You may ask as you begin reading this, why I speak about #metoo and sexual harassment yet again. In my defence, I say we all must talk about it, and keep talking about it when the iron is still hot because it rarely gets the attention it has now, and with each day there are only more questions left unanswered in our heads.
Take the most popular one for example to a person who has spoken up years after she has experienced sexual harassment — “Why now?” There are a number of reasons why a person could refrain from speaking up immediately after the incident (I mentioned some of them earlier), but Rachita Taneja’s comic that seems to be doing the rounds (without due credit) sums up the ways in which the world reacts. The Sanitary Panels comic has a woman wanting to report an incident to which she is told “Don’t. He’ll ruin your career”, “Don’t. Your character will be questioned”, “Don’t. He won’t get convicted”, or “Don’t. No one will believe you”. When she gathers the courage to do it years later (as is happening with several cases now), the reactions are “You’re lying. Why didn’t you report him earlier?”, “You’re just trying to tarnish his image”, “You just want publicity” or “Slut”. You see now why I say the comic is on point?
I believe that the accusations against lyricist Vairamuthu should be the classic case study of how we retort to those we know and hold in high regard when they are pulled up for their actions. First by pleading to separate the art from the artist. After years of rambling on about this, it should warrant no discussion but I will place on record that the artist, however good his art form must face the consequences of his actions, and by bullheadedly demanding a separation of what is deeply entangled is a way of dismissing wrought voices that believed we would do better. Second, by building conspiracy theories — here, by bringing back the now infamous Andal issue. How quintessentially ‘Tamil’ is it to make it all a ‘Tamil’ issue without ever regarding Tamil women worthy of attention! Third, by demanding to know why the victim was seen laughing with the man she claims behaved inappropriately with her — just another s***- shaming technique. This needs us to go back to the basics and understand that harassers are not those we can, just in a blink, shut away from our lives — that they are often brothers, fathers, uncles, partners, dear ones, relatives, friends, and bosses, that we live with, share spheres of our lives with, and people we need to smile and put up with even as we break inside.
Now consider director Bharathiraaja’s comment on #MeToo at a press conference. “Nee paathiya?” he asks the reporters after which he angrily leaves the stage. This is exactly the onus on proof being laid on the victim that will not even wonder about the possibility of ‘such a man’ being an assaulter without adequate proof. But here’s the thing, in the ideal that we should be aiming for, the case must be considered legit simply because there is a report, a report will happen only when a person knows she will be taken seriously, and a perpetrator must be aware that both will happen and they are interdependent of each other. And no, we shouldn’t have to see it, just hearing about it should trigger us into action.
So what can we do while men as resigned as a favour and some people are awfully worried about male victims of harassment only to take away from the moment? Believe her. No one wants to be famous for being a sexual assault survivor. And instead of dismissing the victims, claims or dissing the movement on frivolous grounds, do both to the state that has shown us that it will keep silent and shield a perpetrator who needs only 97 lawyers to show off the power. Stand behind the one that Priya Ramani has so far.
Archanaa Seker
seker.archanaa@gmail.com
The writer is a city-based activist, in-your-face feminist and a media glutton