HYDERABAD: Hailing the storm of #MeToo movement that has recently hit the Indian shores this week, gender researcher A Suneetha on Saturday said that the internet has greatly empowered women in breaking down barriers of all kinds. Speaking at an event held to commemorate social activist Balagopal, Suneetha said, “Through the #MeToo movement, more and more women are getting to know about the harassment and violence perpetrated on other women which is giving them strength to speak out about their own experiences.
They are realising that anything other than their consent is an attack.” Drawing a distinction in the ways women was harassed in the 1990s and in the 2000s after the onset of internet, she said that in the 90s, women were commodified through fashion shows while caste had a major role to play in the power structures clamping down on women, she said.
In the 2000s there was a marked change when the film industry institutionalised harassment, she said. Slamming the media, she said the so-called ‘progressive’ media’ does not have channels to tackle sexual harassment within the industry.