Watch: WION Your Story, 12th October, 2018

Your Story: Judges' panel to handle #MeToo cases

<p>As the most female ministers have avoided&nbsp;commenting on sexual allegations levelled against minister of state for external affairs, MJ Akbar,&nbsp;Bharatiya Janata Party's women wing chief for Madhya Pradesh, Lata Kelkar came out in defence of Akbar in a press conference in Bhopal as she said, "I don't consider women journalists to be so innocent that anyone can misuse them".</p>

<p>"I welcome this MeToo campaign but I don't consider women journalists to be so innocent that anyone can misuse them," Kelkar told reporters as she was asked about the charges against the minister.</p>

<p>In the media interaction, she was also asked whether Akbar should resign from his post to which she responded saying that it wasn't for her to say and can only be decided by him and the party command.</p>

<p>However, she also said that she would have asked for the resignations after reporters asked for her reaction&nbsp;if similar allegations were levelled against a Congress leader.</p>

<p>As the #MeToo campaign is gathering momentum in the country, some women journalists came out and accused MJ Akbar of sexually harassing them during his stint as editor in two newspapers.</p>

<p>Akbar, whose resignation from the government is being demanded by opposition political parties and various others, has however not reacted to the allegations so far.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi came out in support of the #MeToo movement, saying it was about time that everyone learns to treat women with respect and dignity.</p>

<p>He also said he is happy that the space for those who don't treat women with respect and dignity is closing.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


As the most female ministers have avoided commenting on sexual allegations levelled against minister of state for external affairs, MJ Akbar, Bharatiya Janata Party's women wing chief for Madhya Pradesh, Lata Kelkar came out in defence of Akbar in a press conference in Bhopal as she said, "I don't consider women journalists to be so innocent that anyone can misuse them".

As the most female ministers have avoided commenting on sexual allegations levelled against minister of state for external affairs, MJ Akbar, Bharatiya Janata Party's women wing chief for Madhya Pradesh, Lata Kelkar came out in defence of Akbar in a press conference in Bhopal as she said, "I don't consider women journalists to be so innocent that anyone can misuse them". "I welcome this MeToo campaign but I don't consider women journalists to be so innocent that anyone can misuse them," Kelkar told reporters as she was asked about the charges against the minister. In the media interaction, she was also asked whether Akbar should resign from his post to which she responded saying that it wasn't for her to say and can only be decided by him and the party command. However, she also said that she would have asked for the resignations after reporters asked for her reaction if similar allegations were levelled against a Congress leader. As the #MeToo campaign is gathering momentum in the country, some women journalists came out and accused MJ Akbar of sexually harassing them during his stint as editor in two newspapers. Akbar, whose resignation from the government is being demanded by opposition political parties and various others, has however not reacted to the allegations so far. Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi came out in support of the #MeToo movement, saying it was about time that everyone learns to treat women with respect and dignity. He also said he is happy that the space for those who don't treat women with respect and dignity is closing.

Don't consider women journalists to be so innocent: MP BJP's women's wing chief on allegations against MoS Akbar

<p>The #MeToo movement began with a global outrage over the Harvey Weinstein incident in the West, where the acclaimed Hollywood producer was accused of sexual harassment by over 80 women. With Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta's accusations of sexual harassment against veteran actor Nana Patekar, the movement has now gained momentum in India.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Women in media and entertainment industry are coming forward exposing and shaming prominent names, which include renowned names,</p>

<p>Also, many are asking why these women have come out with their stories now, after all these years.</p>

<p>So, for everyone who will understand what I am addressing -- this is to you.</p>

<p>Stop pressurising survivors to come out with their stories of sexual harassment. You, as an individual, have no authority to dictate them the right way and manners to deal with their trauma. You do not get to judge the man or woman who has been harassed on the basis of what they do about it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I am 32. I still cannot discuss how I was touched inappropriately at seven. That was two decades ago. I did not forget. I still cannot talk about that one boyfriend who thoroughly forced me to get intimate for two years, until I finally broke free. I haven't forgotten a single man who pretended to be extra warm and nice and brushed through my body. They're around us. They're friends, relatives, colleagues, acquaintance. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Tanushree Dutta's revelation led to more women coming out. Don't believe them? Okay. Want an investigation? Perfect. But stop putting a timeline on sexual assault. Don’t be a part of the rape culture which prevents women from coming forward to share their experiences. You have not given us a perfect society to come out in. You have no clue how much it hurts. How much it haunts. Stop taking away their right to speak. One day, I myself want to be that loud.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Believe survivors, even when those they are talking about are your friends. Listen. Do not ask why they did not say this before. Ask yourself what made them remain silent.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also, let’s move beyond the #metoo campaign. It is not enough. Sexual abuse is gender neutral. As is the abuse of power. Say. Repeat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>So do not wait for the law to take its course. Let’s stop working with serial abusers, stop sharing space with sexual assaulters. Let them know they are not welcome anymore in all the spaces which you inhabit. Close the door on them. Today. Right now.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
<em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


The #MeToo movement began with a global outrage over the Harvey Weinstein incident in the West, where the acclaimed Hollywood producer was accused of sexual harassment by over 80 women.

The #MeToo movement began with a global outrage over the Harvey Weinstein incident in the West, where the acclaimed Hollywood producer was accused of sexual harassment by over 80 women. With Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta's accusations of sexual harassment against veteran actor Nana Patekar, the movement has now gained momentum in India. Women in media and entertainment industry are coming forward exposing and shaming prominent names, which include renowned names, Also, many are asking why these women have come out with their stories now, after all these years. So, for everyone who will understand what I am addressing -- this is to you. Stop pressurising survivors to come out with their stories of sexual harassment. You, as an individual, have no authority to dictate them the right way and manners to deal with their trauma. You do not get to judge the man or woman who has been harassed on the basis of what they do about it. I am 32. I still cannot discuss how I was touched inappropriately at seven. That was two decades ago. I did not forget. I still cannot talk about that one boyfriend who thoroughly forced me to get intimate for two years, until I finally broke free. I haven't forgotten a single man who pretended to be extra warm and nice and brushed through my body. They're around us. They're friends, relatives, colleagues, acquaintance. Tanushree Dutta's revelation led to more women coming out. Don't believe them? Okay. Want an investigation? Perfect. But stop putting a timeline on sexual assault. Don’t be a part of the rape culture which prevents women from coming forward to share their experiences. You have not given us a perfect society to come out in. You have no clue how much it hurts. How much it haunts. Stop taking away their right to speak. One day, I myself want to be that loud. Believe survivors, even when those they are talking about are your friends. Listen. Do not ask why they did not say this before. Ask yourself what made them remain silent. Also, let’s move beyond the #metoo campaign. It is not enough. Sexual abuse is gender neutral. As is the abuse of power. Say. Repeat. So do not wait for the law to take its course. Let’s stop working with serial abusers, stop sharing space with sexual assaulters. Let them know they are not welcome anymore in all the spaces which you inhabit. Close the door on them. Today. Right now. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Blog: #MeToo - Don't ask survivors why did they remain silent for so long

<p>Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-now-salma-hayek-accuses-harvey-weinstein-of-abuse-forced-nudity-and-threat-to-kill-her-26691">scandal</a> centred around<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-uma-thurman-wants-harvey-weinstein-to-suffer-slowly-says-you-dont-deserve-a-bullet-25003"> sexual harassment </a>and abuse claims will now be developed into a feature film, relaying the story of the ongoing investigation of the claims.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The story made it to the world headlines when the New York Times broke the story that accused Hollywood producer of a series of sexual assaults by more than 80 actresses. Annapurna Pictures and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment acquired the film rights to the story by journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, who broke the story on NYT.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Annapurna spokeswoman Ashley Momtaheni announced the making of a dramatised feature film on the investigation on Wednesday. The forthcoming film will show the journalists' story came together after women in Hollywood made an effort to come out in the open with their personal horror stories -- that started the campaign #MeToo with more women finding the courage to narrate their ordeal in real life.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The film, as Momtaheni announced, will be treated in a similar way to 2015 Oscar winner "Spotlight" that dealt with Boston Globe's reporting on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The film is not expected to focus on Weinstein himself, Momtaheni added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/watch-harvey-weinstein-slapped-in-restaurant-while-eating-dinner-29199">Also Watch:&nbsp;Harvey Weinstein slapped in </a></em><em><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/watch-harvey-weinstein-slapped-in-restaurant-while-eating-dinner-29199">restaurant</a></em><em><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/watch-harvey-weinstein-slapped-in-restaurant-while-eating-dinner-29199"> while eating dinner</a></em></p>

<p>The original investigation by the two journalists into Weinstein's alleged behaviour was published in October last year. They were in fact, honoured last week with a Pulitzer Prize, the highest honour in American journalism, along with Ronan Farrow who reported on Weinstein for the New Yorker magazine.</p>

<p>Annapurna has partnered in the past on films with The Weinstein Company, Weinstein's former production company which is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Plan B is best known for producing three Oscar best picture winners, 2006's "The Departed," 2013's "12 Years a Slave" and 2016's "Moonlight."&nbsp;</p>


The story that broke in New York Times sparked the #MeToo movement that exposed workplace harassment and won a Pulitzer Prize last week

Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s scandal centred around sexual harassment and abuse claims will now be developed into a feature film, relaying the story of the ongoing investigation of the claims. The story made it to the world headlines when the New York Times broke the story that accused Hollywood producer of a series of sexual assaults by more than 80 actresses. Annapurna Pictures and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment acquired the film rights to the story by journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, who broke the story on NYT. Annapurna spokeswoman Ashley Momtaheni announced the making of a dramatised feature film on the investigation on Wednesday. The forthcoming film will show the journalists' story came together after women in Hollywood made an effort to come out in the open with their personal horror stories -- that started the campaign #MeToo with more women finding the courage to narrate their ordeal in real life. The film, as Momtaheni announced, will be treated in a similar way to 2015 Oscar winner "Spotlight" that dealt with Boston Globe's reporting on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The film is not expected to focus on Weinstein himself, Momtaheni added. Also Watch: Harvey Weinstein slapped in restaurant while eating dinner The original investigation by the two journalists into Weinstein's alleged behaviour was published in October last year. They were in fact, honoured last week with a Pulitzer Prize, the highest honour in American journalism, along with Ronan Farrow who reported on Weinstein for the New Yorker magazine. Annapurna has partnered in the past on films with The Weinstein Company, Weinstein's former production company which is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Plan B is best known for producing three Oscar best picture winners, 2006's "The Departed," 2013's "12 Years a Slave" and 2016's "Moonlight."

Harvey Weinstein's sexual harassment investigation to be made into a film

<p>Congress leader and former Member of Parliament Renuka Chowdhury on Tuesday made a claim on the alleged culture of ‘casting couch’ that has often brought the Indian film industry under attack.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Chowdhury said that the ‘casting couch’ exists in the Parliament as well.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It is not just in the film industry. It happens everywhere and it is the bitter truth. Don't imagine that Parliament is immune or other workplaces are immune to it. It is time that India stood up and said #MeToo," Chowdhary said.</p>

<p>Earlier in the day, &nbsp;Veteran choreographer Saroj Khan has defended the casting couch culture, saying the Indian film industry “at least” provided jobs and did not abandon women after raping them.</p>

<p>In comments that come in the wake of the #MeToo campaign which calls out sexual offenders, Ms Khan put the onus on the woman and said the casting couch was not a new phenomenon with “anyone and everyone”, including people in the government, indulging in it.</p>

<p>The 69-year-old choreographer made the remarks in response to a question from a journalist in Sangli on Telugu actor Sri Reddy stripping in protest against the casting couch culture in the Telugu film industry.</p>

<p>"This is going on from 'Baba Adam's times', it is not new. Someone or the other always try to take an advantage of a girl. The government officials do it too, then why are we only behind the film industry? It provides livelihood at least," she said.</p>

<p>"Does not rape and leave you. It is up to the girl, what she wants to do. If you don't want to fall into wrong hands, you won't. If you are talented, why would you sell yourself? Don't blame the film industry's name, it is everything to us, she added."</p>

<p>Further putting her view forward, she said as to why would anyone want to sell herself if she is confident about her talent.<br />
<br />
<em>(With inputs from ANI)</em></p>


"It's time India also stands up and says #MeToo," Renuka Chowdhury said.

Congress leader and former Member of Parliament Renuka Chowdhury on Tuesday made a claim on the alleged culture of ‘casting couch’ that has often brought the Indian film industry under attack. Chowdhury said that the ‘casting couch’ exists in the Parliament as well. "It is not just in the film industry. It happens everywhere and it is the bitter truth. Don't imagine that Parliament is immune or other workplaces are immune to it. It is time that India stood up and said #MeToo," Chowdhary said. Earlier in the day, Veteran choreographer Saroj Khan has defended the casting couch culture, saying the Indian film industry “at least” provided jobs and did not abandon women after raping them. In comments that come in the wake of the #MeToo campaign which calls out sexual offenders, Ms Khan put the onus on the woman and said the casting couch was not a new phenomenon with “anyone and everyone”, including people in the government, indulging in it. The 69-year-old choreographer made the remarks in response to a question from a journalist in Sangli on Telugu actor Sri Reddy stripping in protest against the casting couch culture in the Telugu film industry. "This is going on from 'Baba Adam's times', it is not new. Someone or the other always try to take an advantage of a girl. The government officials do it too, then why are we only behind the film industry? It provides livelihood at least," she said. "Does not rape and leave you. It is up to the girl, what she wants to do. If you don't want to fall into wrong hands, you won't. If you are talented, why would you sell yourself? Don't blame the film industry's name, it is everything to us, she added." Further putting her view forward, she said as to why would anyone want to sell herself if she is confident about her talent. (With inputs from ANI)

Watch: 'Casting couch’ exists everywhere, even Parliament not immune, claims Renuka Chowdhury

<p><a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/india-news/congress-using-impeachment-as-a-political-tool-arun-jaitley--131639">Congress using CJI Deepak Misra's impeachment as a 'political tool': Arun Jaitley</a></p>

<p>Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday accused the Congress party of trivialising the power of impeachment and using it as a political tool.</p>

<p>In a scathing Facebook post, the senior BJP leader said the 114-page judgement in the Judge Loya death case authored by Justice D Y Chandrachud on behalf of the three Judge Bench of the Supreme Court "exposes every fact of the conspiracy" to generate falsehood as propaganda in the public and political space.</p>

<p><a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/will-not-be-accepted-after-trumps-tweet-on-oil-prices-dip-131685">'Will not be accepted': After Trump's tweet on oil, prices dip</a></p>

<p>As oil prices touched a new high today, US President tweeted saying it was "very high" and "will not be accepted", after the president's tweet, Brent and WTI crude prices turned "negative".</p>

<p><a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/entertainment-natalie-portman-withdraws-her-attendance-from-an-israeli-award-ceremony-131659">Watch: Natalie Portman withdraws attendance from Israeli award ceremony</a></p>

<p>Hollywood actress Natalie Portman has refused to attend a ceremony in Israel to accept a million-dollar prize because of "recent events" in the country, the organisers said, announcing the prizegiving had been cancelled.</p>

<p><a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/south-asia/entertainment-after-meesha-shafi-more-women-accuse-ali-zafar-of-sexual-harassment-131673">MeToo# in Pak: After Meesha Shafi, more women accuse Ali Zafar of sexual harassment</a></p>

<p>Meesha Shafi is not the only woman to have gone through harassment by singer Ali Zafar it seems as more women have broken their silence and spoken about Zafar's misconduct.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/sports/arsene-wenger-to-step-down-as-arsenal-manager-131646">Arsene Wenger to step down as Arsenal manager</a></p>

<p>Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is to stand down at the end of the season after a reign of almost 22 years that made him the most successful boss in the Premier League club's history.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Congress using CJI Deepak Misra's impeachment as a 'political tool': Arun Jaitley Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday accused the Congress party of trivialising the power of impeachment and using it as a political tool. In a scathing Facebook post, the senior BJP leader said the 114-page judgement in the Judge Loya death case authored by Justice D Y Chandrachud on behalf of the three Judge Bench of the Supreme Court "exposes every fact of the conspiracy" to generate falsehood as propaganda in the public and political space. 'Will not be accepted': After Trump's tweet on oil, prices dip As oil prices touched a new high today, US President tweeted saying it was "very high" and "will not be accepted", after the president's tweet, Brent and WTI crude prices turned "negative". Watch: Natalie Portman withdraws attendance from Israeli award ceremony Hollywood actress Natalie Portman has refused to attend a ceremony in Israel to accept a million-dollar prize because of "recent events" in the country, the organisers said, announcing the prizegiving had been cancelled. MeToo# in Pak: After Meesha Shafi, more women accuse Ali Zafar of sexual harassment Meesha Shafi is not the only woman to have gone through harassment by singer Ali Zafar it seems as more women have broken their silence and spoken about Zafar's misconduct. Arsene Wenger to step down as Arsenal manager Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is to stand down at the end of the season after a reign of almost 22 years that made him the most successful boss in the Premier League club's history.

News brief: Big stories of the day

<p>Actress Ellen Barkin hit back at Hollywood director Terry Gilliam after he said the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault has morphed into &quot;mob rule.&quot;</p>

<p>The 63-year-old actress took to Twitter to write:&nbsp;&quot;My hard-won advice: never get into an elevator alone with Terry Gilliam.&quot;&nbsp;She went on to write that&nbsp;according to Gilliam, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-jimmy-kimmel-hosts-oscars-night-mentions-harvey-weinstein-scandal-34664" target="_blank">Harvey Weinstein </a>was exposed as an alleged serial sexual predator &quot;&#39;because he is an asshole and made a lot of enemies,&#39; not because he molested or raped over 80&quot; women.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">What is it you are defending when you attack a movement whose goal is to keep women safe? I&rsquo;m assuming none of you are abusers, so what are you protecting? What will you lose if i am safe?</p>
&mdash; Ellen Barkin (@EllenBarkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/EllenBarkin/status/975465786826358784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">According to terry gilliam ... &ldquo;weinstein was exposed because he is an asshole and made a lot of enemies&rdquo;,<br />
not because he molested or raped over 80 womem.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MeToo</a></p>
&mdash; Ellen Barkin (@EllenBarkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/EllenBarkin/status/975844917523005440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;What is it you are defending when you attack a movement whose goal is to keep women safe?&quot; she wrote. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-metoo-on-ramp-models-as-angels-men-as-pigs-at-new-york-fashion-week-32558" target="_blank">Also Read:&nbsp;#MeToo on-ramp: Models as angels, men as pigs at New York Fashion Week</a></p>

<p>This, after&nbsp;Barkin, worked with Gilliam in the 1998 film &quot;Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas&quot;.</p>

<p>Gilliam&#39;s statement became an issue on Friday when he ridiculed the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue-honours-metoo-with-first-ever-nude-photo-series-32218" target="_blank">#MeToo movement.</a></p>

<p>Speaking to AFP,&nbsp;Gilliam said that the reaction against the wave of sexual abuse and harassment revelations had become ugly and &quot;simplistic... people are frightened to say things, to think things.&quot; He added: &quot;I know enough girls who were in Harvey&#39;s suites who were not victims and walked out.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s like when mob rule takes over,&quot; Gilliam said.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


American actress took to Twitter to call out on the filmmaker

Actress Ellen Barkin hit back at Hollywood director Terry Gilliam after he said the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault has morphed into "mob rule." The 63-year-old actress took to Twitter to write: "My hard-won advice: never get into an elevator alone with Terry Gilliam." She went on to write that according to Gilliam, Harvey Weinstein was exposed as an alleged serial sexual predator "'because he is an asshole and made a lot of enemies,' not because he molested or raped over 80" women. What is it you are defending when you attack a movement whose goal is to keep women safe? I’m assuming none of you are abusers, so what are you protecting? What will you lose if i am safe? — Ellen Barkin (@EllenBarkin) March 18, 2018 × According to terry gilliam ... “weinstein was exposed because he is an asshole and made a lot of enemies”, not because he molested or raped over 80 womem.#MeToo — Ellen Barkin (@EllenBarkin) March 19, 2018 × "What is it you are defending when you attack a movement whose goal is to keep women safe?" she wrote. Also Read: #MeToo on-ramp: Models as angels, men as pigs at New York Fashion Week This, after Barkin, worked with Gilliam in the 1998 film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Gilliam's statement became an issue on Friday when he ridiculed the #MeToo movement. Speaking to AFP, Gilliam said that the reaction against the wave of sexual abuse and harassment revelations had become ugly and "simplistic... people are frightened to say things, to think things." He added: "I know enough girls who were in Harvey's suites who were not victims and walked out." "It's like when mob rule takes over," Gilliam said.

Ellen Barkin hits back at Terry Gilliam as he calls #MeToo movement 'mob rule'

<p>Time&rsquo;s 2017 Person of the Year was &ldquo;The Silence Breakers,&rdquo; a growing contingent of women who have been speaking out about sexual harassment by men in positions of power.</p>

<p>But the sexual exploitation of women is hardly something new. As Time observed, the #MeToo movement &ldquo;has actually been simmering for years, decades, centuries.&rdquo;</p>

<p>In order to prepare for a course I&rsquo;ll be teaching next fall about working women in 1920s and 1930s films, I&rsquo;ve been watching a lot of movies from the period. And I&rsquo;ve been repeatedly surprised by how much casual sexual harassment &ndash; a term that wouldn&rsquo;t exist until decades later &ndash; was depicted on screen during those years.</p>

<p>In recent months, we&rsquo;ve seen the exploitative behavior of powerful men exposed. But these movies from the 1930s show how far back these perverse values go, and how integral they were to Hollywood&rsquo;s imagining of women&rsquo;s lives.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>A familiar pattern emerges</strong></p>

<p>In 1934, the Motion Picture Association of America adopted a Production Code that suppressed representations of sex and violence.</p>

<p>In the years before the code began to be enforced, filmmakers frequently depicted sexual coercion on the big screen.</p>

<p>Many of these films took place in a Depression-era urban milieu. They featured unmarried, working class women struggling to pay the rent, mend their worn out stockings, and decide between dinner or carfare. And in movies from &ldquo;Millie&rdquo; (1931) to &ldquo;The Week-End Marriage&rdquo; (1932) there&rsquo;s a familiar pattern of sexual aggression towards these women.</p>

<p>A male shop owner, business executive, restaurant patron or department store customer promises a woman resources &ndash; nice clothes, a fancy apartment, career advancement &ndash; or marriage (once their wives divorce them, of course). In exchange, they want sex. Maybe it&rsquo;s just for a weekend; maybe it&rsquo;s for longer.</p>

<p>When the men get what they want, their initial promises &ndash; marriage, a better job, a life of luxury &ndash; usually dry up.</p>

<p>For the predators in these movies, consequences are almost always nonexistent. The men casually presume their right to the bodies of these young, beautiful women, banking on their literal hunger and economic desperation. The harassed, on the other hand, typically suffer for their optimistic (some might say foolish) hope that love or decency might win out in the end.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Harassment, heartbreak, suicide</strong></p>

<p>These repeated incidences of sexual exploitation appear to be commonplace, even expected.</p>

<p>Female characters are rarely surprised when men grope or solicit them. Instead, they offer well-rehearsed (and often hilarious) cracks as they commiserate with each other in the aftermath. A joke, repeated in several films, is the &ldquo;no sale&rdquo; icon popping up at the cash register after a female character rejects a pass.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Some female characters &ndash; like Fay (Ginger Rogers) and Trixie (Aline MacMahon) in &ldquo;Gold Diggers of 1933&rdquo; (1933) &ndash; are savvy about their sexual currency, seeking relationships with otherwise undesirable men to gain access to their wallets. Others, like Lily (Barbara Stanwyck) in &ldquo;Baby Face&rdquo; (1933), use men&rsquo;s relentless advances to build their careers, turning sex into a tool for economic ascension.</p>

<p>But for every Trixie and Lily, there are a host of devastated women who fall victim to male deception, some to the point of committing suicide.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Our Blushing Brides&rdquo; (1930) tells the story of a trio of department store models. Connie (Anita Page), falls in love with a wealthy man who leads her to believe he&rsquo;s going to marry her, showering her with the finer things in life and a swanky apartment in exchange for you-know-what.</p>

<p>It turns out that Prince Charming plans to marry another woman, one of his class. Heartbroken and ashamed, Connie listens to the wedding broadcast on the radio. Then she quaffs poison.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Three Wise Girls&rdquo; (1932) opens with Cassie (Jean Harlow) walking alone at night on a dark country road. A male driver stops and offers her a ride, to which Cassie cracks: &ldquo;No thanks, I&rsquo;m just walking home from one.&rdquo;</p>

<p>From the start, this is a film about the nonstop diligence required to avoid sexual victimization. Cassie moves to New York hoping to rise in the world, and ends up working at a soda fountain. Her boss slides behind her as she&rsquo;s pouring a soda, lingering with his hands on her until she brushes him away. Seconds later, we hear Harlow slap him in the back room and shout, &ldquo;Take your hands off me.&rdquo; Needless to say, that&rsquo;s the end of that job.</p>

<p>A wealthy drunk who observes this encounter follows Cassie out of the store, offering her a ride in his car, saying he needs the air.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Yeah, well I&rsquo;m giving you the air,&rdquo; Cassie replies.&nbsp;</p>

<p>That makes three passes in the film&rsquo;s first 10 minutes, and that&rsquo;s the tip of the iceberg.</p>

<p>Toward the end of the film, one of the other (not so) wise girls, Gladys (Mae Clarke), finds out from a newspaper headline that her beau has reconciled with his wife.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Not a note, telephone call, anything. I had to read it in the papers,&rdquo; she tells Cassie, before collapsing.</p>

<p>Moments later, Cassie finds the bottle of poison Gladys used to commit suicide.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Same as it ever was?</strong></p>

<p>In the midst of our current cultural reckoning with sexual harassment, it&rsquo;s worth considering what these films communicated.</p>

<p>Much like their #MeToo counterparts today, some of these female characters manage to ward off their pursuers, even when they&rsquo;re the boss. However, just as often they pay the price with their jobs or, as in the aforementioned examples, their lives.</p>

<p>Is it surprising that Hollywood is rife with the real-life version of these stories, which are only now coming out and being taken seriously?</p>

<p>Moviegoers in the early 1930s watched films about such sexual aggression on a regular basis, suggesting the degree to which this behavior was known, if not tacitly condoned, by film producers who were, of course, all male. The Production Code certainly tamed such blunt plot lines.</p>

<p>But the residue of men using their power to exert control over women (especially those economically beneath them) remained, albeit in muted forms. One can only imagine how many Harvey Weinsteins operated with impunity in 1930s Hollywood.</p>

<p>As Lily says to Courtland Trenhold (George Brent) in &ldquo;Baby Face,&rdquo; &ldquo;I was hoping you wouldn&rsquo;t be like everybody else. Silly of me, wasn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;</em></p>


Scores of Depression-era films depicted a pattern of sexual harassment that sounds all too familiar.

Time’s 2017 Person of the Year was “The Silence Breakers,” a growing contingent of women who have been speaking out about sexual harassment by men in positions of power. But the sexual exploitation of women is hardly something new. As Time observed, the #MeToo movement “has actually been simmering for years, decades, centuries.” In order to prepare for a course I’ll be teaching next fall about working women in 1920s and 1930s films, I’ve been watching a lot of movies from the period. And I’ve been repeatedly surprised by how much casual sexual harassment – a term that wouldn’t exist until decades later – was depicted on screen during those years. In recent months, we’ve seen the exploitative behavior of powerful men exposed. But these movies from the 1930s show how far back these perverse values go, and how integral they were to Hollywood’s imagining of women’s lives. A familiar pattern emerges In 1934, the Motion Picture Association of America adopted a Production Code that suppressed representations of sex and violence. In the years before the code began to be enforced, filmmakers frequently depicted sexual coercion on the big screen. Many of these films took place in a Depression-era urban milieu. They featured unmarried, working class women struggling to pay the rent, mend their worn out stockings, and decide between dinner or carfare. And in movies from “Millie” (1931) to “The Week-End Marriage” (1932) there’s a familiar pattern of sexual aggression towards these women. A male shop owner, business executive, restaurant patron or department store customer promises a woman resources – nice clothes, a fancy apartment, career advancement – or marriage (once their wives divorce them, of course). In exchange, they want sex. Maybe it’s just for a weekend; maybe it’s for longer. When the men get what they want, their initial promises – marriage, a better job, a life of luxury – usually dry up. For the predators in these movies, consequences are almost always nonexistent. The men casually presume their right to the bodies of these young, beautiful women, banking on their literal hunger and economic desperation. The harassed, on the other hand, typically suffer for their optimistic (some might say foolish) hope that love or decency might win out in the end. Harassment, heartbreak, suicide These repeated incidences of sexual exploitation appear to be commonplace, even expected. Female characters are rarely surprised when men grope or solicit them. Instead, they offer well-rehearsed (and often hilarious) cracks as they commiserate with each other in the aftermath. A joke, repeated in several films, is the “no sale” icon popping up at the cash register after a female character rejects a pass. Some female characters – like Fay (Ginger Rogers) and Trixie (Aline MacMahon) in “Gold Diggers of 1933” (1933) – are savvy about their sexual currency, seeking relationships with otherwise undesirable men to gain access to their wallets. Others, like Lily (Barbara Stanwyck) in “Baby Face” (1933), use men’s relentless advances to build their careers, turning sex into a tool for economic ascension. But for every Trixie and Lily, there are a host of devastated women who fall victim to male deception, some to the point of committing suicide. “Our Blushing Brides” (1930) tells the story of a trio of department store models. Connie (Anita Page), falls in love with a wealthy man who leads her to believe he’s going to marry her, showering her with the finer things in life and a swanky apartment in exchange for you-know-what. It turns out that Prince Charming plans to marry another woman, one of his class. Heartbroken and ashamed, Connie listens to the wedding broadcast on the radio. Then she quaffs poison. “Three Wise Girls” (1932) opens with Cassie (Jean Harlow) walking alone at night on a dark country road. A male driver stops and offers her a ride, to which Cassie cracks: “No thanks, I’m just walking home from one.” From the start, this is a film about the nonstop diligence required to avoid sexual victimization. Cassie moves to New York hoping to rise in the world, and ends up working at a soda fountain. Her boss slides behind her as she’s pouring a soda, lingering with his hands on her until she brushes him away. Seconds later, we hear Harlow slap him in the back room and shout, “Take your hands off me.” Needless to say, that’s the end of that job. A wealthy drunk who observes this encounter follows Cassie out of the store, offering her a ride in his car, saying he needs the air. “Yeah, well I’m giving you the air,” Cassie replies. That makes three passes in the film’s first 10 minutes, and that’s the tip of the iceberg. Toward the end of the film, one of the other (not so) wise girls, Gladys (Mae Clarke), finds out from a newspaper headline that her beau has reconciled with his wife. “Not a note, telephone call, anything. I had to read it in the papers,” she tells Cassie, before collapsing. Moments later, Cassie finds the bottle of poison Gladys used to commit suicide. Same as it ever was? In the midst of our current cultural reckoning with sexual harassment, it’s worth considering what these films communicated. Much like their #MeToo counterparts today, some of these female characters manage to ward off their pursuers, even when they’re the boss. However, just as often they pay the price with their jobs or, as in the aforementioned examples, their lives. Is it surprising that Hollywood is rife with the real-life version of these stories, which are only now coming out and being taken seriously? Moviegoers in the early 1930s watched films about such sexual aggression on a regular basis, suggesting the degree to which this behavior was known, if not tacitly condoned, by film producers who were, of course, all male. The Production Code certainly tamed such blunt plot lines. But the residue of men using their power to exert control over women (especially those economically beneath them) remained, albeit in muted forms. One can only imagine how many Harvey Weinsteins operated with impunity in 1930s Hollywood. As Lily says to Courtland Trenhold (George Brent) in “Baby Face,” “I was hoping you wouldn’t be like everybody else. Silly of me, wasn’t it?” (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Sexual plight of working women in Hollywood films of 1930s

<p>New York Fashion Week on Friday saw something never-seen-before when women models dressed as angels walked handcuffed to men with a pig-face mask on the catwalk.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Friday&#39;s fashion show was inspired by the #MeToo social media campaign aimed at exposing sexual misconduct and misdemeanour across the world, specially targetted at cities in the United States.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em><a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/tadashi-shoji-shows-unapologetic-sexy-collection-inspired-by-metoo-8271" target="_blank">Also Watch:&nbsp;Tadashi Shoji shows &#39;unapologetic&#39; sexy collection inspired by #MeToo</a></em></p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue-honours-metoo-with-first-ever-nude-photo-series-32218" target="_blank"><em>Also Read:&nbsp;&#39;Sports Illustrated&#39; swimsuit issue honours #MeToo with first-ever nude photo series</em></a></p>

<p>The catwalk grabbed the attention of all when to everyone&#39;s surprise, models sporting angel wings walked handcuffed to men in scary masks.&nbsp;Models could be seen dressed in floor-length black and white gown for some monochromatic expression through clothes and leather wings on their shoulders.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Watch the video here:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sexual abuse victims walk the runway and share their stories to raise awareness and defend the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/metoo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#metoo</a> movement during New York Fashion Week <a href="https://t.co/BF8MgWoAyU">https://t.co/BF8MgWoAyU</a> <a href="https://t.co/qoVkQwGZOO">pic.twitter.com/qoVkQwGZOO</a></p>
&mdash; AFP news agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/962431314094850048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>At the end of the runway, a 22-year-old model Cheyenne Jacobs, declared herself as a survivor of sexual abuse while briefly explaining what happened to her at a tender age.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She said: &quot;I would like to take this moment as a stand of my healing, how far I&rsquo;ve grown and also to say that this is not only a movement, not just stories, but we&rsquo;re real people who have gone through real things.&quot;</p>

<p>The<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-saturday-night-live-jessica-chastain-brings-up-times-up-metoo-womens-march-30309" target="_blank"> #MeToo campaign</a> at New York Fashion Week was the product of&nbsp;Myriam Chalek, creative director of fashion website American Wardrobe.</p>

<p>Myriam, while talking about it to Reuters said,&nbsp;&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think this fashion show is going to change things overnight, but if it can be a step further then I guess I&rsquo;ve done my part. A woman who has been empowered is a woman who is unstoppable.&quot;</p>

<p>She went ahead to add that although the clothes are all a part of American Wardrobe fashions, the event in itself is nonprofit.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-i-was-flat-out-raped-amy-schumer-reveals-being-assaulted-as-a-teenager-31612" target="_blank">Also Read:&nbsp;&#39;I was flat-out raped&#39;: Amy Schumer reveals being assaulted as a teenager</a></em></p>

<p>The<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/metoo-time-magazine-announces-silence-breakers-as-person-of-the-year-26051" target="_blank"> #Metoo</a> social media campaign has exposed a number of men across the world who had allegedly harassed&nbsp;women. The campaign had gone viral with several women and men coming forward to narrate their stories. Since October last year, hundreds of women have accused powerful men in business, politics, media and entertainment of sex abuse, joining the #MeToo social media movement that has shone a light on sexual assault and harassment in US life.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


A fashion show inspired by the #MeToo social media campaign aimed at exposing sexual misconduct across the United States

New York Fashion Week on Friday saw something never-seen-before when women models dressed as angels walked handcuffed to men with a pig-face mask on the catwalk. Friday's fashion show was inspired by the #MeToo social media campaign aimed at exposing sexual misconduct and misdemeanour across the world, specially targetted at cities in the United States. Also Watch: Tadashi Shoji shows 'unapologetic' sexy collection inspired by #MeToo Also Read: 'Sports Illustrated' swimsuit issue honours #MeToo with first-ever nude photo series The catwalk grabbed the attention of all when to everyone's surprise, models sporting angel wings walked handcuffed to men in scary masks. Models could be seen dressed in floor-length black and white gown for some monochromatic expression through clothes and leather wings on their shoulders. Watch the video here: Sexual abuse victims walk the runway and share their stories to raise awareness and defend the #metoo movement during New York Fashion Week https://t.co/BF8MgWoAyU pic.twitter.com/qoVkQwGZOO — AFP news agency (@AFP) February 10, 2018 × At the end of the runway, a 22-year-old model Cheyenne Jacobs, declared herself as a survivor of sexual abuse while briefly explaining what happened to her at a tender age. She said: "I would like to take this moment as a stand of my healing, how far I’ve grown and also to say that this is not only a movement, not just stories, but we’re real people who have gone through real things." The #MeToo campaign at New York Fashion Week was the product of Myriam Chalek, creative director of fashion website American Wardrobe. Myriam, while talking about it to Reuters said, “I don’t think this fashion show is going to change things overnight, but if it can be a step further then I guess I’ve done my part. A woman who has been empowered is a woman who is unstoppable." She went ahead to add that although the clothes are all a part of American Wardrobe fashions, the event in itself is nonprofit. Also Read: 'I was flat-out raped': Amy Schumer reveals being assaulted as a teenager The #Metoo social media campaign has exposed a number of men across the world who had allegedly harassed women. The campaign had gone viral with several women and men coming forward to narrate their stories. Since October last year, hundreds of women have accused powerful men in business, politics, media and entertainment of sex abuse, joining the #MeToo social media movement that has shone a light on sexual assault and harassment in US life.

#MeToo on-ramp: Models as angels, men as pigs at New York Fashion Week

<p>New York state sued Harvey Weinstein, his brother and their production company on Sunday for failing to protect employees from years of his alleged sexual misconduct despite multiple complaints from staff.</p>

<p>The lawsuit comes four months after the Hollywood mogul&#39;s downfall over allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape now leveled against the producer by more than 100 women over 40 years.</p>

<p>State prosecutors said the legal action, the result of an ongoing four-month investigation, was filed Sunday out of fear that an imminent sale of The Weinstein Company, now on the verge of bankruptcy, could leave victims without adequate redress.</p>

<p>The lawsuit, which could delay the sale, accuses the company&#39;s board and executives of repeatedly failing to take adequate steps to protect staff or curb Weinstein&#39;s behavior, despite multiple complaints to human resources.</p>

<p>It alleges that female assistants were required to facilitate Weinstein&#39;s sex life as a condition of employment and had copies of a manual, known as a &quot;Bible,&quot; that included directions on how to do so.</p>

<p>Prosecutors said Weinstein made verbal threats to &quot;kill&quot; several staff or their families and touted his connection to political figures and alleged Secret Service contacts that could &quot;take care of problems.&quot;</p>

<p>They said one employee was flown from London to New York to teach his assistants &quot;how to dress and smell more attractive&quot; to Weinstein.</p>

<p>They also alleged that Weinstein&#39;s drivers in New York and Los Angeles were required to keep condoms and erectile dysfunction injections in the car at all times.</p>

<p>Prosecutors said Weinstein made a female employee take dictation while leering at her as he lay naked on his bed in 2014-15. He also put his hand on her upper thigh and buttocks near her genitalia to rub her without consent in the back of cars.</p>

<p>Largely female assistants allegedly contacted prospective sexual partners via text message or phone at his direction, and maintained space on his calendar for sexual activity.</p>

<p><strong>Vicious mistreatment</strong></p>

<p>Female executives also allegedly had to meet prospective sexual conquests and follow through on promised job offers, which prosecutors said demeaned and humiliated them, fueling a hostile work environment.</p>

<p>The New York state attorney&#39;s office said that despite multiple complaints to the human resources department, there was no meaningful investigation or relief for victims, or consequences for Weinstein.</p>

<p>It said the company&#39;s toxic work environment was shrouded in secrecy because of a practice of reaching non-disclosure agreements -- a policy that has come under renewed scrutiny in the wake of the sexual harassment watershed that has followed Weinstein&#39;s downfall.</p>

<p>State attorney general Eric Schneiderman said the lawsuit, filed in the State Supreme Court in New York, included new allegations about Weinstein&#39;s &quot;vicious and exploitative mistreatment&quot; of employees.</p>

<p>&quot;As alleged in our complaint, The Weinstein Company repeatedly broke New York law by failing to protect its employees from pervasive sexual harassment, intimidation and discrimination,&quot; said Schneiderman.</p>

<p>&quot;Any sale of The Weinstein Company must ensure that victims will be compensated, employees will be protected going forward and that neither perpetrators nor enablers will be unjustly enriched.&quot;</p>

<p>Weinstein is reportedly in treatment for sex addiction and is under investigation by British and US police, although he has not been charged with any crime. He denies having non-consensual sex.</p>

<p>Last week, the district attorney&#39;s office in Los Angeles said police had submitted three Weinstein sexual assault cases to prosecutors.</p>

<p>A group of investors led by a former official who served in president Barack Obama&#39;s administration is understood to be in advanced talks to buy The Weinstein Company.</p>

<p>Deadline, the Hollywood insider website that first reported the advanced talks, said a roughly $500 million bid by the group led by Maria Contreras-Sweet included a fund to compensate victims.</p>


Prosecutors said Weinstein made verbal threats to "kill" several staff or their families and touted his connection to political figures and alleged Secret Service contacts that could 'take care of problems'

New York state sued Harvey Weinstein, his brother and their production company on Sunday for failing to protect employees from years of his alleged sexual misconduct despite multiple complaints from staff. The lawsuit comes four months after the Hollywood mogul's downfall over allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape now leveled against the producer by more than 100 women over 40 years. State prosecutors said the legal action, the result of an ongoing four-month investigation, was filed Sunday out of fear that an imminent sale of The Weinstein Company, now on the verge of bankruptcy, could leave victims without adequate redress. The lawsuit, which could delay the sale, accuses the company's board and executives of repeatedly failing to take adequate steps to protect staff or curb Weinstein's behavior, despite multiple complaints to human resources. It alleges that female assistants were required to facilitate Weinstein's sex life as a condition of employment and had copies of a manual, known as a "Bible," that included directions on how to do so. Prosecutors said Weinstein made verbal threats to "kill" several staff or their families and touted his connection to political figures and alleged Secret Service contacts that could "take care of problems." They said one employee was flown from London to New York to teach his assistants "how to dress and smell more attractive" to Weinstein. They also alleged that Weinstein's drivers in New York and Los Angeles were required to keep condoms and erectile dysfunction injections in the car at all times. Prosecutors said Weinstein made a female employee take dictation while leering at her as he lay naked on his bed in 2014-15. He also put his hand on her upper thigh and buttocks near her genitalia to rub her without consent in the back of cars. Largely female assistants allegedly contacted prospective sexual partners via text message or phone at his direction, and maintained space on his calendar for sexual activity. Vicious mistreatment Female executives also allegedly had to meet prospective sexual conquests and follow through on promised job offers, which prosecutors said demeaned and humiliated them, fueling a hostile work environment. The New York state attorney's office said that despite multiple complaints to the human resources department, there was no meaningful investigation or relief for victims, or consequences for Weinstein. It said the company's toxic work environment was shrouded in secrecy because of a practice of reaching non-disclosure agreements -- a policy that has come under renewed scrutiny in the wake of the sexual harassment watershed that has followed Weinstein's downfall. State attorney general Eric Schneiderman said the lawsuit, filed in the State Supreme Court in New York, included new allegations about Weinstein's "vicious and exploitative mistreatment" of employees. "As alleged in our complaint, The Weinstein Company repeatedly broke New York law by failing to protect its employees from pervasive sexual harassment, intimidation and discrimination," said Schneiderman. "Any sale of The Weinstein Company must ensure that victims will be compensated, employees will be protected going forward and that neither perpetrators nor enablers will be unjustly enriched." Weinstein is reportedly in treatment for sex addiction and is under investigation by British and US police, although he has not been charged with any crime. He denies having non-consensual sex. Last week, the district attorney's office in Los Angeles said police had submitted three Weinstein sexual assault cases to prosecutors. A group of investors led by a former official who served in president Barack Obama's administration is understood to be in advanced talks to buy The Weinstein Company. Deadline, the Hollywood insider website that first reported the advanced talks, said a roughly $500 million bid by the group led by Maria Contreras-Sweet included a fund to compensate victims.

Hollywood mogul's downfall continues, New York state sues Weinstein and Company for failing to protect staff

<p>Women are finally coming out with their sexual harassment incidents without any hesitation, all thanks to the &quot;MeToo&quot; movement. This time its several women in Islam who have spoken up about sexual experiences at Hajj.</p>

<p>Even holy places are not safe for women anymore. Even at Hajj, at&nbsp;the&nbsp;city of&nbsp;Mecca, where people perform their religious Islamic duties.</p>

<p>Women have now come out to talk about the horrid instances while&nbsp;carrying out&nbsp;<i>tawaf&nbsp;</i>around the Kaaba during&nbsp;their pilgrimage to Mecca.</p>

<p>It all started when a woman named Sabica Khan took to Facebook to share her #MeToo moment at Hajj, and found out that she wasn&rsquo;t alone.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here is her post from a week back:</p>

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<p>This led to an Egyptian-American feminist and journalist Mona Eltahawy to share her story which dated years back - when she was 15, she is now 50 years old. She was also first talked about her experience of sexual assault during Hajj in 2013.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have shared my experience of being sexually assaulted during Haj in 1982 when I was 15 in the hope that it will help fellow Muslim women break silence and taboo around their experience of sexual harassment/abuse during Haj/Umra or in sacred spaces. Let&rsquo;s use <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a> <a href="https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX">https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX</a></p>
&mdash; Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) <a href="https://twitter.com/monaeltahawy/status/960701491328712706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">In 2013, I was 1st person to talk about being sexually assaulted at Haj on Arabic-language <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Egyptian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Egyptian</a> primetime TV show. In 2015, I wrote about it in my book. I&rsquo;m talking about it now &amp; will keep talking about it until Muslim women are safe from sexual harassment &amp; assault at Haj <a href="https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX">https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX</a></p>
&mdash; Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) <a href="https://twitter.com/monaeltahawy/status/961693550747537412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>She is the women behind the famous #MosqueMeToo, which has caught several people&#39;s attention and soon became a trending topic on Twitter.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thank you again to fellow Muslim women who have shared their own experience at Haj. Love and solidarity. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a> <a href="https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX">https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX</a></p>
&mdash; Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) <a href="https://twitter.com/monaeltahawy/status/960970557603885056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Muslim men and women from around the world started using the hashtag yesterday and in less than 24 hours it was tweeted 2,000 times. It has gone on to become one of the top ten trends of Farsi Twitter.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a> shows once again that sexual harassment and assault has nothing to do with female modesty. It is not because of what a woman is wearing it is because of how men are taught to look at and think of women.</p>
&mdash; Faranak Amidi (@Faranak_amidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/Faranak_amidi/status/961657700940681218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I stand with my sisters who&#39;ve experienced sexual assault in environments they thought would be safe. Terrible people can inhabit holy spaces. It is telling of their own character. As Muslims it is our duty to advocate for our sisters who are facing injustice. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a></p>
&mdash; Hanan (@Onecoldcreative) <a href="https://twitter.com/Onecoldcreative/status/961283707234533376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I find it hard to think about Umrah now, something that should have been one of the best memories in my life and should have brought me closer to God just ruined me <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a></p>
&mdash; Mariha Syed (@MarihaSyed) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarihaSyed/status/960995477486366721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I read about <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a>. It brought me to horrible memories during Hajj 2010. People think Mecca is the holiest place for Moslems so nobody would not do something bad. Totally wrong.</p>
&mdash; Anggi Lagorio (@AnggiAngguni) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnggiAngguni/status/960992880570568704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I was 10 years old and I thought my sister was gripping my hips as not to lose me in the huge crowd after Jumaa prayer. But my sister was next to me and those turned out to not be my sister&rsquo;s hands.<br />
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He didn&rsquo;t move until she elbowed him away.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a></p>
&mdash; K R (@NewtmasGrape) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewtmasGrape/status/962040126665707521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Muslim men and women from around the world started using the hashtag yesterday and in less than 24 hours it was tweeted 2,000 times. It has gone on to become one of the top ten trends of Farsi Twitter

Women are finally coming out with their sexual harassment incidents without any hesitation, all thanks to the "MeToo" movement. This time its several women in Islam who have spoken up about sexual experiences at Hajj. Even holy places are not safe for women anymore. Even at Hajj, at the city of Mecca, where people perform their religious Islamic duties. Women have now come out to talk about the horrid instances while carrying out tawaf around the Kaaba during their pilgrimage to Mecca. It all started when a woman named Sabica Khan took to Facebook to share her #MeToo moment at Hajj, and found out that she wasn’t alone. Here is her post from a week back: × This led to an Egyptian-American feminist and journalist Mona Eltahawy to share her story which dated years back - when she was 15, she is now 50 years old. She was also first talked about her experience of sexual assault during Hajj in 2013. I have shared my experience of being sexually assaulted during Haj in 1982 when I was 15 in the hope that it will help fellow Muslim women break silence and taboo around their experience of sexual harassment/abuse during Haj/Umra or in sacred spaces. Let’s use #MosqueMeToo https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX — Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) February 6, 2018 × In 2013, I was 1st person to talk about being sexually assaulted at Haj on Arabic-language #Egyptian primetime TV show. In 2015, I wrote about it in my book. I’m talking about it now & will keep talking about it until Muslim women are safe from sexual harassment & assault at Haj https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX — Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) February 8, 2018 × She is the women behind the famous #MosqueMeToo, which has caught several people's attention and soon became a trending topic on Twitter. Thank you again to fellow Muslim women who have shared their own experience at Haj. Love and solidarity. #MosqueMeToo https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX — Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) February 6, 2018 × Muslim men and women from around the world started using the hashtag yesterday and in less than 24 hours it was tweeted 2,000 times. It has gone on to become one of the top ten trends of Farsi Twitter. the #MosqueMeToo shows once again that sexual harassment and assault has nothing to do with female modesty. It is not because of what a woman is wearing it is because of how men are taught to look at and think of women. — Faranak Amidi (@Faranak_amidi) February 8, 2018 × I stand with my sisters who've experienced sexual assault in environments they thought would be safe. Terrible people can inhabit holy spaces. It is telling of their own character. As Muslims it is our duty to advocate for our sisters who are facing injustice. #MosqueMeToo — Hanan (@Onecoldcreative) February 7, 2018 × I find it hard to think about Umrah now, something that should have been one of the best memories in my life and should have brought me closer to God just ruined me #MosqueMeToo — Mariha Syed (@MarihaSyed) February 6, 2018 × I read about #MosqueMeToo. It brought me to horrible memories during Hajj 2010. People think Mecca is the holiest place for Moslems so nobody would not do something bad. Totally wrong. — Anggi Lagorio (@AnggiAngguni) February 6, 2018 × I was 10 years old and I thought my sister was gripping my hips as not to lose me in the huge crowd after Jumaa prayer. But my sister was next to me and those turned out to not be my sister’s hands. He didn’t move until she elbowed him away. #MosqueMeToo — K R (@NewtmasGrape) February 9, 2018 ×

#MosqueMeToo becomes top trend on Twitter after women share sexual harassment stories at Hajj

<p>Saudi Arabia&#39;s crowned prince Mohammad bin Salman is leading with 19% votes for the TIME magazines &quot;Person of the year&quot;&nbsp;title.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He has left behind a number of influential people like Carmen Yulin Cruz, Hilary Clinton, and the social media campaign #MeToo.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>TIME magazines Person of the year poll. (Others)</p>
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<p>The poll began last week, which included 33 contenders in the running.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/after-arresting-top-leaders-saudi-arabia-threatens-iran-seals-border-with-yemen-23619" target="_blank"> After arresting top leaders, Saudi Arabia threatens Iran &amp; seals border with Yemen</a></p>

<p>Although the title is &quot;Person of the Year&quot;, the criteria are actually quite broad. A person, a group, an idea or even an object can be selected as the winner by TIME&#39;s editors.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia&#39;s Crown Prince&nbsp;Salman has become popular around the world for his rapid dominance to the top of Saudi Arabia&#39;s power format, for his aspiring reform plan and a shocking corruption purge of top officials and fellow princes.</p>

<p>Also Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/will-pursue-terrorists-until-they-are-wiped-out-declares-saudi-arabias-crown-prince-salman-25283">Will pursue terrorists until they are wiped out, declares Saudi Arabia&#39;s crown prince Salman</a></p>

<p>Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/we-are-returning-to-what-we-were-a-country-of-moderate-islam-saudi-crown-prince-22844">We are returning to what we were -- a country of moderate Islam: Saudi crown prince</a></p>

<p>Voting in the poll ends on December 4th and the results will be revealed on December 6th.&nbsp;</p>


He has left behind a number of influential people like Carmen Yulin Cruz, Hilary Clinton and the social media campaign #MeToo

Saudi Arabia's crowned prince Mohammad bin Salman is leading with 19% votes for the TIME magazines "Person of the year" title. He has left behind a number of influential people like Carmen Yulin Cruz, Hilary Clinton, and the social media campaign #MeToo. TIME magazines Person of the year poll. (Others) × The poll began last week, which included 33 contenders in the running. Also read: After arresting top leaders, Saudi Arabia threatens Iran & seals border with Yemen Although the title is "Person of the Year", the criteria are actually quite broad. A person, a group, an idea or even an object can be selected as the winner by TIME's editors. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Salman has become popular around the world for his rapid dominance to the top of Saudi Arabia's power format, for his aspiring reform plan and a shocking corruption purge of top officials and fellow princes. Also Read: Will pursue terrorists until they are wiped out, declares Saudi Arabia's crown prince Salman Also read: We are returning to what we were -- a country of moderate Islam: Saudi crown prince Voting in the poll ends on December 4th and the results will be revealed on December 6th.

Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman leads in Time 'Person of the Year' poll

<p>Thousands of people are expected to march in Los Angeles on Sunday to support victims of sexual assault and harassment, inspired by a social media campaign that has portrayed such abuse as a pervasive feature of American life.</p>

<p>The #MeToo march, which will culminate in a rally at a Hollywood Boulevard intersection, follows a relentless series of accusations by men and women who say they were victimized by high-powered figures in the entertainment industry.</p>

<p>Movie producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis C.K. are among the most prominent names to have been accused.</p>

<p>&quot;The conversation around harassment in Hollywood will broaden to include other industries if we force it to! It&rsquo;s not going to do it on its own,&quot; organizers said on a Facebook page for the event.</p>

<p>The events are scheduled to include a march to CNN&#39;s headquarters in Los Angeles and a rally at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland Avenue in the heart of Hollywood.</p>

<p>Five women detailed sexual misconduct accusations against Emmy-winning comedian Louis C.K. in The New York Times on Thursday. He admitted to the misconduct alleged against him in a statement on Friday and apologized for his actions.</p>

<p>The New York Times reported in October that Weinstein, 65, had reached eight previously undisclosed settlements with women who accused him of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact.</p>

<p>The New Yorker magazine reported that 13 women had claimed that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them.</p>

<p>Weinstein has denied all of the accusations against him.</p>

<p>Earlier this month, Spacey apologized to actor Anthony Rapp, who had accused him of trying to seduce him in 1986 when Rapp was 14. Spacey&#39;s representatives later said he was seeking treatment.</p>

<p>The allegations have inspired an online campaign, tagged #MeToo, that has encouraged men and women in all walks of life to reveal their own experiences with sexual harassment and assault, often years after they occurred.</p>


The #MeToo march, which will culminate in a rally at a Hollywood Boulevard intersection, follows a relentless series of accusations by men and women who say they were victimized by high-powered figures in the entertainment industry.

Thousands of people are expected to march in Los Angeles on Sunday to support victims of sexual assault and harassment, inspired by a social media campaign that has portrayed such abuse as a pervasive feature of American life. The #MeToo march, which will culminate in a rally at a Hollywood Boulevard intersection, follows a relentless series of accusations by men and women who say they were victimized by high-powered figures in the entertainment industry. Movie producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis C.K. are among the most prominent names to have been accused. "The conversation around harassment in Hollywood will broaden to include other industries if we force it to! It’s not going to do it on its own," organizers said on a Facebook page for the event. The events are scheduled to include a march to CNN's headquarters in Los Angeles and a rally at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland Avenue in the heart of Hollywood. Five women detailed sexual misconduct accusations against Emmy-winning comedian Louis C.K. in The New York Times on Thursday. He admitted to the misconduct alleged against him in a statement on Friday and apologized for his actions. The New York Times reported in October that Weinstein, 65, had reached eight previously undisclosed settlements with women who accused him of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact. The New Yorker magazine reported that 13 women had claimed that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them. Weinstein has denied all of the accusations against him. Earlier this month, Spacey apologized to actor Anthony Rapp, who had accused him of trying to seduce him in 1986 when Rapp was 14. Spacey's representatives later said he was seeking treatment. The allegations have inspired an online campaign, tagged #MeToo, that has encouraged men and women in all walks of life to reveal their own experiences with sexual harassment and assault, often years after they occurred.

Thousands to join Hollywood #MeToo march against sexual abuse

<p>Harvey Weinstein&rsquo;s infamous serial abuse of women actresses in Hollywood has indeed changed the world. It has prompted women, all over, to come out and speak about sexual harassment openly, making the #MeToo campaign go insanely viral. &nbsp;A follow-up poll by <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/unwanted-sexual-advances-hollywood-weinstein-story-poll/story?id=50521721" rel="nofollow">ABC News Washington Post</a> found that sexual harassment in the US was a &nbsp;full-blown epidemic with 54 per cent women responding that they have faced such harassment, 30 per cent facing harassment at work and 25 per cent facing harassment from men who had power over the careers.</p>

<p>In a country like the US, where awareness about sexual harassment as well as laws and institutional policies that deter it is prevalent, such staggering high numbers of harassment instances are indeed eye-opening. As a follow-up to the events, Raya Sarkar, a student of law at UC Davis, who hails from India, has curated a list that identifies academics in India&rsquo;s leading educational institutions and Indian origin academics in the West, who have supposedly sexually harassed their students.</p>

<p>The list is alive and growing, and it has already identified 70 professors, many of whom have had significant academic accomplishments.</p>

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<h5>Kafila feminists have followed the same vanguardism that makes leftists unpopular amongst likeminded non-left progressives, who would otherwise broadly agree on issues.</h5>
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<p>As an observer, who has followed the debate with some degree of seriousness, I have little new to add about sexual harassment that has not already been discussed so far. I would rather prefer to discuss the debate. I ardently believe that sexual harassment in academia is a burning issue that needs to be addressed right away.</p>

<p>People in academia have historically been at the forefront of many progressive socio-cultural movements, however, unfortunately, they have not done enough to clean their own homes and make the academic institutions a safe-space from harassment. Many faculty members routinely exploit their position of authority, power and hierarchy vis-&agrave;-vis that of their students, to harass the latter in many ways.</p>

<p>Means such as nepotism and&nbsp;favouritism, unfair &amp; punitive grading and taking adverse coercive action that damage future career prospects of their student are commonplace misdeeds in academia. Sexual harassment is an extreme manifestation of such exploitation that is targeted, mostly, at the female students. However, rather than attempting to look at sexual harassment through a lens that isolates it from the other forms of harassments in the classroom, we should look at bullying and harassment by faculty members more holistically to tackle this social evil.</p>

<p>Sexual harassment by faculty members has little to do with primordial desires, but more to do with the fact that a faculty member demands and expects submission from his students, and is an expression of a power play. If there is an appropriate use of the Savarna-Dalit allegory, the faculty-student relationship would be it. Students learn to withstand and tolerate such harassment as there are few efficient institutional and legal mechanisms to challenge it.</p>

<p>While it is heartening that some progressive institutions in India are putting in place procedures that discourage &amp; prevent sexual harassment, one can only hope that others will soon follow suit. Further college and universities should look at the issue of harassment more holistically, while not losing focus on the sexual abuse aspect.</p>

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<h5>How do we distinguish between folks who have made undue advances &amp; sexual assaults from those who may have just made some casual unwelcome sexist remarks?</h5>
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<p>Raya&rsquo;s list is not a novel idea. Recently, a few women in New York City, who work in Media &amp; Communications, had curated such a list for sexual harassment in the world of media, but they had to take it down. That list and Raya&#39;s share similar methodological deficiencies. Raya&#39;s list has four major flaws. First, it doesn&rsquo;t bucket the names of offending faculty members in two categories &ndash; one against whom formal complaints have already been lodged and the second for whom there is none.</p>

<p>This is an important distinction to make, and contrary to popular belief, it doesn&#39;t weaken the seriousness of the list, rather strengthens it as more authentic and believable. Second, Raya has also made a serious mistake of attempting to become the sole curator or gatekeeper for such a list; one has to completely rely on her judgement that she got it right.</p>

<p>A collective earns more public trust than an individual in such sensitive matters, she should have enlisted a wider group of folks to curate and maintain that list. Third, the nature of the offence of the accused is not mentioned. While the victim&rsquo;s identity should be private, the incident needn&rsquo;t be. How do we distinguish between folks who have made undue advances &amp; sexual assaults from those who may have just made some casual unwelcome sexist remarks?</p>

<p>In the realms of theory, both amount to harassment, but from a matter of practicality, the two are not the same. Unless we can completely rid ourselves of patriarchy, there will always be some bias against women, but one cannot adopt a &ldquo;boil the ocean&rdquo; approach to treating all forms of offensive behaviour as equal. Some of these offences deserve jail time; others may just deserve a rebuke.</p>

<p>The course of common law, which Raya is surely very familiar with, makes a solid distinction between felony offences, misdemeanours, and infractions. Unfortunately, her list does not make any distinctions. Some of Raya&rsquo;s supporters have claimed that the accountability lies with the named offenders, they need to own up and should come clean.</p>

<p>An argument such as the above, cannot be more juvenile, as no one can come clean without knowing the charges or accusations against him! Fourth, as a student of law, Raya could have made her list more effective as evidence material towards prosecuting the offenders in future. Unfortunately, the way it has been architected, the list cannot stand scrutiny in any court of law.</p>

<p>However, while Raya&#39;s list can be criticised for its shortcomings, her attempt should not be discouraged and dismissed like the Kafila feminists have done. Unlike what they have, somewhat unfairly, claimed Raya&rsquo;s attempt doesn&rsquo;t delegitimise or undermine any of their sustained efforts to reform institutions and put in more formal grievance redressal mechanisms in academic institutions. As a parallel, the very popular RatemyProfessors.com, a web portal that allows students to rate their professors online anonymously, doesn&rsquo;t undermine the formal course evaluation mechanisms put in place by the universities in the US.</p>

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<h5>Through whisper campaigns &amp; slander, female students, in India&#39;s universities have warned other students &amp; parents about possible sexual predators, and such awareness mechanisms have been a very effective form of defense.</h5>
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<p>The cleavage amongst the two camps in the realm of feminism reminds me of the seemingly eternal debates within the radical and progressive political actors - the leftists that are inspired by Marx &amp; Lenin versus the libertarian socialists (anarchists) inspired by Kropotkin, Proudhon and Bakunin.</p>

<p>Central to the debate is the role of vanguards in movements and the question of hegemony. The Marxist Leninist leftists always feel the need of a vanguard force that would need to spark and shape political activity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the other hand, the libertarian socialists prefer spontaneous &amp; sporadic insurrections and aim to destroy these institutional mechanisms quickly and forever, to lay the groundwork for a new world order. The anarchists dislike the vanguardism and deterministic politics of the left and their inability to identify hegemony outside of class relationships. The leftists tend to ignore the hegemony that also exists, for example, within the communist party itself.</p>

<p>The above hegemony is somewhat evident in the manner the Kafila feminists have been dismissive of Raya Sarkar&rsquo;s attempt. In the subsequent posts by Nivedita Menon in Kafila, Kavita Krishnan in The Wire, these prominent individuals have outlined the deterministic pathways of combating patriarchy, as they have practised in the past. By doing that, they have followed the same vanguardism that makes leftists unpopular amongst likeminded non-left progressives, who would otherwise broadly agree on issues.</p>

<p>Resistance need not be a revolution or a rebellion. In fact, such decisive events are very infrequent. However, the human spirit doesn&rsquo;t ever cease to resist. People show their contempt and resistance against the existing hegemonic power structures through everyday forms of resistance, as James Scott has shown in his path-breaking work, &ldquo;Weapons of the Weak&rdquo;.</p>

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<p>Scott has studied the less visible, everyday forms of resistance, such as foot-dragging, evasion, false compliance, pilfering, feigned ignorance, slander and sabotage and many more techniques employed by peasants against landlords and governments.</p>

<p>The Kafila feminists feel that women students haven&rsquo;t been resisting sexual harassments in academia enough. In fact, they haven&rsquo;t been looking. Through whisper campaigns &amp; slander, female students, in India&#39;s universities have warned other students &amp; parents about possible sexual predators, and such awareness mechanisms have been a very effective form of defense.</p>

<p>An informal survey of students in any academic campus will tell you, that they know the questionable characters, they have been &ldquo;handed down&rdquo; this knowledge through seniors, batch mates and the student community in general. Raya&rsquo;s list should be seen as an extension of that collective effort. She has collated such whispers and slanders and put it up in the public domain for everybody to see. But, since such resistance mechanisms do not appear in any movement entrepreneur&rsquo;s playbook, the Kafila feminists dislike it. They needn&#39;t.</p>

<p>This great divide amongst activists did not start recently, nor is it going to end anytime soon. One just hopes well-meaning people like Raya and her supporters and the prominent personalities in Kafila can disagree without being disagreeable.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Raya Sarkar has collated whispers and slanders of sexually abused students and put it up in the public domain for everybody to see.

Harvey Weinstein’s infamous serial abuse of women actresses in Hollywood has indeed changed the world. It has prompted women, all over, to come out and speak about sexual harassment openly, making the #MeToo campaign go insanely viral. A follow-up poll by ABC News Washington Post found that sexual harassment in the US was a full-blown epidemic with 54 per cent women responding that they have faced such harassment, 30 per cent facing harassment at work and 25 per cent facing harassment from men who had power over the careers. In a country like the US, where awareness about sexual harassment as well as laws and institutional policies that deter it is prevalent, such staggering high numbers of harassment instances are indeed eye-opening. As a follow-up to the events, Raya Sarkar, a student of law at UC Davis, who hails from India, has curated a list that identifies academics in India’s leading educational institutions and Indian origin academics in the West, who have supposedly sexually harassed their students. The list is alive and growing, and it has already identified 70 professors, many of whom have had significant academic accomplishments. Kafila feminists have followed the same vanguardism that makes leftists unpopular amongst likeminded non-left progressives, who would otherwise broadly agree on issues. × As an observer, who has followed the debate with some degree of seriousness, I have little new to add about sexual harassment that has not already been discussed so far. I would rather prefer to discuss the debate. I ardently believe that sexual harassment in academia is a burning issue that needs to be addressed right away. People in academia have historically been at the forefront of many progressive socio-cultural movements, however, unfortunately, they have not done enough to clean their own homes and make the academic institutions a safe-space from harassment. Many faculty members routinely exploit their position of authority, power and hierarchy vis-à-vis that of their students, to harass the latter in many ways. Means such as nepotism and favouritism, unfair & punitive grading and taking adverse coercive action that damage future career prospects of their student are commonplace misdeeds in academia. Sexual harassment is an extreme manifestation of such exploitation that is targeted, mostly, at the female students. However, rather than attempting to look at sexual harassment through a lens that isolates it from the other forms of harassments in the classroom, we should look at bullying and harassment by faculty members more holistically to tackle this social evil. Sexual harassment by faculty members has little to do with primordial desires, but more to do with the fact that a faculty member demands and expects submission from his students, and is an expression of a power play. If there is an appropriate use of the Savarna-Dalit allegory, the faculty-student relationship would be it. Students learn to withstand and tolerate such harassment as there are few efficient institutional and legal mechanisms to challenge it. While it is heartening that some progressive institutions in India are putting in place procedures that discourage & prevent sexual harassment, one can only hope that others will soon follow suit. Further college and universities should look at the issue of harassment more holistically, while not losing focus on the sexual abuse aspect. How do we distinguish between folks who have made undue advances & sexual assaults from those who may have just made some casual unwelcome sexist remarks? × Raya’s list is not a novel idea. Recently, a few women in New York City, who work in Media & Communications, had curated such a list for sexual harassment in the world of media, but they had to take it down. That list and Raya's share similar methodological deficiencies. Raya's list has four major flaws. First, it doesn’t bucket the names of offending faculty members in two categories – one against whom formal complaints have already been lodged and the second for whom there is none. This is an important distinction to make, and contrary to popular belief, it doesn't weaken the seriousness of the list, rather strengthens it as more authentic and believable. Second, Raya has also made a serious mistake of attempting to become the sole curator or gatekeeper for such a list; one has to completely rely on her judgement that she got it right. A collective earns more public trust than an individual in such sensitive matters, she should have enlisted a wider group of folks to curate and maintain that list. Third, the nature of the offence of the accused is not mentioned. While the victim’s identity should be private, the incident needn’t be. How do we distinguish between folks who have made undue advances & sexual assaults from those who may have just made some casual unwelcome sexist remarks? In the realms of theory, both amount to harassment, but from a matter of practicality, the two are not the same. Unless we can completely rid ourselves of patriarchy, there will always be some bias against women, but one cannot adopt a “boil the ocean” approach to treating all forms of offensive behaviour as equal. Some of these offences deserve jail time; others may just deserve a rebuke. The course of common law, which Raya is surely very familiar with, makes a solid distinction between felony offences, misdemeanours, and infractions. Unfortunately, her list does not make any distinctions. Some of Raya’s supporters have claimed that the accountability lies with the named offenders, they need to own up and should come clean. An argument such as the above, cannot be more juvenile, as no one can come clean without knowing the charges or accusations against him! Fourth, as a student of law, Raya could have made her list more effective as evidence material towards prosecuting the offenders in future. Unfortunately, the way it has been architected, the list cannot stand scrutiny in any court of law. However, while Raya's list can be criticised for its shortcomings, her attempt should not be discouraged and dismissed like the Kafila feminists have done. Unlike what they have, somewhat unfairly, claimed Raya’s attempt doesn’t delegitimise or undermine any of their sustained efforts to reform institutions and put in more formal grievance redressal mechanisms in academic institutions. As a parallel, the very popular RatemyProfessors.com, a web portal that allows students to rate their professors online anonymously, doesn’t undermine the formal course evaluation mechanisms put in place by the universities in the US. Through whisper campaigns & slander, female students, in India's universities have warned other students & parents about possible sexual predators, and such awareness mechanisms have been a very effective form of defense. × The cleavage amongst the two camps in the realm of feminism reminds me of the seemingly eternal debates within the radical and progressive political actors - the leftists that are inspired by Marx & Lenin versus the libertarian socialists (anarchists) inspired by Kropotkin, Proudhon and Bakunin. Central to the debate is the role of vanguards in movements and the question of hegemony. The Marxist Leninist leftists always feel the need of a vanguard force that would need to spark and shape political activity. On the other hand, the libertarian socialists prefer spontaneous & sporadic insurrections and aim to destroy these institutional mechanisms quickly and forever, to lay the groundwork for a new world order. The anarchists dislike the vanguardism and deterministic politics of the left and their inability to identify hegemony outside of class relationships. The leftists tend to ignore the hegemony that also exists, for example, within the communist party itself. The above hegemony is somewhat evident in the manner the Kafila feminists have been dismissive of Raya Sarkar’s attempt. In the subsequent posts by Nivedita Menon in Kafila, Kavita Krishnan in The Wire, these prominent individuals have outlined the deterministic pathways of combating patriarchy, as they have practised in the past. By doing that, they have followed the same vanguardism that makes leftists unpopular amongst likeminded non-left progressives, who would otherwise broadly agree on issues. Resistance need not be a revolution or a rebellion. In fact, such decisive events are very infrequent. However, the human spirit doesn’t ever cease to resist. People show their contempt and resistance against the existing hegemonic power structures through everyday forms of resistance, as James Scott has shown in his path-breaking work, “Weapons of the Weak”. But, since such resistance mechanisms do not appear in any movement entrepreneur’s playbook, the Kafila feminists dislike it. × Scott has studied the less visible, everyday forms of resistance, such as foot-dragging, evasion, false compliance, pilfering, feigned ignorance, slander and sabotage and many more techniques employed by peasants against landlords and governments. The Kafila feminists feel that women students haven’t been resisting sexual harassments in academia enough. In fact, they haven’t been looking. Through whisper campaigns & slander, female students, in India's universities have warned other students & parents about possible sexual predators, and such awareness mechanisms have been a very effective form of defense. An informal survey of students in any academic campus will tell you, that they know the questionable characters, they have been “handed down” this knowledge through seniors, batch mates and the student community in general. Raya’s list should be seen as an extension of that collective effort. She has collated such whispers and slanders and put it up in the public domain for everybody to see. But, since such resistance mechanisms do not appear in any movement entrepreneur’s playbook, the Kafila feminists dislike it. They needn't. This great divide amongst activists did not start recently, nor is it going to end anytime soon. One just hopes well-meaning people like Raya and her supporters and the prominent personalities in Kafila can disagree without being disagreeable.

#Metoo campaign: Is it the weapon of the weak?

<p>The &ldquo;#metoo&rdquo; campaign is the voice of the people who are rightly exasperated by the culture of sexual aggression and the surrounding shame. Indeed, removing the culture of shame and its predecessor, silence, is the first step towards dismantling the arsenal of the aggressor, who goes by many names, &ldquo;rapist&rdquo; and &ldquo;sexual predator&rdquo; being two of them.</p>

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<p>By facilitating a safe space to vent and express, the campaign has also assumed a therapeutic purpose. However, the listing of important names in academia as aggressors by a woman on Facebook, as part of the naming and shaming process of the &ldquo;metoo&rdquo; campaign, has raised serious ethical and legal dilemmas. While there are no easy answers to these questions, I also fear the impact of this debate on the credibility and overall efficacy of the victim&rsquo;s rights movement in India.</p>

<p>I proceed on the premise that sexual violence can be seen from three perspectives, one as an experience of the victim, two as a definition under the law and three as a convergence of one and two. Sexual violence is an experience, but the terms &ldquo;rape&rdquo;, &ldquo;stalking&rdquo;, &ldquo;voyeurism&rdquo; and &ldquo;sexual harassment&rdquo; are legal concepts. Sometimes the sense of victimisation is also perceived and defined by law, in which case sexual aggression qualifies as &ldquo;rape&rdquo;, &ldquo;sexual harassment&rdquo;, &ldquo;voyeurism&rdquo;, &ldquo;stalking&rdquo;, etc.</p>

<p>You see, if an experience qualifies as a legal definition of sexual aggression, the offender cannot get away with a simple apology, no matter how sincere or well-intentioned. Similarly, the complainant, where a legal offence of sexual aggression is alleged, is bound by rules of evidence. The law attempts to strike a balance when sexual aggression qualifies as a crime viz., the severity of consequences for the offender, but tempered by the burden of proof to establish accountability.</p>

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<h5>As an experience of the victim, sexual violence is far more pervasive and diverse, than the law can foresee, perceive and define.</h5>
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<p>In other words, guilt beyond reasonable doubt. An objective act of sexual aggression beyond excuse or reproach. In recent times, many big persons were named in social media posts as having indulged in sexual harassment. However, we did not see punishment for any of them with the exception of Harvey Weinstein who got fired from his own company. Mr Weinstein remains perhaps the sole exception to the &quot;no consequences for sexual predators through social media posts&quot; rule.</p>

<p>As an experience of the victim, sexual violence is far more pervasive and diverse, than the law can foresee, perceive and define. This diversity stems from the inherently subjective nature of negotiating consent for a sexual relationship. To cite an example, western media content taught us that men go to bars to find single women. A man would then ask the woman out for a drink or a cup of coffee and if successful, commences on the process of dating. However, despite my best intentions, a similar attempt to &quot;ask out&quot; a woman in India may very well constitute sexual aggression, considering the diversity of cultural contexts in gender relations.</p>

<p>The defence of the man to such an accusation would be, &quot;I asked her out. She could have said no and I would have backed out&quot;. I have asked out women, I have been rejected and I have backed out. But does that then mean that asking out the woman itself is sexual aggression? I have avoided committing the criminal offence of &quot;sexual harassment&quot; because on being made aware of the woman&rsquo;s lack of interest and lack of consent to the continued conversation, I backed out.</p>

<p>But the fact remains that any girl who felt intimidated by the actions of a stranger wanting to have a conversation over a cup of coffee has still experienced sexual aggression even if in the eyes of society or law or the man- it is not such an act. This insensitivity to the experience of women lies at the heart of the &quot;metoo&quot; campaign. For too long, formal rules of procedure, inherent challenges of evidence and inexcusable conviction rates, have eroded the trust of women in the legal concepts around sexual aggression and the justice system&rsquo;s ability to help them address sexual aggression.</p>

<p>But my experience of assisting the prosecution of sexual assault cases or training internal complaints committees to adjudicate complaints of sexual harassment has also opened my eyes to the inherent limitations of the law when it comes to addressing very diverse experience around sexual victimisation.</p>

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<p>Sexual aggression as an experience suffers from the same difficulty that sexuality suffers from, it is subjective and ranges from person to person. But the law attempts to standardise a form of victimisation that is fundamentally unique to each individual. Therefore, legal definitions of sexual aggression as &ldquo;rape&rdquo; or &ldquo;sexual harassment&rdquo; will always stop short of addressing sexual aggression as an experience.</p>

<p>So, to all the women out there, let me say this, simply because what you experienced may not lead to a conviction or doesn&rsquo;t qualify as a crime, doesn&rsquo;t undermine your experience nor does it mean that the wrongdoer was not the wrongdoer. It simply means our system of laws is guilty of not being nuanced enough to recognise the different versions of sexual aggression and address them with punishments that could range from a simple acknowledgement of your experience to life imprisonment, depending upon the nature of aggression. But it does mean that when your victimisation doesn&rsquo;t fit into the several definitions of sexual aggression such as &ldquo;rape&rdquo; or &ldquo;sexual harassment&rdquo;, your remedy doesn&rsquo;t exist in the law.</p>

<p>The authors of the list containing the academics&rsquo; names could argue that because conventional legal systems are likely to fail them on account of inherent evidentiary challenges, late reporting, and the shallow attempts of law to define diverse forms of sexual aggression, this was their only means of venting. But is naming a perpetrator of something that may not be a crime, simply to vent, justified?</p>

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<p>But where does a legitimate cry for justice, stop being that, and becomes instead a feminist version of the Spanish Inquisition? The rule of law protects the bodily integrity and autonomy of every individual, man or woman, no doubt. But it also protects people, men and women, from having their reputations tarnished publicly through libel and slander laws. When does a social media post about sexual aggression stop being a complaint and becomes libel instead? And how can we balance the right to reputation with the right to justice for violation of bodily autonomy and integrity?</p>

<p>Social media trials operate on the premise that there is no need to balance the right to reputation with the right to justice for violation of bodily autonomy and integrity. It does away the need to determine not just the wrong, but the full extent of the wrong, so as to determine what is a proportional punishment. The prior discussion around the differences between the sociological/psychological understanding of sexual aggression and its legal understanding was to highlight the dangers of social media trials of sexual aggression cases.</p>

<p>How do we determine based on a single Facebook post the true extent of victimisation and sexual aggression? Because that determination is possible only through a nuanced inquiry which none of us can hope to initiate. That inquiry may either reveal a crime or sexual victimisation not constituting a crime. Based on that, we can judge.</p>

<p>However, without a complete and thorough understanding of the victimisation or sexual aggression involved, how do we determine, if the academics named on the list qualified for being defamed online? Social media trials often only satisfy voyeuristic curiosity, but seldom fail to bring about justice. We are all vulnerable to amnesia and even the most serious sexual predator out there knows that if he lies low long enough, we will convince ourselves that he doesn&rsquo;t exist.</p>

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<p>So, how should the academics respond? Defamation suit could be tempting, but no woman deserves to be sued for making a complaint, no matter how unsustainable. Rather, the academics in the list, many of whom are feminists have a golden opportunity. Let them write to the jurisdictional Internal Complaints Committees asking for the complaints to be probed, impartially and dispassionately.</p>

<p>Such an initiative on their part would demonstrate that their claims of innocence are premised on confidence and not on our propensity for amnesia. It would also be a telling endorsement of the rule of law and provoke our legal system to action. And either way, there will be closure at the end of the inquiry. After all, justice is the product of a legal system and not just a lynch mob, no matter how just the mob&rsquo;s cause may be.</p>


Me too campaign has raised voyeuristic curiosity on social media but the intervention of judiciary would help in bringing about justice

The “#metoo” campaign is the voice of the people who are rightly exasperated by the culture of sexual aggression and the surrounding shame. Indeed, removing the culture of shame and its predecessor, silence, is the first step towards dismantling the arsenal of the aggressor, who goes by many names, “rapist” and “sexual predator” being two of them. A woman on facebook as part of the naming and shaming process of the “metoo” campaign, has raised serious ethical and legal dilemmas. × By facilitating a safe space to vent and express, the campaign has also assumed a therapeutic purpose. However, the listing of important names in academia as aggressors by a woman on Facebook, as part of the naming and shaming process of the “metoo” campaign, has raised serious ethical and legal dilemmas. While there are no easy answers to these questions, I also fear the impact of this debate on the credibility and overall efficacy of the victim’s rights movement in India. I proceed on the premise that sexual violence can be seen from three perspectives, one as an experience of the victim, two as a definition under the law and three as a convergence of one and two. Sexual violence is an experience, but the terms “rape”, “stalking”, “voyeurism” and “sexual harassment” are legal concepts. Sometimes the sense of victimisation is also perceived and defined by law, in which case sexual aggression qualifies as “rape”, “sexual harassment”, “voyeurism”, “stalking”, etc. You see, if an experience qualifies as a legal definition of sexual aggression, the offender cannot get away with a simple apology, no matter how sincere or well-intentioned. Similarly, the complainant, where a legal offence of sexual aggression is alleged, is bound by rules of evidence. The law attempts to strike a balance when sexual aggression qualifies as a crime viz., the severity of consequences for the offender, but tempered by the burden of proof to establish accountability. As an experience of the victim, sexual violence is far more pervasive and diverse, than the law can foresee, perceive and define. × In other words, guilt beyond reasonable doubt. An objective act of sexual aggression beyond excuse or reproach. In recent times, many big persons were named in social media posts as having indulged in sexual harassment. However, we did not see punishment for any of them with the exception of Harvey Weinstein who got fired from his own company. Mr Weinstein remains perhaps the sole exception to the "no consequences for sexual predators through social media posts" rule. As an experience of the victim, sexual violence is far more pervasive and diverse, than the law can foresee, perceive and define. This diversity stems from the inherently subjective nature of negotiating consent for a sexual relationship. To cite an example, western media content taught us that men go to bars to find single women. A man would then ask the woman out for a drink or a cup of coffee and if successful, commences on the process of dating. However, despite my best intentions, a similar attempt to "ask out" a woman in India may very well constitute sexual aggression, considering the diversity of cultural contexts in gender relations. The defence of the man to such an accusation would be, "I asked her out. She could have said no and I would have backed out". I have asked out women, I have been rejected and I have backed out. But does that then mean that asking out the woman itself is sexual aggression? I have avoided committing the criminal offence of "sexual harassment" because on being made aware of the woman’s lack of interest and lack of consent to the continued conversation, I backed out. But the fact remains that any girl who felt intimidated by the actions of a stranger wanting to have a conversation over a cup of coffee has still experienced sexual aggression even if in the eyes of society or law or the man- it is not such an act. This insensitivity to the experience of women lies at the heart of the "metoo" campaign. For too long, formal rules of procedure, inherent challenges of evidence and inexcusable conviction rates, have eroded the trust of women in the legal concepts around sexual aggression and the justice system’s ability to help them address sexual aggression. But my experience of assisting the prosecution of sexual assault cases or training internal complaints committees to adjudicate complaints of sexual harassment has also opened my eyes to the inherent limitations of the law when it comes to addressing very diverse experience around sexual victimisation. Our system of laws is guilty of not being nuanced enough to recognise the different versions of sexual aggression and address them with punishments that could range from a simple acknowledgement of your experience to life imprisonment, depending upon the nature of aggression. × Sexual aggression as an experience suffers from the same difficulty that sexuality suffers from, it is subjective and ranges from person to person. But the law attempts to standardise a form of victimisation that is fundamentally unique to each individual. Therefore, legal definitions of sexual aggression as “rape” or “sexual harassment” will always stop short of addressing sexual aggression as an experience. So, to all the women out there, let me say this, simply because what you experienced may not lead to a conviction or doesn’t qualify as a crime, doesn’t undermine your experience nor does it mean that the wrongdoer was not the wrongdoer. It simply means our system of laws is guilty of not being nuanced enough to recognise the different versions of sexual aggression and address them with punishments that could range from a simple acknowledgement of your experience to life imprisonment, depending upon the nature of aggression. But it does mean that when your victimisation doesn’t fit into the several definitions of sexual aggression such as “rape” or “sexual harassment”, your remedy doesn’t exist in the law. The authors of the list containing the academics’ names could argue that because conventional legal systems are likely to fail them on account of inherent evidentiary challenges, late reporting, and the shallow attempts of law to define diverse forms of sexual aggression, this was their only means of venting. But is naming a perpetrator of something that may not be a crime, simply to vent, justified? The rule of law protects the bodily integrity and autonomy of every individual, man or woman, no doubt. But it also protects people, men and women, from having their reputations tarnished publicly through libel and slander laws. × But where does a legitimate cry for justice, stop being that, and becomes instead a feminist version of the Spanish Inquisition? The rule of law protects the bodily integrity and autonomy of every individual, man or woman, no doubt. But it also protects people, men and women, from having their reputations tarnished publicly through libel and slander laws. When does a social media post about sexual aggression stop being a complaint and becomes libel instead? And how can we balance the right to reputation with the right to justice for violation of bodily autonomy and integrity? Social media trials operate on the premise that there is no need to balance the right to reputation with the right to justice for violation of bodily autonomy and integrity. It does away the need to determine not just the wrong, but the full extent of the wrong, so as to determine what is a proportional punishment. The prior discussion around the differences between the sociological/psychological understanding of sexual aggression and its legal understanding was to highlight the dangers of social media trials of sexual aggression cases. How do we determine based on a single Facebook post the true extent of victimisation and sexual aggression? Because that determination is possible only through a nuanced inquiry which none of us can hope to initiate. That inquiry may either reveal a crime or sexual victimisation not constituting a crime. Based on that, we can judge. However, without a complete and thorough understanding of the victimisation or sexual aggression involved, how do we determine, if the academics named on the list qualified for being defamed online? Social media trials often only satisfy voyeuristic curiosity, but seldom fail to bring about justice. We are all vulnerable to amnesia and even the most serious sexual predator out there knows that if he lies low long enough, we will convince ourselves that he doesn’t exist. Justice is the product of a legal system and not just a lynch mob, no matter how just the mob’s cause may be. × So, how should the academics respond? Defamation suit could be tempting, but no woman deserves to be sued for making a complaint, no matter how unsustainable. Rather, the academics in the list, many of whom are feminists have a golden opportunity. Let them write to the jurisdictional Internal Complaints Committees asking for the complaints to be probed, impartially and dispassionately. Such an initiative on their part would demonstrate that their claims of innocence are premised on confidence and not on our propensity for amnesia. It would also be a telling endorsement of the rule of law and provoke our legal system to action. And either way, there will be closure at the end of the inquiry. After all, justice is the product of a legal system and not just a lynch mob, no matter how just the mob’s cause may be.

#Metoo: Will cry for justice turn into mob lynching?

<p>#MeToo has provided a global social platform for women to talk about sexual harassment, abuse and innuendos that every woman, perhaps all over the world, has undergone or felt, outside and sometimes inside home, and has more often than not, quietly accepted, especially in India because it is in our culture not to speak of such matters. And why? Tradition and mythology have idealised the &lsquo;Sati&rsquo;, &lsquo;Savitris&rsquo; of mythology, but in doing so has drawn a &lsquo;lakshmanrekha&rsquo; &ndash; boundaries that may not be crossed by women for fear of becoming tainted and, therefore, rejected.</p>

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<p>Indian mythology is full of tales of women, heroines in their own right and often, symbols of &lsquo;purity&rsquo; as defined by men, who faced abuse, harassment and punishment for acts for which not they, but men, sometimes their own husbands, were responsible. &nbsp;And who wrote these stories of yore? Men, of course.</p>

<p>Take the story of Ahalya, most beautiful of women, wife of Gautama Maharishi, lusted after by Indra, mythical God of lightning, thunder and rain and king of the Devas, the most referred deity in the Rig Veda, who took the form of her husband to make love to her. Gautama cursed her for being wanton and made her into a stone, from which she was released only after the foot of Rama, Purushottama, the highest among men and a Vishnu avatar, touched the stone.</p>

<p>And what of Rama? Sita, his wife, crossed the &lsquo;lakshmanrekha&rsquo; literally, to give alms to Ravana, who lusted after her and also wanted to teach Rama and his brother Lakshmana a lesson for cutting off his sister, Surpanakha&rsquo;s, nose (whose only crime was to be enamoured of Rama, to whom she proposed, and who made fun of her proposal and passed her on to Lakshmana, who also made fun of her and additionally, cut of her nose &ndash; this was also a case of #MeToo!).</p>

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<p>He kidnapped Sita by posing as a hermit seeking alms, refusing to take the offerings unless she came across the drawn boundary. And well-bred Sita could not insult a Brahmin by refusing to do so. Men&rsquo;s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita. But Sita remains &lsquo;pure&rsquo; because of Ravana, after all, turns out to be a gentleman who keeps her enclosed in a garden but refuses to take her against her will. But what of Rama, Vishnu&rsquo;s avatar? He wants proof of her fidelity and makes her go through an &lsquo;agnipariksha&rsquo;, literally, a trial by fire, and later, on the basis of doubts expressed by a washerman, a subject of Rama&rsquo;s kingdom who should not be denied in Ram rajya, banishes his pregnant wife, who apparently holds a lesser place in the scheme of statehood.</p>

<p>She gives birth to twins in exile and brings them up as a single mother under the protection of sage Valmiki, who teaches the sons the art of war as well as the fine arts. During Rama&rsquo;s Ashwamedha Yagna, they prove to be able sons of their father by capturing Rama&rsquo;s horse and defeating Rama and his three brothers. Getting to know the true identity of these young boy-warriors, Rama wants them back along with his wife, their mother. But Sita has had enough.</p>

<p>She prays to her earth mother, Bhoomidevi, of whom she was born, to take her back, and the earth opens to swallow Vaidehi, Sita &ndash;&lsquo; MeToo&rsquo; Sita would have said if she could speak. The same is true of Yagnaseni, Draupadi, proud wife of the five Pandavas, dusky beauty, who is pawned by Dharmaputra Yudhisthir in a game of dice with the Kauravas, dragged into court by her brother-in-law Dushyasana, and saved the ultimate shame of total public disrobement by Krishna, who adds yards to her robe, making it never-ending. But did any of the stalwarts of the Mahabharata &ndash; Dronacharya, Bhisma Pitama, Dhritarashtra, let alone her five warrior husbands, protest? No. #MeToo.</p>

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<p>And Krishna, the most revered God of the Hindu pantheon, who kept Draupadi&rsquo;s honour? There are many stories of his mischievous behaviour as a child which we indulgently smile at as part of his &lsquo;lila&rsquo;. Gods can do no wrong. But, has anyone thought about what adverse effect some of these stories may have on the minds of aberrant young males? The &lsquo;vastraharan&rsquo; story is well known &ndash; how Krishna stole the clothes of young &lsquo;gopis&rsquo; who were bathing and made them come out of the water nude, with their hands above their heads (which world over, is a symbol of surrender) before he returned their clothes.</p>

<p>While devotees will call this symbolic of total surrender to the sublime, some may think of it as voyeurism. While many things are symbolic in mythology, why are only women subjected to this test of self-surrender, why not men? It is argued that Krishna is the only man, all others are women, but that is not the way artists depict &#39;vastraharan&#39;.</p>

<p>Given this background of &#39;lakshmanrekhas&#39;, male deception, victimisation of women for no fault of theirs as well indulgence towards what would today be called eve-teasing, it is not surprising that &lsquo;chherna&rsquo; or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public. After all, our mythological lores are full of such incidents, and Krishna&rsquo;s lilas are indulgently smiled at. But does one realise the impact that this kind of popular culture can have on society? It can leave so many women writing #MeToo on their Facebook statuses, without much hope of a change in male behaviour.</p>


Indian mythological lores are full of sexual transgression incidents, and Krishna?s 'lilas' are indulgently smiled at.

#MeToo has provided a global social platform for women to talk about sexual harassment, abuse and innuendos that every woman, perhaps all over the world, has undergone or felt, outside and sometimes inside home, and has more often than not, quietly accepted, especially in India because it is in our culture not to speak of such matters. And why? Tradition and mythology have idealised the ‘Sati’, ‘Savitris’ of mythology, but in doing so has drawn a ‘lakshmanrekha’ – boundaries that may not be crossed by women for fear of becoming tainted and, therefore, rejected. Indian mythology is full of tales of women, who faced abuse, harassment and punishment for acts for which not they but men were responsible. × Indian mythology is full of tales of women, heroines in their own right and often, symbols of ‘purity’ as defined by men, who faced abuse, harassment and punishment for acts for which not they, but men, sometimes their own husbands, were responsible. And who wrote these stories of yore? Men, of course. Take the story of Ahalya, most beautiful of women, wife of Gautama Maharishi, lusted after by Indra, mythical God of lightning, thunder and rain and king of the Devas, the most referred deity in the Rig Veda, who took the form of her husband to make love to her. Gautama cursed her for being wanton and made her into a stone, from which she was released only after the foot of Rama, Purushottama, the highest among men and a Vishnu avatar, touched the stone. And what of Rama? Sita, his wife, crossed the ‘lakshmanrekha’ literally, to give alms to Ravana, who lusted after her and also wanted to teach Rama and his brother Lakshmana a lesson for cutting off his sister, Surpanakha’s, nose (whose only crime was to be enamoured of Rama, to whom she proposed, and who made fun of her proposal and passed her on to Lakshmana, who also made fun of her and additionally, cut of her nose – this was also a case of #MeToo!). Men’s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita. × He kidnapped Sita by posing as a hermit seeking alms, refusing to take the offerings unless she came across the drawn boundary. And well-bred Sita could not insult a Brahmin by refusing to do so. Men’s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita. But Sita remains ‘pure’ because of Ravana, after all, turns out to be a gentleman who keeps her enclosed in a garden but refuses to take her against her will. But what of Rama, Vishnu’s avatar? He wants proof of her fidelity and makes her go through an ‘agnipariksha’, literally, a trial by fire, and later, on the basis of doubts expressed by a washerman, a subject of Rama’s kingdom who should not be denied in Ram rajya, banishes his pregnant wife, who apparently holds a lesser place in the scheme of statehood. She gives birth to twins in exile and brings them up as a single mother under the protection of sage Valmiki, who teaches the sons the art of war as well as the fine arts. During Rama’s Ashwamedha Yagna, they prove to be able sons of their father by capturing Rama’s horse and defeating Rama and his three brothers. Getting to know the true identity of these young boy-warriors, Rama wants them back along with his wife, their mother. But Sita has had enough. She prays to her earth mother, Bhoomidevi, of whom she was born, to take her back, and the earth opens to swallow Vaidehi, Sita –‘ MeToo’ Sita would have said if she could speak. The same is true of Yagnaseni, Draupadi, proud wife of the five Pandavas, dusky beauty, who is pawned by Dharmaputra Yudhisthir in a game of dice with the Kauravas, dragged into court by her brother-in-law Dushyasana, and saved the ultimate shame of total public disrobement by Krishna, who adds yards to her robe, making it never-ending. But did any of the stalwarts of the Mahabharata – Dronacharya, Bhisma Pitama, Dhritarashtra, let alone her five warrior husbands, protest? No. #MeToo. It is not surprising that ‘chherna’ or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public. × And Krishna, the most revered God of the Hindu pantheon, who kept Draupadi’s honour? There are many stories of his mischievous behaviour as a child which we indulgently smile at as part of his ‘lila’. Gods can do no wrong. But, has anyone thought about what adverse effect some of these stories may have on the minds of aberrant young males? The ‘vastraharan’ story is well known – how Krishna stole the clothes of young ‘gopis’ who were bathing and made them come out of the water nude, with their hands above their heads (which world over, is a symbol of surrender) before he returned their clothes. While devotees will call this symbolic of total surrender to the sublime, some may think of it as voyeurism. While many things are symbolic in mythology, why are only women subjected to this test of self-surrender, why not men? It is argued that Krishna is the only man, all others are women, but that is not the way artists depict 'vastraharan'. Given this background of 'lakshmanrekhas', male deception, victimisation of women for no fault of theirs as well indulgence towards what would today be called eve-teasing, it is not surprising that ‘chherna’ or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public. After all, our mythological lores are full of such incidents, and Krishna’s lilas are indulgently smiled at. But does one realise the impact that this kind of popular culture can have on society? It can leave so many women writing #MeToo on their Facebook statuses, without much hope of a change in male behaviour.

#MeToo, say Sita and Savitri

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