As a #MeToo wave sweeps Taiwan, the nation has amended three laws governing sexual harassment in a special session of the legislature.

The changes which were approved on Monday, include tougher penalties and also grant victims a longer time to come forward and report the incidents. These changes, as per the news agency AP, are an attempt to address the issues raised by recent accusations of sexual violence on the island.

<h2>Taiwan's sexual harassment laws</h2>

The island nation has three laws governing sexual harassment, one each for workplaces, schools, and a third one that covers spheres outside the other two domains.

<h2>Sexual harassment at workplace</h2>

Amending the first one, lawmakers have made it so that employers can be fined up to a million New Taiwan Dollars (around $31,680) for failure to address&nbsp;sexual harassment complaints in workplaces.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/netflix-show-wave-makers-creates-waves-in-taiwan-triggers-flood-of-metoo-complaints-604651">Netflix show 'Wave Makers' creates waves in Taiwan, triggers flood of #MeToo complaints</a>

Employers are also required to report cases to the local division of their labour department.&nbsp;

Additionally, plugging loopholes, lawmakers have mandated that small businesses with less than 30 but more than 10 employees must set up mechanisms for reporting sexual harassment. Earlier, small businesses were exempt from the requirement and given that more than 90 per cent of businesses in the nation have 30 people or fewer, this was a significant omission.

<h2>Sexual harassment in schools</h2>

The law for educational institutions was amended on Friday and it explicitly makes romantic relationships between educators and students under the age of 18 years illegal.

Further, principals and teachers who fail to report sexual harassment to the Ministry of Education within 24 hours can be fined under the amended law.

Overall, the penalty for sexual harassment under Taiwan's Sexual Harassment Prevention Act has&nbsp;been raised to three years in jail, which can come with the heaviest fine of 600,000 New Taiwan dollars ($19,000).

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-study-shows-why-sexual-assault-victims-hesitate-to-come-forward-immediately-603065">Study shows why sexual assault victims hesitate to come forward immediately</a>

The nation's #MeToo movement was reignited in May. As per AP, back then, Chen Chien-jou, a young woman working for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, had accused film director Hsueh Chao-hui of groping her and making unwanted sexual advances.

In the first two weeks of June, the island nation saw more than 90 people come forward, accusing individuals across Taiwan.&nbsp;

Spreading throughout Taiwanese society, these complaints, as per a BBC report, targeted doctors, professors, sporting umpires, YouTubers, and high-profile men like Tiananmen protest leader Wang Dan, and exiled poet Bei Ling.

As a #MeToo wave sweeps Taiwan, the nation has amended three laws governing sexual harassment in a special session of the legislature. The changes which were approved on Monday, include tougher penalties and also grant victims a longer time to come forward and report the incidents.

As a #MeToo wave sweeps Taiwan, the nation has amended three laws governing sexual harassment in a special session of the legislature. The changes which were approved on Monday, include tougher penalties and also grant victims a longer time to come forward and report the incidents. These changes, as per the news agency AP, are an attempt to address the issues raised by recent accusations of sexual violence on the island. Taiwan's sexual harassment laws The island nation has three laws governing sexual harassment, one each for workplaces, schools, and a third one that covers spheres outside the other two domains. Sexual harassment at workplace Amending the first one, lawmakers have made it so that employers can be fined up to a million New Taiwan Dollars (around $31,680) for failure to address sexual harassment complaints in workplaces. Also read | Netflix show 'Wave Makers' creates waves in Taiwan, triggers flood of #MeToo complaints Employers are also required to report cases to the local division of their labour department. Additionally, plugging loopholes, lawmakers have mandated that small businesses with less than 30 but more than 10 employees must set up mechanisms for reporting sexual harassment. Earlier, small businesses were exempt from the requirement and given that more than 90 per cent of businesses in the nation have 30 people or fewer, this was a significant omission. Sexual harassment in schools The law for educational institutions was amended on Friday and it explicitly makes romantic relationships between educators and students under the age of 18 years illegal. Further, principals and teachers who fail to report sexual harassment to the Ministry of Education within 24 hours can be fined under the amended law. Overall, the penalty for sexual harassment under Taiwan's Sexual Harassment Prevention Act has been raised to three years in jail, which can come with the heaviest fine of 600,000 New Taiwan dollars ($19,000). Also read | Study shows why sexual assault victims hesitate to come forward immediately The nation's #MeToo movement was reignited in May. As per AP, back then, Chen Chien-jou, a young woman working for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, had accused film director Hsueh Chao-hui of groping her and making unwanted sexual advances. In the first two weeks of June, the island nation saw more than 90 people come forward, accusing individuals across Taiwan. Spreading throughout Taiwanese society, these complaints, as per a BBC report, targeted doctors, professors, sporting umpires, YouTubers, and high-profile men like Tiananmen protest leader Wang Dan, and exiled poet Bei Ling.

Hit with wave of #MeToo allegations, Taiwan toughens sexual harassment laws

Art is a reflection of the society. Paintings, movies, music, and even TV shows can help be a mirror. Proving this, a Netflix show has sparked a local MeToo movement in Taiwan. The country is experiencing a surge of sexual harassment and assault allegations, triggered by the show called ' Wave Makers'.&nbsp;

<h2>The outpouring of sexual harassment cases</h2>

Over the past two weeks, more than 90 people have come forward, accusing individuals across the island nation.&nbsp;

Initially, the allegations focused on politics and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), leading to the resignation of several senior officials.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-study-shows-why-sexual-assault-victims-hesitate-to-come-forward-immediately-603065">Study shows why sexual assault victims hesitate to come forward immediately</a>

However, now the accusations have spread throughout Taiwanese society, targeting doctors, professors, sporting umpires, and YouTubers.

<h2>Better late than never!</h2>

As per a BBC report, the MeToo moment is long overdue for many women across Taiwanese society, which is otherwise commended globally for its progressive politics and commitment to gender equality.&nbsp;

President Tsai Ing-wen, the country's first female leader, has apologised and pledged to implement reforms.&nbsp;

According to social commentator Dr Liu Wen, the magnitude of these revelations and the exposure of underlying issues across various industries is unprecedented.

"Previously we had single cases around sexual harassment, but never in such magnitude."

"It's the first time a lot of the underlying issues in different industries are being revealed all at the same time," added Wen.

<h2>'Wave Makers' makes waves</h2>

The screen inspiration behind this important local moment as mentioned is a Netflix show called Wave Makers. The show about Taiwanese political staffers working on an election debuted on Netflix in late April.

A scene from the show has been credited as the clarion call for the MeToo moment now sweeping Taiwan.

In it, a young female aide finds herself alone with her mentor — a party spokeswoman and the show's main character.&nbsp;

On-screen, she is seen debating whether to confide in her senior the harassment she had endured from a male colleague "knowing that a public report would harm the party's standing and likely her own career", writes the BBC.

However, she finally decides to tell her and her confession is met with an offer of help.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-black-panther-actor-tenoch-huerta-denies-sexual-harassment-allegations-need-to-contest-claims-that-are-false-604471">Black Panther actor Tenoch Huerta denies sexual harassment allegations: Need to contest claims that are false</a>

"Let's not just let this go, ok," says the woman's senior, brushing away her staffer's concerns.&nbsp;

"We can't let things go this easily. Otherwise, we'll wither away and die."

Echoing the now iconic dialogue, on May 31, an ex-DPP staffer wrote an essay on Facebook.

"Let's not just let this go," wrote Chen Chiemn-jou. She went on to describe her experience of being sexually harassed at a work event. She alleges that when she had reported the harassment earlier, a female supervisor in charge of the party's women's affairs - had asked her "Why didn't you say anything?", before advising her to bury the claim.

<h2>Taiwan's #MeToo movement</h2>

Chen's post electrified Taiwan. The post which has been shared thousands of times, as per BBC, appears to have motivated others in politics and beyond to report their experiences of harassment and how authorities responded.

Another ex-DPP female staffer later alleged her male supervisor had verbally abused her and stymied her complaint about another male colleague's harassment.

Several senior DPP officials, including Hsu Chia-tien, the supervisor in Chen's case, who was suspended by the party, and Yen Chih-fa, an adviser to the president who has denied accusations of sexual harassment by a campaigner have resigned.

In addition to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party in Taiwan has also faced allegations of sexual harassment.&nbsp;

A journalist accused KMT lawmaker Fu Kun-chi of forcibly kissing her at a press event in 2014, which Fu has denied.&nbsp;

Another KMT councillor alleged harassment by a well-known media personality, who apologised for his behaviour, citing being drunk and having no recollection of the events.

More than 90 cases of sexual harassment and assault have been documented in an online database.&nbsp;

Among the high-profile men accused are Tiananmen protest leader Wang Dan, who has denied sexual assault allegations from two younger men, and exiled poet Bei Ling, who has been accused by a writer of the Wave Makers show of sexual assault, which he denies.&nbsp;

Polish diplomat Bartosz Ryś is another high-profile name. He has been accused of sexual assault by a Taiwanese think tank researcher, but prosecutors investigated the incident and decided not to charge him. Ryś has denied the allegations.

While this moment signifies a reckoning and an opportunity to address gender and sexual abuse in Taiwan, survivors find themselves thrust into a traumatic public conversation.&nbsp;Many remain sceptical of lasting change.

The MeToo movement in Taiwan has emerged at a significant time in the country's political landscape as it prepares for a presidential election next January.&nbsp;

The TV show's screenwriters, who sparked the initial wave of allegations, expressed their surprise at the public response. Talking to BBC, they explained that "through idealised depictions of addressing workplace harassment in drama, people can find a shared language to express their expectations of how such issues should be handled."

(With inputs from agencies)

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Art is a reflection of the society. Paintings, movies, music, and even TV shows can help be a mirror. Proving this, a Netflix show has sparked a local MeToo movement in Taiwan.

Art is a reflection of the society. Paintings, movies, music, and even TV shows can help be a mirror. Proving this, a Netflix show has sparked a local MeToo movement in Taiwan. The country is experiencing a surge of sexual harassment and assault allegations, triggered by the show called ' Wave Makers'. The outpouring of sexual harassment cases Over the past two weeks, more than 90 people have come forward, accusing individuals across the island nation. Initially, the allegations focused on politics and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), leading to the resignation of several senior officials. Also read | Study shows why sexual assault victims hesitate to come forward immediately However, now the accusations have spread throughout Taiwanese society, targeting doctors, professors, sporting umpires, and YouTubers. Better late than never! As per a BBC report, the MeToo moment is long overdue for many women across Taiwanese society, which is otherwise commended globally for its progressive politics and commitment to gender equality. President Tsai Ing-wen, the country's first female leader, has apologised and pledged to implement reforms. According to social commentator Dr Liu Wen, the magnitude of these revelations and the exposure of underlying issues across various industries is unprecedented. "Previously we had single cases around sexual harassment, but never in such magnitude." "It's the first time a lot of the underlying issues in different industries are being revealed all at the same time," added Wen. 'Wave Makers' makes waves The screen inspiration behind this important local moment as mentioned is a Netflix show called Wave Makers. The show about Taiwanese political staffers working on an election debuted on Netflix in late April. A scene from the show has been credited as the clarion call for the MeToo moment now sweeping Taiwan. In it, a young female aide finds herself alone with her mentor — a party spokeswoman and the show's main character. On-screen, she is seen debating whether to confide in her senior the harassment she had endured from a male colleague "knowing that a public report would harm the party's standing and likely her own career", writes the BBC. However, she finally decides to tell her and her confession is met with an offer of help. Also read | Black Panther actor Tenoch Huerta denies sexual harassment allegations: Need to contest claims that are false "Let's not just let this go, ok," says the woman's senior, brushing away her staffer's concerns. "We can't let things go this easily. Otherwise, we'll wither away and die." Echoing the now iconic dialogue, on May 31, an ex-DPP staffer wrote an essay on Facebook. "Let's not just let this go," wrote Chen Chiemn-jou. She went on to describe her experience of being sexually harassed at a work event. She alleges that when she had reported the harassment earlier, a female supervisor in charge of the party's women's affairs - had asked her "Why didn't you say anything?", before advising her to bury the claim. Taiwan's #MeToo movement Chen's post electrified Taiwan. The post which has been shared thousands of times, as per BBC, appears to have motivated others in politics and beyond to report their experiences of harassment and how authorities responded. Another ex-DPP female staffer later alleged her male supervisor had verbally abused her and stymied her complaint about another male colleague's harassment. Several senior DPP officials, including Hsu Chia-tien, the supervisor in Chen's case, who was suspended by the party, and Yen Chih-fa, an adviser to the president who has denied accusations of sexual harassment by a campaigner have resigned. In addition to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party in Taiwan has also faced allegations of sexual harassment. A journalist accused KMT lawmaker Fu Kun-chi of forcibly kissing her at a press event in 2014, which Fu has denied. Another KMT councillor alleged harassment by a well-known media personality, who apologised for his behaviour, citing being drunk and having no recollection of the events. More than 90 cases of sexual harassment and assault have been documented in an online database. Among the high-profile men accused are Tiananmen protest leader Wang Dan, who has denied sexual assault allegations from two younger men, and exiled poet Bei Ling, who has been accused by a writer of the Wave Makers show of sexual assault, which he denies. Polish diplomat Bartosz Ryś is another high-profile name. He has been accused of sexual assault by a Taiwanese think tank researcher, but prosecutors investigated the incident and decided not to charge him. Ryś has denied the allegations. While this moment signifies a reckoning and an opportunity to address gender and sexual abuse in Taiwan, survivors find themselves thrust into a traumatic public conversation. Many remain sceptical of lasting change. The MeToo movement in Taiwan has emerged at a significant time in the country's political landscape as it prepares for a presidential election next January. The TV show's screenwriters, who sparked the initial wave of allegations, expressed their surprise at the public response. Talking to BBC, they explained that "through idealised depictions of addressing workplace harassment in drama, people can find a shared language to express their expectations of how such issues should be handled." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Netflix show 'Wave Makers' creates waves in Taiwan, triggers flood of #MeToo complaints

A New York appeals court on Thursday upheld Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on felony sex crimes, increasing the likelihood that the disgraced movie producer will serve a significant portion of his 23-year sentence.

Since last summer, Weinstein, 70, has been awaiting trial in Los Angeles, where he has been charged with several counts of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation, as well as other counts related to sex crimes. A trial date is expected to be set this month.

The New York decision had been hotly anticipated by the state’s legal community, particularly after oral arguments in December, when members of the five-judge panel that heard the case seemed sceptical of some decisions made by the trial judge.

But the decision Thursday was unanimous — and clear.

“We reject defendant’s arguments, and affirm the conviction in all respects,” wrote Judge Angela M. Mazzarelli, the opinion’s author.

An attorney for Weinstein said his legal team would ask New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, to review the affirmation. That court will not automatically take the case.

“We are obviously disappointed in the court’s decision and look forward to asking the Court of Appeals to review what we believe are substantial meritorious legal issues,” said the attorney, Barry Kamins. “Mr. Weinstein will continue to pursue all available legal remedies to establish that he did not receive a fair trial.”

Reports of Weinstein having sexually abused women appeared in The New York Times in the fall of 2017, leading dozens of others to speak about their own experiences and eventually igniting what became known as the #MeToo movement, a global repudiation of sexual misconduct by powerful men.

The Weinstein case led to a cascade of accusations against other prominent figures and widespread discussion about the ubiquity of sexual harassment and assault, and the harm such behaviour caused.

Less than a year later, Weinstein was indicted by Manhattan prosecutors and charged with sex crimes.

His trial began in January 2020, and late the following month, a jury found him guilty of two felonies: a criminal sexual act in the first degree and third-degree rape. He was acquitted of two charges of predatory sexual assault. In March, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

The former Manhattan district attorney who charged Weinstein, Cyrus Vance Jr., said Thursday that the decision of the appeals court was a “relief,” but added that he had always been confident in the strength of the evidence.

“The trial court issued balanced rulings and by any measure provided the defendant a fair trial,” Vance said. “Most of all, I am grateful that the appeals court credited the testimony of the women in framing its legal analysis.”

His successor, Alvin Bragg, added that the appeals court had upheld “a monumental conviction that changed the way prosecutors and courts approach complex prosecutions of sexual predators.”

Weinstein’s attorneys appealed his conviction in April 2021, arguing that three women who had accused Weinstein of sexual assaults for which he was not charged should never have been allowed to testify and that prosecutors had “tried Weinstein’s character not his conduct.”

But Mazzarelli said the women had provided “useful information” and that their accounts had been key in showing Weinstein’s pattern of behaviour. They demonstrated, she said, that Weinstein did not see his victims as “romantic partners or friends,” but that “his goal at all times was to position the women in such a way that he could have sex with them, and that whether the women consented or not was irrelevant to him.”

She said the witnesses had helped the jury understand the dynamic between Weinstein and his victims, particularly because the women whom he had been charged for assaulting had continued relationships with him afterward.

A New York appeals court on Thursday upheld Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on felony sex crimes, increasing the likelihood that the disgraced movie producer will serve a significant portion of his 23-year sentence.

A New York appeals court on Thursday upheld Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on felony sex crimes, increasing the likelihood that the disgraced movie producer will serve a significant portion of his 23-year sentence. Since last summer, Weinstein, 70, has been awaiting trial in Los Angeles, where he has been charged with several counts of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation, as well as other counts related to sex crimes. A trial date is expected to be set this month. The New York decision had been hotly anticipated by the state’s legal community, particularly after oral arguments in December, when members of the five-judge panel that heard the case seemed sceptical of some decisions made by the trial judge. But the decision Thursday was unanimous — and clear. “We reject defendant’s arguments, and affirm the conviction in all respects,” wrote Judge Angela M. Mazzarelli, the opinion’s author. An attorney for Weinstein said his legal team would ask New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, to review the affirmation. That court will not automatically take the case. “We are obviously disappointed in the court’s decision and look forward to asking the Court of Appeals to review what we believe are substantial meritorious legal issues,” said the attorney, Barry Kamins. “Mr. Weinstein will continue to pursue all available legal remedies to establish that he did not receive a fair trial.” Reports of Weinstein having sexually abused women appeared in The New York Times in the fall of 2017, leading dozens of others to speak about their own experiences and eventually igniting what became known as the #MeToo movement, a global repudiation of sexual misconduct by powerful men. The Weinstein case led to a cascade of accusations against other prominent figures and widespread discussion about the ubiquity of sexual harassment and assault, and the harm such behaviour caused. Less than a year later, Weinstein was indicted by Manhattan prosecutors and charged with sex crimes. His trial began in January 2020, and late the following month, a jury found him guilty of two felonies: a criminal sexual act in the first degree and third-degree rape. He was acquitted of two charges of predatory sexual assault. In March, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison. The former Manhattan district attorney who charged Weinstein, Cyrus Vance Jr., said Thursday that the decision of the appeals court was a “relief,” but added that he had always been confident in the strength of the evidence. “The trial court issued balanced rulings and by any measure provided the defendant a fair trial,” Vance said. “Most of all, I am grateful that the appeals court credited the testimony of the women in framing its legal analysis.” His successor, Alvin Bragg, added that the appeals court had upheld “a monumental conviction that changed the way prosecutors and courts approach complex prosecutions of sexual predators.” Weinstein’s attorneys appealed his conviction in April 2021, arguing that three women who had accused Weinstein of sexual assaults for which he was not charged should never have been allowed to testify and that prosecutors had “tried Weinstein’s character not his conduct.” But Mazzarelli said the women had provided “useful information” and that their accounts had been key in showing Weinstein’s pattern of behaviour. They demonstrated, she said, that Weinstein did not see his victims as “romantic partners or friends,” but that “his goal at all times was to position the women in such a way that he could have sex with them, and that whether the women consented or not was irrelevant to him.” She said the witnesses had helped the jury understand the dynamic between Weinstein and his victims, particularly because the women whom he had been charged for assaulting had continued relationships with him afterward.

Weinstein’s conviction for sex crimes that set off #MeToo is upheld

Three years into the global #MeToo movement, women who say they have been sexually assaulted are improbably going public in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The movement’s reach inside Iran gained momentum in late August after allegations aired on Iranian social media against more than 100 men, including a giant e-commerce company’s former star manager, a prominent sociology professor and the owner of a popular bookstore.

But the highest-profile person to face such allegations so far is a nearly 80-year-old, internationally acclaimed artist with ties to the ruling elite. Thirteen women, in interviews with The New York Times, accused the artist, Aydin Aghdashloo, of sexual misconduct over a 30-year span. Most are former students, and some are journalists who have reported on art and culture.

The willingness by women who say they were victims to share their stories more openly is a groundbreaking shift in Iran’s conservative society, where discussing sex is culturally prohibited, sex outside marriage is illegal, and the burden of proof for victims of sexual crimes is onerous. A raped woman often gets the blame.

Aghdashloo declined requests for an interview but strenuously denied wrongdoing, and according to his lawyer has already taken legal action against one accuser. In a written statement provided to The Times, Aghdashloo described himself as an independent artist whose career was built on creative achievement.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-22-year-old-force-behind-egypts-growing-metoo-movement-332193">Also read|&nbsp;The 22-year-old force behind Egypt’s growing #MeToo movement</a>

“The allegations of sexual abuse against me are full of significant inaccuracies, mischaracterizations and fabrications,” he wrote. “To be clear, I have always sought to treat people with respect and dignity and I have never abused, assaulted nor taken advantage of anyone.”

Still, he wrote, “I am not a perfect man,” and that if his behavior had offended or distressed anyone, “I deeply apologize.”

How the authorities treat the perpetrators and victims of sexual misconduct has become a test of the #MeToo movement’s durability in Iran, a country of more than 80 million.

Compared with the impact in the United States after the accusations against Harvey Weinstein, the imprisoned Hollywood mogul, the fallout in Iran is only beginning to unfold. But there are signs that the male-controlled power structure in Iran has started to respond to accusations like those made against Aghdashloo.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/metoo-iranian-women-break-silence-about-sexual-abuse-through-twitter-324450">Also read|&nbsp;#MeToo: Iranian women break silence about sexual abuse through Twitter</a>

Tehran’s police chief announced on Oct. 12 that the bookstore owner, Keyvan Emamverdi, had confessed to raping 300 women, after 30 took the brave step of filing legal complaints. The police said he would be charged with “corruption on earth,” a capital offense.

The e-commerce company Digikala opened an investigation into its former manager and apologized to female employees. Iran’s sociology union expelled the accused professor and called for a zero-tolerance policy at universities. A painting by Aghdashloo was pulled from the cover of a famous literary collection, and at least three women have said they are considering legal action against him.

“This is a turning point for sexual abuse, the biggest taboo for women in Iran has been sex and sexual violence and abuse,” said Elnaaz Mohammadi, 33-year-old co-founder of Dideban Azar, or Abuse Watch, an education and advocacy group in Tehran.

She said the group had received complaints about Aghdashloo from “students who have left his classes distraught and crying,” and that “all his denials have no value.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-nod-to-metoo-china-codifies-sexual-harassment-by-law-302707">Also read|&nbsp;In nod to #MeToo, China codifies sexual harassment by law</a>

Paintings by Aghdashloo, a dual citizen of Canada, have been auctioned and displayed worldwide, and France honored him in 2016. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution he worked with the family of the shah to curate museums. He then moved into the circles of the revolution’s ruling clerics, and he and his family have business links to the hierarchy.

Despite a few mentions in Iran’s conservative media as a royalist and Western spy, Aghdashloo has generally received glowing coverage in state media, with no hint of any possible sexual abuse.

The Times found and interviewed former students of Aghdashloo’s after an Iranian journalist now living in the United States, Sara Omatali, posted on Twitter Aug. 22 that he had sexually assaulted her in 2006 when she visited to interview him.

She wrote that he had greeted her while naked with a robe draped on his shoulder, forced a kiss and pressed his body on hers. Her account appeared to be the catalyst for others.

In telephone interviews, 45 people — including former students, a longtime teaching assistant, art gallery owners, actresses, a Tehran art agent and journalists covering art and culture in Iran — all said Aghdashloo’s behavior toward young female students had been known in Iran’s art circles.

Thirteen said they had been victims, including one who was 13 years old at the time. Many said they did not know each other. In each of these 13 instances, a family member, friend, or colleague recalled in separate interviews having been told about it.

Nineteen described him as the “Harvey Weinstein of Iran,” elevating or destroying careers of women depending on their receptiveness to his advances.

One former student said he had offered her one of his paintings — worth $100,000, the price of a small apartment in Tehran — if she slept with him. Another said he had retaliated when she refused him, telling galleries to shun her artwork. Her career faltered.

“Aghdashloo’s reputation was an open secret in the art world but nobody did anything about it,” said Solmaz Azhdari, 32, who studied painting under him. She said she had witnessed him placing his hands between a young female student’s legs in 2007 during a sketching class, as Azhdari stooped to retrieve a dropped pencil.

In telling their stories, some asked to be identified only by their first names — a reflection of the subject’s sensitivity in a conservative society and their fear of Aghdashloo.

Three years into the global #MeToo movement, women who say they have been sexually assaulted are improbably going public in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The movement’s reach inside Iran gained momentum in late August after allegations aired on Iranian social media against more than 100 men, including a giant e-commerce company’s former star manager, a prominent sociology professor and the owner of a popular bookstore.

But the highest-profile person to face such allegations so far is a nearly 80-year-old, internationally acclaimed artist with ties to the ruling elite. Thirteen women, in interviews with The New York Times, accused the artist, Aydin Aghdashloo, of sexual misconduct over a 30-year span. Most are former students, and some are journalists who have reported on art and culture.

The willingness by women who say they were victims to share their stories more openly is a groundbreaking shift in Iran’s conservative society, where discussing sex is culturally prohibited, sex outside marriage is illegal, and the burden of proof for victims of sexual crimes is onerous. A raped woman often gets the blame.

Aghdashloo declined requests for an interview but strenuously denied wrongdoing, and according to his lawyer has already taken legal action against one accuser. In a written statement provided to The Times, Aghdashloo described himself as an independent artist whose career was built on creative achievement.

“The allegations of sexual abuse against me are full of significant inaccuracies, mischaracterizations and fabrications,” he wrote. “To be clear, I have always sought to treat people with respect and dignity and I have never abused, assaulted nor taken advantage of anyone.”

Still, he wrote, “I am not a perfect man,” and that if his behavior had offended or distressed anyone, “I deeply apologize.”

How the authorities treat the perpetrators and victims of sexual misconduct has become a test of the #MeToo movement’s durability in Iran, a country of more than 80 million.

Compared with the impact in the United States after the accusations against Harvey Weinstein, the imprisoned Hollywood mogul, the fallout in Iran is only beginning to unfold. But there are signs that the male-controlled power structure in Iran has started to respond to accusations like those made against Aghdashloo.

Tehran’s police chief announced on Oct. 12 that the bookstore owner, Keyvan Emamverdi, had confessed to raping 300 women, after 30 took the brave step of filing legal complaints. The police said he would be charged with “corruption on earth,” a capital offense.

The e-commerce company Digikala opened an investigation into its former manager and apologized to female employees. Iran’s sociology union expelled the accused professor and called for a zero-tolerance policy at universities. A painting by Aghdashloo was pulled from the cover of a famous literary collection, and at least three women have said they are considering legal action against him.

“This is a turning point for sexual abuse, the biggest taboo for women in Iran has been sex and sexual violence and abuse,” said Elnaaz Mohammadi, 33-year-old co-founder of Dideban Azar, or Abuse Watch, an education and advocacy group in Tehran.

She said the group had received complaints about Aghdashloo from “students who have left his classes distraught and crying,” and that “all his denials have no value.”

Paintings by Aghdashloo, a dual citizen of Canada, have been auctioned and displayed worldwide, and France honored him in 2016. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution he worked with the family of the shah to curate museums. He then moved into the circles of the revolution’s ruling clerics, and he and his family have business links to the hierarchy.

Despite a few mentions in Iran’s conservative media as a royalist and Western spy, Aghdashloo has generally received glowing coverage in state media, with no hint of any possible sexual abuse.

The Times found and interviewed former students of Aghdashloo’s after an Iranian journalist now living in the United States, Sara Omatali, posted on Twitter Aug. 22 that he had sexually assaulted her in 2006 when she visited to interview him.

She wrote that he had greeted her while naked with a robe draped on his shoulder, forced a kiss and pressed his body on hers. Her account appeared to be the catalyst for others.

In telephone interviews, 45 people — including former students, a longtime teaching assistant, art gallery owners, actresses, a Tehran art agent and journalists covering art and culture in Iran — all said Aghdashloo’s behavior toward young female students had been known in Iran’s art circles.

Thirteen said they had been victims, including one who was 13 years old at the time. Many said they did not know each other. In each of these 13 instances, a family member, friend, or colleague recalled in separate interviews having been told about it.

Nineteen described him as the “Harvey Weinstein of Iran,” elevating or destroying careers of women depending on their receptiveness to his advances.

One former student said he had offered her one of his paintings — worth $100,000, the price of a small apartment in Tehran — if she slept with him. Another said he had retaliated when she refused him, telling galleries to shun her artwork. Her career faltered.

“Aghdashloo’s reputation was an open secret in the art world but nobody did anything about it,” said Solmaz Azhdari, 32, who studied painting under him. She said she had witnessed him placing his hands between a young female student’s legs in 2007 during a sketching class, as Azhdari stooped to retrieve a dropped pencil.

In telling their stories, some asked to be identified only by their first names — a reflection of the subject’s sensitivity in a conservative society and their fear of Aghdashloo.

‘I was terrified of what he could do to me or my career.’

Maryam, an art photographer, 49, said she had visited Aghdashloo in 2010, to collect two paintings from his basement studio for the gallery where she worked.

She said Aghdashloo had insisted she view his paintings of nude women, then forcibly kissed her and tore at her clothes. When she screamed, Maryam said, he covered her mouth with his hands; she pushed him away and fled, shouting “you have no shame!”

Maryam said she quit her job, and on her mother’s advice never publicized the encounter or contacted the police.

“I was terrified of what he could do to me and my career if I told anyone or brought charges,” she said.

In his art classes, the former students said, he asked the women to sit on his lap when he reviewed their work, pressed against them while teaching, touched their bodies, made lewd comments and shared explicit details of a fascination with adolescent girls.

Mehrnaz, 54, said he made her sit on his lap and caressed her thighs. Atty, 30, said he had locked her in his office and forcibly kissed her. Another said he asked the color of her underwear as he touched her.

Afarin, a Tehran teacher, said she had been molested repeatedly 30 years ago, at age 13, by Aghdashloo, who would press his groin against her and touch her thighs while teaching painting technique. She had been too terrified to tell her parents, she said, and still avoids the street where Aghdashloo held class.

“I feel relieved that a man who has abused so many women and girls is finally being exposed,” she said.

Laleh Sabouri, a 50-year-old actress and television star, took art lessons with Aghdashloo for two years. Days after Omatali’s Twitter posting, Sabouri tweeted that most women were terrified of being alone with him and that accusations of rape would be “befitting.” Aghdashloo’s lawyer said he had taken legal action over that tweet, calling it “baseless.”

One of Aghdashloo’s teaching assistants, who helped manage his workshops for 12 years, said she had witnessed frequent misbehavior by him toward female students and that some had complained to her. She had confronted him and he replied that women should consider his affection a privilege, the assistant recalled. She ultimately resigned, she said, because he had assaulted her.

Omatali’s account struck a nerve among Iranian female journalists. Several said the advice in newsrooms was that no woman should interview Aghdashloo alone.

Solmaz Naraghi, 42, an art and culture reporter, said Aghdashloo sexually harassed her repeatedly in public after she had rebuffed his advances during one such interview. Her former husband recalled her in tears at a gallery after an encounter with Aghdashloo.

His supporters have rallied to defend him, including former students who posted a letter on Instagram. His first wife, Hollywood actress Shoreh Aghdashloo, said he was “simply not capable of such heinous acts.” One former student, Mitra Zad, said she had seen “nothing but good things” from him.

A formidable figure who straddles art and politics

Aydin Aghdashloo’s influence in Iran’s art world seemed to only grow after the revolution. He often boasted about connections to government and religious officials and said he was invulnerable because of them, former students and the teaching assistant said — a description he rejected in his statement to the Times.

“I have always worked as an independent artist and, following the revolution, have earned my living not through credits and connections to the state but through my art,” Aghdashloo wrote.

His students have included the daughter of Tehran’s Friday Prayer imam and grandchildren of a founding cleric of the revolution. He has worked as a consultant, instructor, author and art appraiser for Astan Quds Razavi, a religious and economic conglomerate controlled by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which is under U.S. sanctions. The former head of Astan is Iran’s judiciary chief.

Aghdashloo’s daughter married into a family that owns Part Sazan, a conglomerate with ties to state-owned enterprises in the oil, gas and automotive industries. The link to the company, which lists a senior member of the Revolutionary Guard's Basij militia as chief executive and board member, has further strengthened his aura of impunity, a number of women said.

Anonymous allegations against Aghdashloo first surfaced in 2018 when an Iranian investigative journalist, Afshin Parvaresh, posted on Instagram that he had interviewed 21 women, including a minor, who said Aghdashloo had assaulted them. Parvaresh said he received violent threats. Aghdashloo’s lawyer denied his client was responsible.

Some Iranian women’s rights activists say significant challenges hinder #MeToo cases. If an accuser fails to meet the high standard of proof for rape, she can then be accused of adultery.

“A woman who is a victim can quickly turn into a criminal if she can’t prove rape,” said Shadi Sadr, a prominent Iranian lawyer and human rights advocate based in London. “When she testifies that there was sex, she is testifying against herself as well.”

Still, more women are asking how to bring charges, said Leila Rahimi, a Tehran lawyer offering them free consultation and representation.

“You cannot hide this crime happening over and over in our society,” Rahimi said. “Both for women and men, silence does not improve things.”

Three years into the global #MeToo movement, women who say they have been sexually assaulted are improbably going public in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The movement’s reach inside Iran gained momentum in late August after allegations aired on Iranian social media against more than 100 men, including a giant e-commerce company’s former star manager, a prominent sociology professor and the owner of a popular bookstore.

Three years into the global #MeToo movement, women who say they have been sexually assaulted are improbably going public in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The movement’s reach inside Iran gained momentum in late August after allegations aired on Iranian social media against more than 100 men, including a giant e-commerce company’s former star manager, a prominent sociology professor and the owner of a popular bookstore. But the highest-profile person to face such allegations so far is a nearly 80-year-old, internationally acclaimed artist with ties to the ruling elite. Thirteen women, in interviews with The New York Times, accused the artist, Aydin Aghdashloo, of sexual misconduct over a 30-year span. Most are former students, and some are journalists who have reported on art and culture. The willingness by women who say they were victims to share their stories more openly is a groundbreaking shift in Iran’s conservative society, where discussing sex is culturally prohibited, sex outside marriage is illegal, and the burden of proof for victims of sexual crimes is onerous. A raped woman often gets the blame. Aghdashloo declined requests for an interview but strenuously denied wrongdoing, and according to his lawyer has already taken legal action against one accuser. In a written statement provided to The Times, Aghdashloo described himself as an independent artist whose career was built on creative achievement. Also read| The 22-year-old force behind Egypt’s growing #MeToo movement “The allegations of sexual abuse against me are full of significant inaccuracies, mischaracterizations and fabrications,” he wrote. “To be clear, I have always sought to treat people with respect and dignity and I have never abused, assaulted nor taken advantage of anyone.” Still, he wrote, “I am not a perfect man,” and that if his behavior had offended or distressed anyone, “I deeply apologize.” How the authorities treat the perpetrators and victims of sexual misconduct has become a test of the #MeToo movement’s durability in Iran, a country of more than 80 million. Compared with the impact in the United States after the accusations against Harvey Weinstein, the imprisoned Hollywood mogul, the fallout in Iran is only beginning to unfold. But there are signs that the male-controlled power structure in Iran has started to respond to accusations like those made against Aghdashloo. Also read| #MeToo: Iranian women break silence about sexual abuse through Twitter Tehran’s police chief announced on Oct. 12 that the bookstore owner, Keyvan Emamverdi, had confessed to raping 300 women, after 30 took the brave step of filing legal complaints. The police said he would be charged with “corruption on earth,” a capital offense. The e-commerce company Digikala opened an investigation into its former manager and apologized to female employees. Iran’s sociology union expelled the accused professor and called for a zero-tolerance policy at universities. A painting by Aghdashloo was pulled from the cover of a famous literary collection, and at least three women have said they are considering legal action against him. “This is a turning point for sexual abuse, the biggest taboo for women in Iran has been sex and sexual violence and abuse,” said Elnaaz Mohammadi, 33-year-old co-founder of Dideban Azar, or Abuse Watch, an education and advocacy group in Tehran. She said the group had received complaints about Aghdashloo from “students who have left his classes distraught and crying,” and that “all his denials have no value.” Also read| In nod to #MeToo, China codifies sexual harassment by law Paintings by Aghdashloo, a dual citizen of Canada, have been auctioned and displayed worldwide, and France honored him in 2016. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution he worked with the family of the shah to curate museums. He then moved into the circles of the revolution’s ruling clerics, and he and his family have business links to the hierarchy. Despite a few mentions in Iran’s conservative media as a royalist and Western spy, Aghdashloo has generally received glowing coverage in state media, with no hint of any possible sexual abuse. The Times found and interviewed former students of Aghdashloo’s after an Iranian journalist now living in the United States, Sara Omatali, posted on Twitter Aug. 22 that he had sexually assaulted her in 2006 when she visited to interview him. She wrote that he had greeted her while naked with a robe draped on his shoulder, forced a kiss and pressed his body on hers. Her account appeared to be the catalyst for others. In telephone interviews, 45 people — including former students, a longtime teaching assistant, art gallery owners, actresses, a Tehran art agent and journalists covering art and culture in Iran — all said Aghdashloo’s behavior toward young female students had been known in Iran’s art circles. Thirteen said they had been victims, including one who was 13 years old at the time. Many said they did not know each other. In each of these 13 instances, a family member, friend, or colleague recalled in separate interviews having been told about it. Nineteen described him as the “Harvey Weinstein of Iran,” elevating or destroying careers of women depending on their receptiveness to his advances. One former student said he had offered her one of his paintings — worth $100,000, the price of a small apartment in Tehran — if she slept with him. Another said he had retaliated when she refused him, telling galleries to shun her artwork. Her career faltered. “Aghdashloo’s reputation was an open secret in the art world but nobody did anything about it,” said Solmaz Azhdari, 32, who studied painting under him. She said she had witnessed him placing his hands between a young female student’s legs in 2007 during a sketching class, as Azhdari stooped to retrieve a dropped pencil. In telling their stories, some asked to be identified only by their first names — a reflection of the subject’s sensitivity in a conservative society and their fear of Aghdashloo. Three years into the global #MeToo movement, women who say they have been sexually assaulted are improbably going public in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The movement’s reach inside Iran gained momentum in late August after allegations aired on Iranian social media against more than 100 men, including a giant e-commerce company’s former star manager, a prominent sociology professor and the owner of a popular bookstore. But the highest-profile person to face such allegations so far is a nearly 80-year-old, internationally acclaimed artist with ties to the ruling elite. Thirteen women, in interviews with The New York Times, accused the artist, Aydin Aghdashloo, of sexual misconduct over a 30-year span. Most are former students, and some are journalists who have reported on art and culture. The willingness by women who say they were victims to share their stories more openly is a groundbreaking shift in Iran’s conservative society, where discussing sex is culturally prohibited, sex outside marriage is illegal, and the burden of proof for victims of sexual crimes is onerous. A raped woman often gets the blame. Aghdashloo declined requests for an interview but strenuously denied wrongdoing, and according to his lawyer has already taken legal action against one accuser. In a written statement provided to The Times, Aghdashloo described himself as an independent artist whose career was built on creative achievement. “The allegations of sexual abuse against me are full of significant inaccuracies, mischaracterizations and fabrications,” he wrote. “To be clear, I have always sought to treat people with respect and dignity and I have never abused, assaulted nor taken advantage of anyone.” Still, he wrote, “I am not a perfect man,” and that if his behavior had offended or distressed anyone, “I deeply apologize.” How the authorities treat the perpetrators and victims of sexual misconduct has become a test of the #MeToo movement’s durability in Iran, a country of more than 80 million. Compared with the impact in the United States after the accusations against Harvey Weinstein, the imprisoned Hollywood mogul, the fallout in Iran is only beginning to unfold. But there are signs that the male-controlled power structure in Iran has started to respond to accusations like those made against Aghdashloo. Tehran’s police chief announced on Oct. 12 that the bookstore owner, Keyvan Emamverdi, had confessed to raping 300 women, after 30 took the brave step of filing legal complaints. The police said he would be charged with “corruption on earth,” a capital offense. The e-commerce company Digikala opened an investigation into its former manager and apologized to female employees. Iran’s sociology union expelled the accused professor and called for a zero-tolerance policy at universities. A painting by Aghdashloo was pulled from the cover of a famous literary collection, and at least three women have said they are considering legal action against him. “This is a turning point for sexual abuse, the biggest taboo for women in Iran has been sex and sexual violence and abuse,” said Elnaaz Mohammadi, 33-year-old co-founder of Dideban Azar, or Abuse Watch, an education and advocacy group in Tehran. She said the group had received complaints about Aghdashloo from “students who have left his classes distraught and crying,” and that “all his denials have no value.” Paintings by Aghdashloo, a dual citizen of Canada, have been auctioned and displayed worldwide, and France honored him in 2016. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution he worked with the family of the shah to curate museums. He then moved into the circles of the revolution’s ruling clerics, and he and his family have business links to the hierarchy. Despite a few mentions in Iran’s conservative media as a royalist and Western spy, Aghdashloo has generally received glowing coverage in state media, with no hint of any possible sexual abuse. The Times found and interviewed former students of Aghdashloo’s after an Iranian journalist now living in the United States, Sara Omatali, posted on Twitter Aug. 22 that he had sexually assaulted her in 2006 when she visited to interview him. She wrote that he had greeted her while naked with a robe draped on his shoulder, forced a kiss and pressed his body on hers. Her account appeared to be the catalyst for others. In telephone interviews, 45 people — including former students, a longtime teaching assistant, art gallery owners, actresses, a Tehran art agent and journalists covering art and culture in Iran — all said Aghdashloo’s behavior toward young female students had been known in Iran’s art circles. Thirteen said they had been victims, including one who was 13 years old at the time. Many said they did not know each other. In each of these 13 instances, a family member, friend, or colleague recalled in separate interviews having been told about it. Nineteen described him as the “Harvey Weinstein of Iran,” elevating or destroying careers of women depending on their receptiveness to his advances. One former student said he had offered her one of his paintings — worth $100,000, the price of a small apartment in Tehran — if she slept with him. Another said he had retaliated when she refused him, telling galleries to shun her artwork. Her career faltered. “Aghdashloo’s reputation was an open secret in the art world but nobody did anything about it,” said Solmaz Azhdari, 32, who studied painting under him. She said she had witnessed him placing his hands between a young female student’s legs in 2007 during a sketching class, as Azhdari stooped to retrieve a dropped pencil. In telling their stories, some asked to be identified only by their first names — a reflection of the subject’s sensitivity in a conservative society and their fear of Aghdashloo. ‘I was terrified of what he could do to me or my career.’ Maryam, an art photographer, 49, said she had visited Aghdashloo in 2010, to collect two paintings from his basement studio for the gallery where she worked. She said Aghdashloo had insisted she view his paintings of nude women, then forcibly kissed her and tore at her clothes. When she screamed, Maryam said, he covered her mouth with his hands; she pushed him away and fled, shouting “you have no shame!” Maryam said she quit her job, and on her mother’s advice never publicized the encounter or contacted the police. “I was terrified of what he could do to me and my career if I told anyone or brought charges,” she said. In his art classes, the former students said, he asked the women to sit on his lap when he reviewed their work, pressed against them while teaching, touched their bodies, made lewd comments and shared explicit details of a fascination with adolescent girls. Mehrnaz, 54, said he made her sit on his lap and caressed her thighs. Atty, 30, said he had locked her in his office and forcibly kissed her. Another said he asked the color of her underwear as he touched her. Afarin, a Tehran teacher, said she had been molested repeatedly 30 years ago, at age 13, by Aghdashloo, who would press his groin against her and touch her thighs while teaching painting technique. She had been too terrified to tell her parents, she said, and still avoids the street where Aghdashloo held class. “I feel relieved that a man who has abused so many women and girls is finally being exposed,” she said. Laleh Sabouri, a 50-year-old actress and television star, took art lessons with Aghdashloo for two years. Days after Omatali’s Twitter posting, Sabouri tweeted that most women were terrified of being alone with him and that accusations of rape would be “befitting.” Aghdashloo’s lawyer said he had taken legal action over that tweet, calling it “baseless.” One of Aghdashloo’s teaching assistants, who helped manage his workshops for 12 years, said she had witnessed frequent misbehavior by him toward female students and that some had complained to her. She had confronted him and he replied that women should consider his affection a privilege, the assistant recalled. She ultimately resigned, she said, because he had assaulted her. Omatali’s account struck a nerve among Iranian female journalists. Several said the advice in newsrooms was that no woman should interview Aghdashloo alone. Solmaz Naraghi, 42, an art and culture reporter, said Aghdashloo sexually harassed her repeatedly in public after she had rebuffed his advances during one such interview. Her former husband recalled her in tears at a gallery after an encounter with Aghdashloo. His supporters have rallied to defend him, including former students who posted a letter on Instagram. His first wife, Hollywood actress Shoreh Aghdashloo, said he was “simply not capable of such heinous acts.” One former student, Mitra Zad, said she had seen “nothing but good things” from him. A formidable figure who straddles art and politics Aydin Aghdashloo’s influence in Iran’s art world seemed to only grow after the revolution. He often boasted about connections to government and religious officials and said he was invulnerable because of them, former students and the teaching assistant said — a description he rejected in his statement to the Times. “I have always worked as an independent artist and, following the revolution, have earned my living not through credits and connections to the state but through my art,” Aghdashloo wrote. His students have included the daughter of Tehran’s Friday Prayer imam and grandchildren of a founding cleric of the revolution. He has worked as a consultant, instructor, author and art appraiser for Astan Quds Razavi, a religious and economic conglomerate controlled by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which is under U.S. sanctions. The former head of Astan is Iran’s judiciary chief. Aghdashloo’s daughter married into a family that owns Part Sazan, a conglomerate with ties to state-owned enterprises in the oil, gas and automotive industries. The link to the company, which lists a senior member of the Revolutionary Guard's Basij militia as chief executive and board member, has further strengthened his aura of impunity, a number of women said. Anonymous allegations against Aghdashloo first surfaced in 2018 when an Iranian investigative journalist, Afshin Parvaresh, posted on Instagram that he had interviewed 21 women, including a minor, who said Aghdashloo had assaulted them. Parvaresh said he received violent threats. Aghdashloo’s lawyer denied his client was responsible. Some Iranian women’s rights activists say significant challenges hinder #MeToo cases. If an accuser fails to meet the high standard of proof for rape, she can then be accused of adultery. “A woman who is a victim can quickly turn into a criminal if she can’t prove rape,” said Shadi Sadr, a prominent Iranian lawyer and human rights advocate based in London. “When she testifies that there was sex, she is testifying against herself as well.” Still, more women are asking how to bring charges, said Leila Rahimi, a Tehran lawyer offering them free consultation and representation. “You cannot hide this crime happening over and over in our society,” Rahimi said. “Both for women and men, silence does not improve things.”

A #MeToo awakening stirs in Iran

A film about Hollywood film’s industry failure to protect the rights of its support workers is now ready to hit the theatres and the timing is impeccable as Harvey Weinstein currently goes through a rape trial in Manhattan. Writer-director Kitty Green’s ‘The Assistant’ is hitting theatres on January 31 and there are talks of many high-profile celebs feeling the pressure.

We mention Harvey Weinstein as he is one of the first Hollywood celebs to have been named in the #MeToo movement that picked up in 2017 after many women accused powerful men of sexual abuse and harassment among other things. Harvey goes through rape trial after more than one woman alleged rape, to which he denies being guilty, and calls it consensual.&nbsp;

Back to the film, ‘The Assistant’ follows a Northwestern graduate and aspiring film producer Jane (Julia Garner), who has been working as an assistant to a high-powered film producer for five weeks. She plays the junior-most assistant out of three people of which two are men. Thus meaning that she has to reach the sets first. In one incident, on cold New York winter evening, she is the last to leave. She is shown to do the menial things -- printing documents, getting coffee, ordering lunch, responding to emails and more.&nbsp;

Watch the trailer of ‘The Assistant’ here:

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="446" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6cLf0i-kYio" width="792"></iframe>

The trailer shows that Jane’s boss is not just verbally abusive to top it but also sexually predatory, though not towards her.&nbsp;

The project also has Macfadyen, Dagmara Dominczyk and Juliana Canfield.

A film about Hollywood film’s industry failure to protect the rights of its support workers is now ready to hit the theatres and the timing is impeccable as Harvey Weinstein currently goes through a rape trial in Manhattan.

A film about Hollywood film’s industry failure to protect the rights of its support workers is now ready to hit the theatres and the timing is impeccable as Harvey Weinstein currently goes through a rape trial in Manhattan. Writer-director Kitty Green’s ‘The Assistant’ is hitting theatres on January 31 and there are talks of many high-profile celebs feeling the pressure. We mention Harvey Weinstein as he is one of the first Hollywood celebs to have been named in the #MeToo movement that picked up in 2017 after many women accused powerful men of sexual abuse and harassment among other things. Harvey goes through rape trial after more than one woman alleged rape, to which he denies being guilty, and calls it consensual. Back to the film, ‘The Assistant’ follows a Northwestern graduate and aspiring film producer Jane (Julia Garner), who has been working as an assistant to a high-powered film producer for five weeks. She plays the junior-most assistant out of three people of which two are men. Thus meaning that she has to reach the sets first. In one incident, on cold New York winter evening, she is the last to leave. She is shown to do the menial things -- printing documents, getting coffee, ordering lunch, responding to emails and more. Watch the trailer of ‘The Assistant’ here: The trailer shows that Jane’s boss is not just verbally abusive to top it but also sexually predatory, though not towards her. The project also has Macfadyen, Dagmara Dominczyk and Juliana Canfield.

Watch trailer: #MeToo Hollywood film 'The Assistant' to release on January 31

After sexual harassment claims rocked the Hindi film industry and led to many celebs being removed from upcoming projects, filmmaker Sajid Khan has now been suspended by the Indian Film &amp; Television Directors’ Association for a year, according to news agency ANI.&nbsp;

This comes after Sajid was accused of<a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/metoo-multiple-women-accuse-sajid-khan-of-sexual-misconduct-harassment-171007"> sexual harassment </a>in three separate #MeToo cases by actresses Saloni Chopra and Rachel White and journalist Karishma Upadhyay. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/farah-khan-responds-to-charges-of-sexual-harssment-against-brother-sajid-khan-171112">This is how Sajid's sister, Farah Khan reacted on the news.</a>

The IFTDA<a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/metoo-iftda-sends-notice-to-sajid-khan-asks-for-explanation-171823"> issued a notice</a> to Sajid in October this year and sent him a letter, which demanded an explanation for his alleged offensive behaviour. In November, they announced that they will take a decision regarding the sexual harassment charges made against him within a week. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/sajid-khan-says-sorry-to-iftda-for-causing-them-embarrassment-denies-allegations-of-sexual-harassment-174995">Sajid said sorry to IFTDA, read here.</a>

In an earlier interview, IFTDA President Ashoke Pandit, told PTI: "As far as Sajid's case is concerned, we have heard both the parties, Sajid and the girls. ICC will sit in a week's time and take a call on the judgement and the federation will be there, along with the lawyers."

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/farhan-akhtar-on-allegations-against-cousin-sajid-khan-felt-guilty-for-not-knowing-about-his-behaviour-earlier-179419">Also read:&nbsp;Farhan Akhtar on allegations against cousin Sajid Khan: Felt guilty for not knowing</a>

Also, Sajid was asked to step down as the director of ‘Housefull 4’ starring Akshay Kumar and others. He was replaced by Farhad Sanji. Back then Sajid issued a statement: "In the wake of the allegations against me and the pressure being put on my family, my producer and the stars of my film Housefull 4, I must take the moral responsibility of stepping down from my directorial post, till the time I can allay the allegations and prove the truth."

Read his then statement here:

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<a href="https://t.co/qnD9W6aiLb">pic.twitter.com/qnD9W6aiLb</a>
— Sajid Khan (@SimplySajidK) <a href="https://twitter.com/SimplySajidK/status/1050643527661584384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

After sexual harassment claims rocked the Hindi film industry and led to many celebs being removed from upcoming projects, filmmaker Sajid Khan has now been suspended by the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association for a year, according to news agency ANI.

After sexual harassment claims rocked the Hindi film industry and led to many celebs being removed from upcoming projects, filmmaker Sajid Khan has now been suspended by the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association for a year, according to news agency ANI. This comes after Sajid was accused of sexual harassment in three separate #MeToo cases by actresses Saloni Chopra and Rachel White and journalist Karishma Upadhyay. This is how Sajid's sister, Farah Khan reacted on the news. The IFTDA issued a notice to Sajid in October this year and sent him a letter, which demanded an explanation for his alleged offensive behaviour. In November, they announced that they will take a decision regarding the sexual harassment charges made against him within a week. Sajid said sorry to IFTDA, read here. In an earlier interview, IFTDA President Ashoke Pandit, told PTI: "As far as Sajid's case is concerned, we have heard both the parties, Sajid and the girls. ICC will sit in a week's time and take a call on the judgement and the federation will be there, along with the lawyers." Also read: Farhan Akhtar on allegations against cousin Sajid Khan: Felt guilty for not knowing Also, Sajid was asked to step down as the director of ‘Housefull 4’ starring Akshay Kumar and others. He was replaced by Farhad Sanji. Back then Sajid issued a statement: "In the wake of the allegations against me and the pressure being put on my family, my producer and the stars of my film Housefull 4, I must take the moral responsibility of stepping down from my directorial post, till the time I can allay the allegations and prove the truth." Read his then statement here: pic.twitter.com/qnD9W6aiLb — Sajid Khan (@SimplySajidK) October 12, 2018 ×

Sajid Khan suspended from IFTDA for a year over sexual harassment charges

If you ask a weaver at Avani what her favourite part of her job is, the answer will almost never be the weaving itself. Money is a common response, as there are the various results of having it: making home improvements, paying for a wedding, opening a savings account. More often than not, though, the answer will simply be along the lines of, “I like to spend time with the other weavers.” It’s surprising at first. In a field where organisations trumpet phrases like “economic empowerment” and “reviving traditional arts,” the fact that someone might like their work simply because it allows them to spend time with other people feels strikingly inadequate. Yet in the time I’ve worked with Avani’s women weavers, I have come to believe that this social interaction is perhaps the most important— and most overlooked—aspect of any livelihood generation program. &nbsp;

In development literature, the concept of “safe spaces” has generally been deployed within highly specific contexts: a refugee camp, for example, or a shelter for victims of domestic violence. Within these contexts, the term “safe space” becomes extremely literal: A space where women can safely gather, free from physical harm. In the words of UNFPA, a safe space is defined as, “A formal or informal place where women and girls feel physically and emotionally safe. The term ‘safe’, in the present context, refers to the absence of trauma, excessive stress, violence (or fear of violence), or abuse.”&nbsp;

But this is not the only definition of safe spaces. Seemingly on the opposite end of the spectrum, college campuses across the United States have touted the creation of “safe spaces” in order to protect certain groups from marginalisation or emotional/psychological harm. By this definition, a safe space is far less literal, referring more to an abstract “space” in which dialogue and learning are mediated and monitored. Here, “safe” has less to do with physical safety, and instead largely refers to the absence of emotional or psychological trauma. This definition has come under significant criticism recently, with some theorists pointing out that honest dialogue about social justice issues is rarely “safe,” in the abstract sense of the term. In the words of one group of scholars, “We argue that authentic learning about social justice often requires the very qualities of risk, difficulty, and controversy that are defined as incompatible with safety.”

On one hand, the women in Avani’s community aren’t in any immediate physical danger (or, at least not a danger that is readily apparent). Although domestic violence does occur, women in this community generally live without their husbands, as most men have migrated to urban centers in search of work. And while there are cases of crime and violence, the region is, compared to many other areas in India, relatively secure. On the other hand, the definition of safe spaces put forth in academia, and its accompanying critiques is strikingly inadequate in describing the very real physical, social, and emotional threats these women face, just by virtue of speaking their minds and daring to be independent.&nbsp;

How, then, do I describe the spaces Avani’s weavers have created for themselves? Shortcomings of either definition of safe spaces aside, the weaving centers, where Avani’s weavers gather every day, are unquestionably unlike anywhere else in these women’s lives. Each of Avani’s field centers is a social ecosystem unto itself: a vibrant hub of women who come together not just to weave, but also to sing their favorite songs, dance along to Bollywood videos they find on YouTube, trade stories of philandering husbands and misbehaving children, and discuss the news of the day. In a region where it is exceedingly rare to see women simply “hanging out” with each other in public spaces, this simple act of gathering feels radical and undeniably political. Indeed, the positive effects of being part of a supportive community of women seem to be an unintended, albeit wonderful, outcome of creating a women’s cooperative.&nbsp;

In women’s cooperatives, the term “safe space” takes on a new meaning, in between the formalised, rigid structures put forth by the United Nations and the more abstract, conceptual notions discussed on college campuses. The “space” these women have created is both literal and figurative: a secluded, women-only gathering space and a relational, dialogue-driven community. Defining safe spaces in this way illuminates what we already instinctively know to be true: that work can be more than just a way for people to put food on the table— it can be a source of community, support, inspiration, and empowerment. At their best, cooperatives like Avani can serve as a physical space for a community’s most marginalised members to let their guards down, be themselves, and step away from an outside world that forces them to take up less space than they deserve.&nbsp;

My proposition then, is to not simply accept that such communities will emerge on their own— even if they do— but rather, to intentionally pursue this space building as a goal in and of itself, on par in importance with increasing incomes. Generating incomes can be a powerful source of empowerment for women in Kumaon. But in my view, the social and political empowerment that comes with it, in the form of a vibrant, active community, is even more powerful in changing the lives of women in these underserved regions.&nbsp;

*A previous version of<a href="https://aif.org/when-work-becomes-home-safe-spaces-and-belonging-in-a-womens-cooperative/"> this article</a> was originally published&nbsp;by the American India Foundation.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

If you ask a weaver at Avani what her favourite part of her job is, the answer will almost never be the weaving itself. Money is a common response, as there are the various results of having it: making home improvements, paying for a wedding, opening a savings account.

If you ask a weaver at Avani what her favourite part of her job is, the answer will almost never be the weaving itself. Money is a common response, as there are the various results of having it: making home improvements, paying for a wedding, opening a savings account. More often than not, though, the answer will simply be along the lines of, “I like to spend time with the other weavers.” It’s surprising at first. In a field where organisations trumpet phrases like “economic empowerment” and “reviving traditional arts,” the fact that someone might like their work simply because it allows them to spend time with other people feels strikingly inadequate. Yet in the time I’ve worked with Avani’s women weavers, I have come to believe that this social interaction is perhaps the most important— and most overlooked—aspect of any livelihood generation program. In development literature, the concept of “safe spaces” has generally been deployed within highly specific contexts: a refugee camp, for example, or a shelter for victims of domestic violence. Within these contexts, the term “safe space” becomes extremely literal: A space where women can safely gather, free from physical harm. In the words of UNFPA, a safe space is defined as, “A formal or informal place where women and girls feel physically and emotionally safe. The term ‘safe’, in the present context, refers to the absence of trauma, excessive stress, violence (or fear of violence), or abuse.” But this is not the only definition of safe spaces. Seemingly on the opposite end of the spectrum, college campuses across the United States have touted the creation of “safe spaces” in order to protect certain groups from marginalisation or emotional/psychological harm. By this definition, a safe space is far less literal, referring more to an abstract “space” in which dialogue and learning are mediated and monitored. Here, “safe” has less to do with physical safety, and instead largely refers to the absence of emotional or psychological trauma. This definition has come under significant criticism recently, with some theorists pointing out that honest dialogue about social justice issues is rarely “safe,” in the abstract sense of the term. In the words of one group of scholars, “We argue that authentic learning about social justice often requires the very qualities of risk, difficulty, and controversy that are defined as incompatible with safety.” On one hand, the women in Avani’s community aren’t in any immediate physical danger (or, at least not a danger that is readily apparent). Although domestic violence does occur, women in this community generally live without their husbands, as most men have migrated to urban centers in search of work. And while there are cases of crime and violence, the region is, compared to many other areas in India, relatively secure. On the other hand, the definition of safe spaces put forth in academia, and its accompanying critiques is strikingly inadequate in describing the very real physical, social, and emotional threats these women face, just by virtue of speaking their minds and daring to be independent. How, then, do I describe the spaces Avani’s weavers have created for themselves? Shortcomings of either definition of safe spaces aside, the weaving centers, where Avani’s weavers gather every day, are unquestionably unlike anywhere else in these women’s lives. Each of Avani’s field centers is a social ecosystem unto itself: a vibrant hub of women who come together not just to weave, but also to sing their favorite songs, dance along to Bollywood videos they find on YouTube, trade stories of philandering husbands and misbehaving children, and discuss the news of the day. In a region where it is exceedingly rare to see women simply “hanging out” with each other in public spaces, this simple act of gathering feels radical and undeniably political. Indeed, the positive effects of being part of a supportive community of women seem to be an unintended, albeit wonderful, outcome of creating a women’s cooperative. In women’s cooperatives, the term “safe space” takes on a new meaning, in between the formalised, rigid structures put forth by the United Nations and the more abstract, conceptual notions discussed on college campuses. The “space” these women have created is both literal and figurative: a secluded, women-only gathering space and a relational, dialogue-driven community. Defining safe spaces in this way illuminates what we already instinctively know to be true: that work can be more than just a way for people to put food on the table— it can be a source of community, support, inspiration, and empowerment. At their best, cooperatives like Avani can serve as a physical space for a community’s most marginalised members to let their guards down, be themselves, and step away from an outside world that forces them to take up less space than they deserve. My proposition then, is to not simply accept that such communities will emerge on their own— even if they do— but rather, to intentionally pursue this space building as a goal in and of itself, on par in importance with increasing incomes. Generating incomes can be a powerful source of empowerment for women in Kumaon. But in my view, the social and political empowerment that comes with it, in the form of a vibrant, active community, is even more powerful in changing the lives of women in these underserved regions. *A previous version of this article was originally published by the American India Foundation. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Blog: Safe spaces and belonging in a women's cooperative

As the "#MeToo" movement rages on in India, the government is set to form a group of ministers to look into the lacunae in the existing law on sexual harassment, official sources said Wednesday.

They added that the group of ministers will be notified "soon".

Earlier, there were indications that the panel could be headed by a senior women cabinet minister but now, the sources said, it could be headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The development comes days after Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi proposed the formation of a legal panel to look into the legal and institutional framework in place for handling complaints of sexual harassment and advise her ministry on how to strengthen it.

India's "#MeToo" movement, which started with actor Tanushree Dutta accusing another actor -- Nana Patekar -- of harassing her during the shooting of a Bollywood film in 2008, has escalated sharply with more and more women coming forward with their complaints against various personalities.

M J Akbar, who resigned as the Minister of State for External Affairs Wednesday, filmmakers Subhash Ghai, Sajid Khan, Rajat Kapoor and actor Alok Nath are among those who have been accused of sexual misconduct.&nbsp;

As the "#MeToo" movement rages on in India, the government is set to form a group of ministers to look into the lacunae in the existing law on sexual harassment, official sources said Wednesday.

As the "#MeToo" movement rages on in India, the government is set to form a group of ministers to look into the lacunae in the existing law on sexual harassment, official sources said Wednesday. They added that the group of ministers will be notified "soon". Earlier, there were indications that the panel could be headed by a senior women cabinet minister but now, the sources said, it could be headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The development comes days after Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi proposed the formation of a legal panel to look into the legal and institutional framework in place for handling complaints of sexual harassment and advise her ministry on how to strengthen it. India's "#MeToo" movement, which started with actor Tanushree Dutta accusing another actor -- Nana Patekar -- of harassing her during the shooting of a Bollywood film in 2008, has escalated sharply with more and more women coming forward with their complaints against various personalities. M J Akbar, who resigned as the Minister of State for External Affairs Wednesday, filmmakers Subhash Ghai, Sajid Khan, Rajat Kapoor and actor Alok Nath are among those who have been accused of sexual misconduct.

Government to form GoM to look into lacunae in law on sexual harassment 

There were 12 of us. All young women. We had stuffed ourselves into an already cramped room for a meal. Another young woman, maybe just shy of 18 years old, that I’d seen before, was absent. When asked where she was, a friend of mine looked up, and casually said, “She isn’t here because she was assaulted this past weekend.”&nbsp;

As the story goes, she was in her house alone and her male neighbour came over to “say hello.” When he realised no one was home, he tried to touch her, and force her to get intimate with him. My heart dropped and I didn’t know what turn this story was going to take.&nbsp;

But then I heard someone say - “But she’s been getting stronger and she’s a fighter". So she yelled and beat him with things she had nearby, and got him out of the house. And then she called her other neighbours, her parents, and the police.” Once they arrived, her parents were proud of her, and the community shunned the boy for what he did. The police arrested him, but he was soon released on bail.&nbsp;

It was sad in a way, that the first thought that was spoken amongst our group was something on most of our minds: “She got lucky.” She was lucky that she had a family who believed her, and a community behind her. When I thought that the conversation could not take any more turns, all of the young women that I had come to know, admire, and deeply respect, all launched into their own tales of abuse and assault.&nbsp;

But that moment couldn’t have come at a more poignant time – just the day before, I had learned a part of the reason my Fellowship host organisation, the Naz Foundation, had implemented its flagship programme for adolescent girls (“Goal”): they found that women, unaware of their own bodies and sexual health, were unknowingly contracting HIV from their supposedly monogamous husbands. Yet another form of abuse.&nbsp;

I’ve thought about that moment a lot in the past few months. About what it means to be a woman in this world, about what it means to be a woman in India. I had my stories to share, and when the time came I did, and it all seemed to come together. Our stories were ones of not being heard, of trying to raise empathetic boys in a world that seems dead set against it, and of empowering other women.&nbsp;

In our own small way, acknowledging the issues that we faced every day – from the US to India – we bridged a gap and made for better leaders in all of us. We can’t fix what we don’t verbalise. The bonds we formed, friendships we made, and bridges we built across cultures that day enabled us to advocate for women’s empowerment across the world.&nbsp;

In the United States, women’s empowerment is shouted from the rooftops. In its most visible form, it takes place in the form of marches around the country, in celebrity declaration in support of #MeToo. In India, I’ve found that paths to empowerment look different, and yet strangely familiar, from marches and protests to civil disobedience within the home to educate one’s children on how to live in a better world.&nbsp;

That day, I made 12 new, extraordinarily powerful, wonderful friends. Tragedy turned into a strategy. When I first arrived, I thought that there would be many things that I would encounter that I would never truly be able to understand. But I’ve come to realise that women’s empowerment, like all social issues and like all people, is the same across the world. It just comes in different packaging.&nbsp;

(*A <a href="https://aif.org/womens-empowerment-building-a-bridge/">previous version of this article</a> was originally published by the  American India Foundation)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

There were 12 of us. All young women. We had stuffed ourselves into an already cramped room for a meal. Another young woman, maybe just shy of 18 years old, that I’d seen before, was absent.

There were 12 of us. All young women. We had stuffed ourselves into an already cramped room for a meal. Another young woman, maybe just shy of 18 years old, that I’d seen before, was absent. When asked where she was, a friend of mine looked up, and casually said, “She isn’t here because she was assaulted this past weekend.” As the story goes, she was in her house alone and her male neighbour came over to “say hello.” When he realised no one was home, he tried to touch her, and force her to get intimate with him. My heart dropped and I didn’t know what turn this story was going to take. But then I heard someone say - “But she’s been getting stronger and she’s a fighter". So she yelled and beat him with things she had nearby, and got him out of the house. And then she called her other neighbours, her parents, and the police.” Once they arrived, her parents were proud of her, and the community shunned the boy for what he did. The police arrested him, but he was soon released on bail. It was sad in a way, that the first thought that was spoken amongst our group was something on most of our minds: “She got lucky.” She was lucky that she had a family who believed her, and a community behind her. When I thought that the conversation could not take any more turns, all of the young women that I had come to know, admire, and deeply respect, all launched into their own tales of abuse and assault. But that moment couldn’t have come at a more poignant time – just the day before, I had learned a part of the reason my Fellowship host organisation, the Naz Foundation, had implemented its flagship programme for adolescent girls (“Goal”): they found that women, unaware of their own bodies and sexual health, were unknowingly contracting HIV from their supposedly monogamous husbands. Yet another form of abuse. I’ve thought about that moment a lot in the past few months. About what it means to be a woman in this world, about what it means to be a woman in India. I had my stories to share, and when the time came I did, and it all seemed to come together. Our stories were ones of not being heard, of trying to raise empathetic boys in a world that seems dead set against it, and of empowering other women. In our own small way, acknowledging the issues that we faced every day – from the US to India – we bridged a gap and made for better leaders in all of us. We can’t fix what we don’t verbalise. The bonds we formed, friendships we made, and bridges we built across cultures that day enabled us to advocate for women’s empowerment across the world. In the United States, women’s empowerment is shouted from the rooftops. In its most visible form, it takes place in the form of marches around the country, in celebrity declaration in support of #MeToo. In India, I’ve found that paths to empowerment look different, and yet strangely familiar, from marches and protests to civil disobedience within the home to educate one’s children on how to live in a better world. That day, I made 12 new, extraordinarily powerful, wonderful friends. Tragedy turned into a strategy. When I first arrived, I thought that there would be many things that I would encounter that I would never truly be able to understand. But I’ve come to realise that women’s empowerment, like all social issues and like all people, is the same across the world. It just comes in different packaging. (*A previous version of this article was originally published by the  American India Foundation) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Blog: #MeToo movement is all about empowering women

In the swirling waters of the MeToo Movement that have reached India, the rules of engagement on conduct involving women and men are being rewritten in ways that would hopefully make the country a safer place for women. Only three months ago, a Reuters global poll based on a survey of experts said India was the "most dangerous" country for women and that did not go too well with the establishment.&nbsp;

Now that the US-born movement, where women take to social media to 'out' alleged perpetrators of sexual harassment, has become mainstream in India with many famous men turning notorious, it is time to see the writing on the wall.

There are many ifs and buts in this because India has changed very fast with the rise of education, awareness, democratic beliefs, economic growth and last but not least, the internet. The harsh reality is that only a few years ago, both men and women spoke in hushed whispers about the sexual escapades, shenanigans and exploitation of powerful people in politics, media and Bollywood, but possibly with different worldviews. 
 
While it is increasingly clear that most woman victims did not speak out of fear, concern for personal safety/jobs/careers or the helpless power structure they were dealing with, for many men, this seemed to be part of what was perceived to be normal in varying degrees of acceptability. That is changing. Today, there is a new normal. The trophies of yesterday have become the scars of today.&nbsp;

The combination of social media and long memories is proving to be embarrassing for many.

I&nbsp;am surprised but not shocked that Union Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar, a journalistic icon for many of our generation including myself, is not resigning but combating accusations of sexual harassment or misdemeanour during his days as a rockstar newspaper editor. Surprised, because I thought there was sufficient circumstantial evidence from more than a dozen women to suggest that it was important for him to at least not hold on to a public office. Surprised because there is enough talk of clean public conduct from the BJP-led government to have included a concern for widespread public outrage.

However, on deeper introspection, there are reasons why the BJP may drag its feet -- or for that matter any political party. On the one hand, there are issues related to personal and public morality in which what happens in the personal sphere may not be uniformly or immediately brought into question in matters concerning public posts. On the other hand, and this is realpolitik, there is the issue of a precedent that might be set in a resignation.

The open secret is that there are men in every leading political party whose personal lives and conduct are dubious. If a politically dispensable minister is forced to resign on grounds of sexual misconduct, the day may not be far off when a woman or two or three will speak out against another whose political clout based on caste, popularity or other vote-catching abilities is significant. Now, which party would want to get rid of a vote-catcher? Every party will pay lip service or protest in differing degrees of outrage. The top leaders will murmur, one or two spokespersons will be more forthright, and some will talk in generalities.&nbsp;

It is also a harsh fact that there are social and economic realities in India that make men historically powerful, and that cannot be wished away. If even getting women to rule from panchayat posts is difficult, it is more difficult to imagine power equations to change overnight on matters of sexual misconduct.&nbsp;

As of now, there is no visibly significant outrage against sexual misconduct in the vast hinterland of India. Allegations against lyricist Vairamuthu in Tamil Nadu are just drops in the ocean of India's state politics. Only the naive would believe other states do not have widespread instances of alleged misconduct. South Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore are pockets of resistance -- or maybe they represent the vanguard of a revolution in the making. What they used to say in India vs Bharat argument -- about urban India flourishing while rural India is left behind -- can be stretched here. History, privilege, poverty, caste and gender have to be considered together to get an idea of the immensity of the issue. I recommend director Shyam Benegal's classic, Nishant as an educative movie on this subject.

Only time will tell us how the meeting of an irresistible force against an immovable object shapes up in precise terms, but my guess is that we are headed for reform, not revolution. Slowly but steadily, voices will spring up against misconduct even in the hinterland, inspired and egged on by women who have stood up to be counted. But in the immediate term, both workplaces and political culture will need a rebooting of attitudes and beliefs, and that is likely to happen in a measured pace. Even the best of men may have to learn a lot, as we are discovering from outpourings of feelings and experiences.

There is also the matter of jurisprudence in which legal technicalities will play out as court cases grind on because a presumption of innocence until there is proof of guilt, is normal in a healthy democracy. Everything from the dates of alleged misconduct, the precise law under which it needs to be examined, the demand for stay orders and the levels of the judiciary will matter in the scheme of things. 
 
If shaming public figures is a punishment, a lot has already happened. If better conduct across India in professional and public life matters, there is a long way to go.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on Zee News. Read the <a href="http://zeenews.india.com/blogs/metoo-has-arrived-in-india-but-yet-to-reach-bharat-may-start-reform-not-revolution-2148826.html">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

&nbsp;

In the swirling waters of the MeToo Movement that have reached India, the rules of engagement on conduct involving women and men are being rewritten in ways that would hopefully make the country a safer place for women.

In the swirling waters of the MeToo Movement that have reached India, the rules of engagement on conduct involving women and men are being rewritten in ways that would hopefully make the country a safer place for women. Only three months ago, a Reuters global poll based on a survey of experts said India was the "most dangerous" country for women and that did not go too well with the establishment. Now that the US-born movement, where women take to social media to 'out' alleged perpetrators of sexual harassment, has become mainstream in India with many famous men turning notorious, it is time to see the writing on the wall. There are many ifs and buts in this because India has changed very fast with the rise of education, awareness, democratic beliefs, economic growth and last but not least, the internet. The harsh reality is that only a few years ago, both men and women spoke in hushed whispers about the sexual escapades, shenanigans and exploitation of powerful people in politics, media and Bollywood, but possibly with different worldviews. While it is increasingly clear that most woman victims did not speak out of fear, concern for personal safety/jobs/careers or the helpless power structure they were dealing with, for many men, this seemed to be part of what was perceived to be normal in varying degrees of acceptability. That is changing. Today, there is a new normal. The trophies of yesterday have become the scars of today. The combination of social media and long memories is proving to be embarrassing for many. I am surprised but not shocked that Union Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar, a journalistic icon for many of our generation including myself, is not resigning but combating accusations of sexual harassment or misdemeanour during his days as a rockstar newspaper editor. Surprised, because I thought there was sufficient circumstantial evidence from more than a dozen women to suggest that it was important for him to at least not hold on to a public office. Surprised because there is enough talk of clean public conduct from the BJP-led government to have included a concern for widespread public outrage. However, on deeper introspection, there are reasons why the BJP may drag its feet -- or for that matter any political party. On the one hand, there are issues related to personal and public morality in which what happens in the personal sphere may not be uniformly or immediately brought into question in matters concerning public posts. On the other hand, and this is realpolitik, there is the issue of a precedent that might be set in a resignation. The open secret is that there are men in every leading political party whose personal lives and conduct are dubious. If a politically dispensable minister is forced to resign on grounds of sexual misconduct, the day may not be far off when a woman or two or three will speak out against another whose political clout based on caste, popularity or other vote-catching abilities is significant. Now, which party would want to get rid of a vote-catcher? Every party will pay lip service or protest in differing degrees of outrage. The top leaders will murmur, one or two spokespersons will be more forthright, and some will talk in generalities. It is also a harsh fact that there are social and economic realities in India that make men historically powerful, and that cannot be wished away. If even getting women to rule from panchayat posts is difficult, it is more difficult to imagine power equations to change overnight on matters of sexual misconduct. As of now, there is no visibly significant outrage against sexual misconduct in the vast hinterland of India. Allegations against lyricist Vairamuthu in Tamil Nadu are just drops in the ocean of India's state politics. Only the naive would believe other states do not have widespread instances of alleged misconduct. South Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore are pockets of resistance -- or maybe they represent the vanguard of a revolution in the making. What they used to say in India vs Bharat argument -- about urban India flourishing while rural India is left behind -- can be stretched here. History, privilege, poverty, caste and gender have to be considered together to get an idea of the immensity of the issue. I recommend director Shyam Benegal's classic, Nishant as an educative movie on this subject. Only time will tell us how the meeting of an irresistible force against an immovable object shapes up in precise terms, but my guess is that we are headed for reform, not revolution. Slowly but steadily, voices will spring up against misconduct even in the hinterland, inspired and egged on by women who have stood up to be counted. But in the immediate term, both workplaces and political culture will need a rebooting of attitudes and beliefs, and that is likely to happen in a measured pace. Even the best of men may have to learn a lot, as we are discovering from outpourings of feelings and experiences. There is also the matter of jurisprudence in which legal technicalities will play out as court cases grind on because a presumption of innocence until there is proof of guilt, is normal in a healthy democracy. Everything from the dates of alleged misconduct, the precise law under which it needs to be examined, the demand for stay orders and the levels of the judiciary will matter in the scheme of things. If shaming public figures is a punishment, a lot has already happened. If better conduct across India in professional and public life matters, there is a long way to go. (This article was originally published on Zee News. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

#MeToo has arrived in India, but yet to reach Bharat

For good or for bad, the #MeToo movement is here to stay in India. The movement is being celebrated by many as a way to name and shame powerful men who in past got away with impunity because of the might they hold in the public sphere. 
 
Obviously, it is less about the legal recourse and more about naming and shaming the famous so that they stay away from the position of power. The movement has been able to check upon powerful men but has raised many moral and ethical questions. The movement has shown the fragility of gender politics in India. It has also proved that social conservatism in the Indian society has become a strong political constituency and any social reform, whether it flows from social media or courts, will have to face the wall of strong conservative networking.

Foremost, #MeToo has exposed powerful men who have exploited women. The end result is naming and shaming of an individual. It makes an individual a social outcast whereby he loses his position of power, reemployment and reintegration in the society. The modern law is about justice and not revenge. Most importantly, the modern law on crime does not end with punishment. It ends with reform and rehabilitation. It also includes men who have committed heinous crimes like rape and murder. So, it is absolutely right to call out men who have crushed spirits of young women, but it is also worthwhile to reflect as to where the naming and shaming must end. Is the perpetrator an outcast in perpetuity or will he get an avenue to mainstream in the society once his naming and shaming in public is over? This is the first issue which the movement will need to address in long run.

It will also have to differentiate between those making charges under real identities with those who have posted emails anonymously on social media. The movement will also have to differentiate between score-settling, indiscretion, harassment, proposition and sexual harassment in the workplace and non-work areas. This is not to belittle the importance of the #MeToo. The movement needs to ensure that it does not get hijacked by personal agendas.

The #MeToo movement also shows that gender as an axis of politics continues to remain weak in India. It gets divided on the issue of caste, liberal politics, urban-rural and class divide. The inability of any government of the day to pass quotas for women in Parliament is a representation of failure of gender as a political identity. Even today, gender politics remain limited to softer issues. The sexual violence in rural India is a weapon used by upper and dominant castes to express power. The domestic servants face sexual harassment because they are underprivileged and have no access to quick justice. Most of the women who have dared to make allegations without hiding their identity are those who have been able to break into male bastions in work areas.&nbsp;

It remains the tip of an iceberg. Millions of women in rural and many other sectors continue to face the sexual violence of worst kind and that focus must not be lost by gender movement.

Today it also runs the risk of being drowned under the narrative of salacious gossip about people around us instead of addressing the issue of misogyny and male gaze which sees women as a sexual object and refuses to accept competent women as boss.

The unfortunate part is that in India, it is also being reduced to a fight between the liberal section of the society and government of the present day. So, even if the charges are true they lose moral underpinning because those making the charge are considered to be part of a world which is known as the Liberal Order. It not only undercuts the importance of gender as a perspective but also undermines it in front of older identities like caste, community and class.

Lastly, it brings us to the question of what #MeToo has exposed apart from men who have been crossed boundaries frequently. It shows that social conservatives have moved to the centre of Indian politics whereas liberal tradition has become confined to some academic institutions and the judiciary. The liberal idea is rooted in the expression of freedom of an individual which stands above the predatory Right of Community and the state. It celebrates the power of an individual thought, liberty and its expression.

Today, It is getting subsumed under the narrative of victimisation of the majority community by liberals who are disconnected from the daily rhythm of Indian life. The response against it has also become electoral too. But that’s only one part of it. It is not without reason that adultery, Section 377, Aadhaar, Jallikattu and Sabarimala came under attack from the far right. Jallikatu was overruled by the legislative branch of the state and Sabrimala verdict is being challenged by the conservative constituency fueled by both BJP and Congress in the name of victimisation of Hindu custom and traditions. &nbsp;Section 377 and adultery were met with a mute response from the central government.

The mask of liberalness has been dropped by the far Right. Till Vajpayee, the right noises were made by the BJP. Today, social conservatism is a pampered political constituency which #MeToo will discover quickly. It was unpampered, but politically accommodated constituency within the Congress from its inception days.&nbsp;

Today social conservatism has received political legitimacy through electoral performance and for this reason, #MeToo, which is an expression of a liberal tradition will meet its toughest challenge as it would prioritise community, state, honour and tradition over individual voice. It has become a self-sufficient political constituency.

The irony is that this gender battle has exposed the weakness of the liberal politics in India.

The liberal constituency at the time of birth of the nation was supported by millions of Indians whereas far Right was opposed to massive social reforms. The liberal tradition even accommodated social conservatives in the Congress. Today, the far right has merged into social conservatives. The social conservatives have left Congress behind. Liberals have become elites disconnected from the society and social conservatives have become the moral beacon of traditional social order. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

For good or for bad, the #MeToo movement is here to stay in India. The movement is being celebrated by many as a way to name and shame powerful men who in past got away with impunity because of the might they hold in the public sphere.

For good or for bad, the #MeToo movement is here to stay in India. The movement is being celebrated by many as a way to name and shame powerful men who in past got away with impunity because of the might they hold in the public sphere. Obviously, it is less about the legal recourse and more about naming and shaming the famous so that they stay away from the position of power. The movement has been able to check upon powerful men but has raised many moral and ethical questions. The movement has shown the fragility of gender politics in India. It has also proved that social conservatism in the Indian society has become a strong political constituency and any social reform, whether it flows from social media or courts, will have to face the wall of strong conservative networking. Foremost, #MeToo has exposed powerful men who have exploited women. The end result is naming and shaming of an individual. It makes an individual a social outcast whereby he loses his position of power, reemployment and reintegration in the society. The modern law is about justice and not revenge. Most importantly, the modern law on crime does not end with punishment. It ends with reform and rehabilitation. It also includes men who have committed heinous crimes like rape and murder. So, it is absolutely right to call out men who have crushed spirits of young women, but it is also worthwhile to reflect as to where the naming and shaming must end. Is the perpetrator an outcast in perpetuity or will he get an avenue to mainstream in the society once his naming and shaming in public is over? This is the first issue which the movement will need to address in long run. It will also have to differentiate between those making charges under real identities with those who have posted emails anonymously on social media. The movement will also have to differentiate between score-settling, indiscretion, harassment, proposition and sexual harassment in the workplace and non-work areas. This is not to belittle the importance of the #MeToo. The movement needs to ensure that it does not get hijacked by personal agendas. The #MeToo movement also shows that gender as an axis of politics continues to remain weak in India. It gets divided on the issue of caste, liberal politics, urban-rural and class divide. The inability of any government of the day to pass quotas for women in Parliament is a representation of failure of gender as a political identity. Even today, gender politics remain limited to softer issues. The sexual violence in rural India is a weapon used by upper and dominant castes to express power. The domestic servants face sexual harassment because they are underprivileged and have no access to quick justice. Most of the women who have dared to make allegations without hiding their identity are those who have been able to break into male bastions in work areas. It remains the tip of an iceberg. Millions of women in rural and many other sectors continue to face the sexual violence of worst kind and that focus must not be lost by gender movement. Today it also runs the risk of being drowned under the narrative of salacious gossip about people around us instead of addressing the issue of misogyny and male gaze which sees women as a sexual object and refuses to accept competent women as boss. The unfortunate part is that in India, it is also being reduced to a fight between the liberal section of the society and government of the present day. So, even if the charges are true they lose moral underpinning because those making the charge are considered to be part of a world which is known as the Liberal Order. It not only undercuts the importance of gender as a perspective but also undermines it in front of older identities like caste, community and class. Lastly, it brings us to the question of what #MeToo has exposed apart from men who have been crossed boundaries frequently. It shows that social conservatives have moved to the centre of Indian politics whereas liberal tradition has become confined to some academic institutions and the judiciary. The liberal idea is rooted in the expression of freedom of an individual which stands above the predatory Right of Community and the state. It celebrates the power of an individual thought, liberty and its expression. Today, It is getting subsumed under the narrative of victimisation of the majority community by liberals who are disconnected from the daily rhythm of Indian life. The response against it has also become electoral too. But that’s only one part of it. It is not without reason that adultery, Section 377, Aadhaar, Jallikattu and Sabarimala came under attack from the far right. Jallikatu was overruled by the legislative branch of the state and Sabrimala verdict is being challenged by the conservative constituency fueled by both BJP and Congress in the name of victimisation of Hindu custom and traditions. Section 377 and adultery were met with a mute response from the central government. The mask of liberalness has been dropped by the far Right. Till Vajpayee, the right noises were made by the BJP. Today, social conservatism is a pampered political constituency which #MeToo will discover quickly. It was unpampered, but politically accommodated constituency within the Congress from its inception days. Today social conservatism has received political legitimacy through electoral performance and for this reason, #MeToo, which is an expression of a liberal tradition will meet its toughest challenge as it would prioritise community, state, honour and tradition over individual voice. It has become a self-sufficient political constituency. The irony is that this gender battle has exposed the weakness of the liberal politics in India. The liberal constituency at the time of birth of the nation was supported by millions of Indians whereas far Right was opposed to massive social reforms. The liberal tradition even accommodated social conservatives in the Congress. Today, the far right has merged into social conservatives. The social conservatives have left Congress behind. Liberals have become elites disconnected from the society and social conservatives have become the moral beacon of traditional social order. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The anatomy of #MeToo movement and Indian politics

The Committee of Administrators of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked BCCI CEO Rahul Johri to submit an explanation after he was accused of sexual assault. Johri has been asked to submit his explanation within a week.&nbsp;

The BCCI CEO was accused of sexual assault by an unnamed woman on Twitter.&nbsp;

The accusation was put out on Twitter by another woman — she shared the accounts of a number of survivors of sexual assault, misconduct, and harassment by a "bunch of head honchos in media".

"Rahul Johari (sic), your #timesup," the woman who put out the accusations tweeted. &nbsp;

A little later, she said the press should not mention her tweets, nor embed them in their stories.&nbsp;
<img alt="The tweets accusing Johri of assault, and the later directive that the tweets not be used by the media." data-caption="&lt;em&gt;The tweets accusing Johri of assault, and the later directive that the tweets not be used by the media.&lt;/em&gt;" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="575a2df3-6321-4b01-b63d-2021a3c739fc" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/rahul%20johri_2.jpg" />
The woman accusing Johri of assault says in her account that she and Johri had been colleagues.&nbsp;

He had at the time moved to a new channel, while she was looking for a job. (Before joining the BCCI, Johri was working at the Discovery Channel.)&nbsp;

She says Johri had asked her out to coffee, and after turning him down a number of time she had finally said yes. She says she had thought that perhaps she could explore her options at the channel he had just joined.&nbsp;

Midway through coffee, she says Johri told her they were going to his place.&nbsp;

She says she had thought Johri's wife, Seema, whom she had met once, would be at home. But she was not.&nbsp;

When she entered Johri's home in Gurgaon, she asked for water. But Johri began talking to her about hiring her as his second-in-command.&nbsp;

He then got up to get her water. When he came back, she says, he took off his pants.&nbsp;

She says Johri then said "this is the last part of your interview with me", and then made her fellate him.&nbsp;

Johri's is not the first name from the cricketing world to be outed&nbsp;by India's burgeoning #MeToo movement.&nbsp;

Indian playback singer Chinmayi Sripaada, a prominent figure in the south, has accused Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga of sexually assaulting a woman at a Mumbai hotel. And former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga has been accused of sexually harassing an Indian flight attendant also at a Mumbai hotel.

The Committee of Administrators of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked BCCI CEO Rahul Johri to submit an explanation after he was accused of sexual assault.

The Committee of Administrators of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked BCCI CEO Rahul Johri to submit an explanation after he was accused of sexual assault. Johri has been asked to submit his explanation within a week. The BCCI CEO was accused of sexual assault by an unnamed woman on Twitter. The accusation was put out on Twitter by another woman — she shared the accounts of a number of survivors of sexual assault, misconduct, and harassment by a "bunch of head honchos in media". "Rahul Johari (sic), your #timesup," the woman who put out the accusations tweeted. A little later, she said the press should not mention her tweets, nor embed them in their stories. The woman accusing Johri of assault says in her account that she and Johri had been colleagues. He had at the time moved to a new channel, while she was looking for a job. (Before joining the BCCI, Johri was working at the Discovery Channel.) She says Johri had asked her out to coffee, and after turning him down a number of time she had finally said yes. She says she had thought that perhaps she could explore her options at the channel he had just joined. Midway through coffee, she says Johri told her they were going to his place. She says she had thought Johri's wife, Seema, whom she had met once, would be at home. But she was not. When she entered Johri's home in Gurgaon, she asked for water. But Johri began talking to her about hiring her as his second-in-command. He then got up to get her water. When he came back, she says, he took off his pants. She says Johri then said "this is the last part of your interview with me", and then made her fellate him. Johri's is not the first name from the cricketing world to be outed by India's burgeoning #MeToo movement. Indian playback singer Chinmayi Sripaada, a prominent figure in the south, has accused Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga of sexually assaulting a woman at a Mumbai hotel. And former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga has been accused of sexually harassing an Indian flight attendant also at a Mumbai hotel.

BCCI asks Rahul Johri to submit explanation after sexual assault allegations

With #MeToo movement burgeoning into the global platform, former first lady of the USA, Michelle Obama, has launched 'Global Girls Alliance' with an aim to improve education for women and girls in the society.

Voicing her opinion on the #MeToo movement and taking a toll on 'patriarchal society ' where we live in, she says, "That`s what happens with change. Change is not a direct smooth path. There`s going to be bumps and resistance. There has been a status quo in terms of the way women have been treated, what their expectations have been in a society and that is changing and there`s going to be a little upheaval. There`s going to be a little discomfort, but I think it`s up to the women out there to say, `Sorry that you feel uncomfortable, but I`m now paving the way for the next generation.`"

"I`m surprised at how much has changed, but how much has not changed and I think that`s where the fire is coming from," she said.

She also comments that the world has turned ''dangerous'' for 'women' and adds, "Enough is enough. The world is sadly a dangerous place for women and girls and we see that again and again and I think young women are tired of it. They`re tired of being undervalued. They`re tired of being disregarded. They`re tired of their voices not being invested in and heard and it`s not just around the world, that`s happening right here in this country and if we`re going to change that, we have to give them the tools and the skills through education to be able to lift those voices up."

Initially, this week even the current first lady Melania Trump had commented on #MeToo movement and said,"You cannot just say to somebody `Oh I was sexually assaulted, or you did that to me,` because sometimes the media goes too far. The way they portray some stories; it`s not correct, it`s not right.'' 
&nbsp;

With #MeToo movement burgeoning into the global platform, former first lady of the USA, Michelle Obama, has launched 'Global Girls Alliance' with an aim to improve education for women and girls in the society.

With #MeToo movement burgeoning into the global platform, former first lady of the USA, Michelle Obama, has launched 'Global Girls Alliance' with an aim to improve education for women and girls in the society. Voicing her opinion on the #MeToo movement and taking a toll on 'patriarchal society ' where we live in, she says, "That`s what happens with change. Change is not a direct smooth path. There`s going to be bumps and resistance. There has been a status quo in terms of the way women have been treated, what their expectations have been in a society and that is changing and there`s going to be a little upheaval. There`s going to be a little discomfort, but I think it`s up to the women out there to say, `Sorry that you feel uncomfortable, but I`m now paving the way for the next generation.`" "I`m surprised at how much has changed, but how much has not changed and I think that`s where the fire is coming from," she said. She also comments that the world has turned ''dangerous'' for 'women' and adds, "Enough is enough. The world is sadly a dangerous place for women and girls and we see that again and again and I think young women are tired of it. They`re tired of being undervalued. They`re tired of being disregarded. They`re tired of their voices not being invested in and heard and it`s not just around the world, that`s happening right here in this country and if we`re going to change that, we have to give them the tools and the skills through education to be able to lift those voices up." Initially, this week even the current first lady Melania Trump had commented on #MeToo movement and said,"You cannot just say to somebody `Oh I was sexually assaulted, or you did that to me,` because sometimes the media goes too far. The way they portray some stories; it`s not correct, it`s not right.''

#MeToo: Michelle Obama launches 'Global Girls Alliance' to improve education for women

Your Story: Judges' panel to handle #MeToo cases

There are more like Vikas Bahl in Bollywood: Kangana Ranaut

Amid sexual harassment allegations against her ministerial colleague M J Akbar, Union minister Smriti Irani Thursday said it was for him to respond to the charges even as she favoured justice for the "ladies who are speaking out".

As the #MeToo campaign gathered momentum, some women journalists have come out and accused Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs, of sexually harassing them during his stint as editor in two newspapers.

"The gentleman concerned would be better positioned to speak on this issue," Irani, the Union Textiles Minister, told reporters here while responding to questions over allegations against Akbar.

Akbar, whose resignation from the government is being demanded by opposition political parties and various others, has not reacted to the allegations so far.

"I appreciate that the media is accosting his (former) female colleagues but I think it is for the gentleman concerned to issue a statement (and) not for me because I was personally not present there, Irani said.

She urged people not to mock the women who are speaking out against the harassment meted out to them.

I have said again and again on this particular issue, especially about women speaking out that anybody speaking out that in no way should be shamed, victimised or mocked. That is my only appeal to everybody who is witnessing this surge of outpouring of emotion, of anger on the internet and offline also, she said on the sidelines of an event here.

Irani, a former TV actress, underlined that women don't go to work to be harassed but to work to live their dreams and earn a respectable living.

So, I will say here today it must be very difficult for women to come out and talk about whatever happened in their professional lives. It is extremely an important part in time in our society where more and more women are getting support, so they can speak out.

"I feel there are enough instruments in our judicial and police systems to deliver justice and I am hopeful that all these ladies who are speaking out get, due to due process, the justice that they deserve, Irani said.

Amid sexual harassment allegations against her ministerial colleague M J Akbar, Union minister Smriti Irani Thursday said it was for him to respond to the charges even as she favoured justice for the "ladies who are speaking out".

Amid sexual harassment allegations against her ministerial colleague M J Akbar, Union minister Smriti Irani Thursday said it was for him to respond to the charges even as she favoured justice for the "ladies who are speaking out". As the #MeToo campaign gathered momentum, some women journalists have come out and accused Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs, of sexually harassing them during his stint as editor in two newspapers. "The gentleman concerned would be better positioned to speak on this issue," Irani, the Union Textiles Minister, told reporters here while responding to questions over allegations against Akbar. Akbar, whose resignation from the government is being demanded by opposition political parties and various others, has not reacted to the allegations so far. "I appreciate that the media is accosting his (former) female colleagues but I think it is for the gentleman concerned to issue a statement (and) not for me because I was personally not present there, Irani said. She urged people not to mock the women who are speaking out against the harassment meted out to them. I have said again and again on this particular issue, especially about women speaking out that anybody speaking out that in no way should be shamed, victimised or mocked. That is my only appeal to everybody who is witnessing this surge of outpouring of emotion, of anger on the internet and offline also, she said on the sidelines of an event here. Irani, a former TV actress, underlined that women don't go to work to be harassed but to work to live their dreams and earn a respectable living. So, I will say here today it must be very difficult for women to come out and talk about whatever happened in their professional lives. It is extremely an important part in time in our society where more and more women are getting support, so they can speak out. "I feel there are enough instruments in our judicial and police systems to deliver justice and I am hopeful that all these ladies who are speaking out get, due to due process, the justice that they deserve, Irani said.

It is for Akbar to respond, says Irani on sexual harassment charges against him

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;

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.&nbsp;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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; 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

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

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday demanded the removal of M J Akbar from the Union Council of Ministers following allegations of sexual harassment against him.

As the #MeToo campaign gathered momentum in India, some women journalists have come out and accused Akbar, a former editor and now the minister of state for external affairs, of sexually harassing them during his stint as a journalist.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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Three journalists have shown to the world the real face of the cabinet minister who heads MEA &amp; those details are horrific. I demand that PM should immediately sack this minister. We'll wait and see if PM walks the talk: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MJAkbar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MJAkbar</a> <a href="https://t.co/0wBXQBs1Bq">pic.twitter.com/0wBXQBs1Bq</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1050004938963599360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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"@mjakbar shame on you and you stood in parliament during T Talaaq Bill &amp; spoke about Muslim women empowerment &amp; to stop their exploitation..," the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief tweeted.

"@PMOIndia sack this Minister of yours if you truly believe in Beti Bachao," the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP said in another tweet.

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Horrible this bloody perpetrator <a href="https://twitter.com/mjakbar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mjakbar</a> shame on you and you stood in parliament during T Talaaq Bill &amp; spoke about Muslim women empowerment &amp; to stop their exploitation, <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PMOIndia</a> sack this Minister of yours if you truly believe in Beti Bachao <a href="https://t.co/nTiRI7YIzk">https://t.co/nTiRI7YIzk</a>
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) <a href="https://twitter.com/asadowaisi/status/1049944158843166721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday demanded the removal of M J Akbar from the Union Council of Ministers following allegations of sexual harassment against him.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday demanded the removal of M J Akbar from the Union Council of Ministers following allegations of sexual harassment against him. As the #MeToo campaign gathered momentum in India, some women journalists have come out and accused Akbar, a former editor and now the minister of state for external affairs, of sexually harassing them during his stint as a journalist. Three journalists have shown to the world the real face of the cabinet minister who heads MEA & those details are horrific. I demand that PM should immediately sack this minister. We'll wait and see if PM walks the talk: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi #MJAkbar pic.twitter.com/0wBXQBs1Bq — ANI (@ANI) October 10, 2018 × "@mjakbar shame on you and you stood in parliament during T Talaaq Bill & spoke about Muslim women empowerment & to stop their exploitation..," the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief tweeted. "@PMOIndia sack this Minister of yours if you truly believe in Beti Bachao," the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP said in another tweet. Horrible this bloody perpetrator @mjakbar shame on you and you stood in parliament during T Talaaq Bill & spoke about Muslim women empowerment & to stop their exploitation, @PMOIndia sack this Minister of yours if you truly believe in Beti Bachao https://t.co/nTiRI7YIzk — Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) October 10, 2018 ×

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi demands sacking of M J Akbar

Pakistani actor-singer Ali Zafar was in news yesterday as his colleague from the Pakistani music industry, Meesha Shafi <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/entertainment-pakistani-singer-meesha-shafi-accuses-ali-zafar-of-sexual-harassment-says-she-feels-betrayed-by-his-behaviour-131428">accused</a> him of sexual harassment. Ali Zafar has now responded to these allegations and denied all of them.

In his reply to the accusations, Zafar wrote, “I am deeply aware and in support of the global #Metoo movement and what it stands for. I am the father of a young girl and a young boy, a husband to a wife and son to a mother. I am a man that has stood up for myself, my family, my colleagues and friends countless times in the face of slander, defamation and general unkindness. I will do the same today. I have nothing to hide, silence is not an option.”

He added, “I categorically deny any and all claims of harassment lodged against me by Ms Shafi. I intend to take this through the courts of law and to address this professionally and seriously rather than to lodge any allegations here, contesting personal vendetta on social media and in turn disrespecting the movement, my family, the industry and fans. Ultimately, I am a strong believer that the truth, always prevails.”

His full post:&nbsp;

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<a href="https://t.co/j1C34onEXC">pic.twitter.com/j1C34onEXC</a>
— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) <a href="https://twitter.com/AliZafarsays/status/986969628869046272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Shafi, had on Thursday, claimed that Zafar had harassed her on several occasions. She wrote a long post on Twitter explaining how difficult it was for her to open up and speak about this. She mentioned that she did not believe it when it happened to her as they have both shared the stage on several occasions.

She wrote: “Sharing this because I believe that by speaking out about my own experience of sexual harassment, I will break the culture of silence that permeates through our society. It is not easy to speak out.. but it is harder to stay silent. My conscience will not allow it anymore #MeToo.”

She said, “I have been subjected to sexual harassment of a physical nature at the hands of a colleague from my industry: Ali Zafar. These incidences did not happen when I was young or just entering the industry. This happened to be despite the fact that I am an empowered, accomplished woman who is known for speaking her mind! This happened to me as a mother of two children.”

This comes at a time when the entire Hollywood industry came together to support <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/golden-globes-2018-updates-dressed-in-black-hollywood-stars-have-a-message-28820">#MeToo</a> and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-times-up-reese-witherspoon-jennifer-anniston-meryl-streep-and-others-join-hands-to-fight-against-sexual-harassment-28305">Time's Up</a> campaign that started to aid victims of abuse, sexual harassment and rape. Last year opened a can of worms for many producers, actors and other staff of Hollywood who was accused by their peers and subordinates of sexual assault and harassment. The biggest case was that of Harvey Weinstein who was accused by more than 80 women of harassing them over a period of time.&nbsp;

Meesha Shafi, a Pakistani singer accused Ali Zafar of sexual harassment in a tweet on Thursday

Pakistani actor-singer Ali Zafar was in news yesterday as his colleague from the Pakistani music industry, Meesha Shafi accused him of sexual harassment. Ali Zafar has now responded to these allegations and denied all of them. In his reply to the accusations, Zafar wrote, “I am deeply aware and in support of the global #Metoo movement and what it stands for. I am the father of a young girl and a young boy, a husband to a wife and son to a mother. I am a man that has stood up for myself, my family, my colleagues and friends countless times in the face of slander, defamation and general unkindness. I will do the same today. I have nothing to hide, silence is not an option.” He added, “I categorically deny any and all claims of harassment lodged against me by Ms Shafi. I intend to take this through the courts of law and to address this professionally and seriously rather than to lodge any allegations here, contesting personal vendetta on social media and in turn disrespecting the movement, my family, the industry and fans. Ultimately, I am a strong believer that the truth, always prevails.” His full post: pic.twitter.com/j1C34onEXC — Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) April 19, 2018 × Shafi, had on Thursday, claimed that Zafar had harassed her on several occasions. She wrote a long post on Twitter explaining how difficult it was for her to open up and speak about this. She mentioned that she did not believe it when it happened to her as they have both shared the stage on several occasions. She wrote: “Sharing this because I believe that by speaking out about my own experience of sexual harassment, I will break the culture of silence that permeates through our society. It is not easy to speak out.. but it is harder to stay silent. My conscience will not allow it anymore #MeToo.” She said, “I have been subjected to sexual harassment of a physical nature at the hands of a colleague from my industry: Ali Zafar. These incidences did not happen when I was young or just entering the industry. This happened to be despite the fact that I am an empowered, accomplished woman who is known for speaking her mind! This happened to me as a mother of two children.” This comes at a time when the entire Hollywood industry came together to support #MeToo and Time's Up campaign that started to aid victims of abuse, sexual harassment and rape. Last year opened a can of worms for many producers, actors and other staff of Hollywood who was accused by their peers and subordinates of sexual assault and harassment. The biggest case was that of Harvey Weinstein who was accused by more than 80 women of harassing them over a period of time.

Pakistani singer Ali Zafar denies sexual harassment allegations, says 'have nothing to hide'

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