harassment
HYDERABAD: Since Alyssa Milano tweeted prompting women to share their sexual harassment incidents with the words ‘Me Too’, women around the world have taken to social media to come out with their stories. Although the movement was triggered as a result of the allegations on Holllywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, the hashtag ended up being a thread of solace for women everywhere - whether the Weinstein incident was relevant to them or otherwise. So much so that Indian and even regional social circles have women speaking about similar horrors they endured in their life. Stories included childhood trauma, harassment at workplace, from family members to the usual groping in public spaces. It was a gloomy day on the internet as the hashtag trended worldwide reverberating the failure of all us as a society.
Everyone has a story
Much closer to home, besides just the commonfolk, celebs, social influencers and many more also tweeted not only support but also their own stories. Mallika Dua, one of the top female comedians of the country put up a long post describing her experience of sexual abuse. “Me too ... in my own car. My mother was driving while he sat at the back with his hand under my skirt the whole time. I was 7. My sister was 11. His hands went everywhere inside my skirt and on my sister’s back. My father who was in a different car dislocated the bastard’s jaw with his bare hands later that night,” she posted.
Singer Suchitra Krishnamoorthy too posted, “Any girl whos ever used public transport in India - local buses/trains has been a victim of sexual molestation & harassment. #MeToo” Women who weren’t comfortable sharing their stories posted messages that hit a nerve. RJ Prathyusha from Mirchi Love said, “#MeToo and never after that was life the same.” Meanwhile others stood in support by sharing just the hashtag.
The men pitch in
In the cruel place that the internet is, the campaign obviously had a lot of backlash from some who believed it was “for sympathy” or “was just a cry for attention”. As Delia Brennan, a twitter user aptly put it, “If #MeToo is “making you uncomfortable”, you’re the one it’s meant to reach. Silencing sexual assault victims doesn’t make it any less real.” But there was a silver lining with men owning up to the horror of the situation and standing up in support by sharing the hashtag. Comedian Soraph Pant said, “These #MeToo stories are just depressing. And important.” Farhan Akhtar posted, “It’s saddening to see the number of women with #metoo on their status. Fact is that 1 out of 3 women experience some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime.
MEANWHILE
As the women of the virtual world are sharing their horror stories of harassment, a social media user named Vinay Nair with the username, v9nair, shot videos of him touching the bare backs of unsuspecting saree-clad women. The harasser’s account after going viral, was reported and suspended on Instagram. However, it is still active on Facebook.
It’s a statistic that is just not acceptable. As my friend Feroz Abbas Khan has aptly coined ‘Agar desh ko badalna hai, toh mard ko badalna hoga’ (For our country to change, its men will have to change.)#ihearyou.”