<p>Sofia Rusova was a young political journalist in a provincial Russian city when a lawmaker pursued her with sexual text messages, staked her out and even assaulted her near her apartment.</p>

<p>&quot;I was in shock and for some time I couldn&#39;t walk the streets alone,&quot; she says.</p>

<p>But she knew from prior experience that police would not react and most of her colleagues did not take the situation seriously.</p>

<p>&quot;Some people who heard my story saw it as a funny adventure and told me I should be happy to be an object of such interest,&quot; she says. In the end, she asked her father to confront the lawmaker and the pressure subsided.</p>

<p>Rusova&#39;s story is typical in Russia, where sexual harassment is seen as a joke rather than a problem, even as the #MeToo movement sweeps across western countries.</p>

<p>In an unprecedented recent case, three women publicly accused senior lawmaker Leonid Slutsky of kissing and groping them.</p>

<p>They were accused of undermining his career for political reasons and being anti-Russian.</p>

<p>&quot;You tried to force kisses on me, to touch me, you were rude and pushy,&quot; one of the women, Daria Zhuk, said in a video appeal to Slutsky last week. &quot;You still deny it?&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Are you not ashamed to be working in parliament and stoop to such low behaviour?&quot; said Zhuk, who works as a producer for independent Dozhd channel and said the incident occurred when Slutsky came to the studio for an interview.</p>

<p>Zhuk and two female reporters first made the allegations against Slutsky anonymously in February. He labelled them a political attack ordered by his enemies and even said the scandal &quot;boosted my gravitas rather than took it away.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Attempts to make Slutsky into a Russian Harvey Weinstein look like a cheap and crude provocation... and are bound to fail,&quot; he wrote on his Facebook page.</p>

<p>He proceeded to joke with his colleagues in the comments about dividing up female journalists, as another MP suggested he could also &quot;take a couple&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We&#39;ll discuss,&quot; Slutsky replied.</p>

<p>Fellow lawmaker Anton Morozov went as far as to say the women were actors in a conspiracy. &quot;Perhaps Russian journalists received an order from the West to compromise him,&quot; he told Meduza news website.</p>

<p>Most female members of the Duma also lashed out at Slutsky&#39;s accusers.</p>

<p>Oksana Pushkina, the only lawmaker who stepped up in the journalists&#39; defence, said fellow female lawmakers warned her that attempting to fight sexual harassment would harm Russia&#39;s already low birth rate.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s a catastrophe that we speak in such terms,&quot; she told AFP.</p>

<p>Pushkina has proposed a bill on sexual harassment that would &quot;make men control their hands and their emotions&quot; in the work environment, but so far she has seen no support from her colleagues.</p>

<p>&quot;I was told it would take me 15 years to make this law a reality,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>Women&#39;s rights were in theory at the centre of the early Soviet project and International Women&#39;s Day, March 8, remains a public holiday in Russia.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But in reality the main change to most women&#39;s lives in the USSR was that they were expected to have a job as well as run a home.</p>

<p>In recent years those rights have suffered additional blows as the government extols conservative views on gender roles and labels feminism a hostile Western trend.</p>

<p>Punishment for domestic abuse was softened last year, for example, with most abusers now only paying a fine and facing no time in custody.</p>

<p>Even cases of rape rarely make it to trial, said Pushkina. &quot;Sexual harassment cases all fall apart at the stage of a complaint.&quot;</p>

<p>President Vladimir Putin, who has led the country for almost two decades, is certainly no feminist.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In 2006 he appeared to praise the sexual stamina of Israel ex-president Moshe Katsav who was subsequently forced to resign over rape accusations.</p>

<p>&quot;What a powerful guy he turned out to be! Raped ten women! I didn&#39;t expect that, he surprised us all! We all envy him!&quot; Putin was quoted as saying at the time by Kommersant newspaper.</p>

<p>&quot;Chances are, nothing will happen to Slutsky and he will keep his mandate,&quot; said Alyona Popova, who heads feminist association The W Project.</p>

<p>Rusova was also pessimistic. &quot;People will take the side of the person of authority, because our society is such that it is easier to blame the woman,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>&quot;When you find yourself in this situation, you have nowhere to go.&quot;</p>


Rusova's story is typical in Russia, where sexual harassment is seen as a joke rather than a problem, even as the #MeToo movement sweeps across western countries

Sofia Rusova was a young political journalist in a provincial Russian city when a lawmaker pursued her with sexual text messages, staked her out and even assaulted her near her apartment. "I was in shock and for some time I couldn't walk the streets alone," she says. But she knew from prior experience that police would not react and most of her colleagues did not take the situation seriously. "Some people who heard my story saw it as a funny adventure and told me I should be happy to be an object of such interest," she says. In the end, she asked her father to confront the lawmaker and the pressure subsided. Rusova's story is typical in Russia, where sexual harassment is seen as a joke rather than a problem, even as the #MeToo movement sweeps across western countries. In an unprecedented recent case, three women publicly accused senior lawmaker Leonid Slutsky of kissing and groping them. They were accused of undermining his career for political reasons and being anti-Russian. "You tried to force kisses on me, to touch me, you were rude and pushy," one of the women, Daria Zhuk, said in a video appeal to Slutsky last week. "You still deny it?" "Are you not ashamed to be working in parliament and stoop to such low behaviour?" said Zhuk, who works as a producer for independent Dozhd channel and said the incident occurred when Slutsky came to the studio for an interview. Zhuk and two female reporters first made the allegations against Slutsky anonymously in February. He labelled them a political attack ordered by his enemies and even said the scandal "boosted my gravitas rather than took it away." "Attempts to make Slutsky into a Russian Harvey Weinstein look like a cheap and crude provocation... and are bound to fail," he wrote on his Facebook page. He proceeded to joke with his colleagues in the comments about dividing up female journalists, as another MP suggested he could also "take a couple". "We'll discuss," Slutsky replied. Fellow lawmaker Anton Morozov went as far as to say the women were actors in a conspiracy. "Perhaps Russian journalists received an order from the West to compromise him," he told Meduza news website. Most female members of the Duma also lashed out at Slutsky's accusers. Oksana Pushkina, the only lawmaker who stepped up in the journalists' defence, said fellow female lawmakers warned her that attempting to fight sexual harassment would harm Russia's already low birth rate. "It's a catastrophe that we speak in such terms," she told AFP. Pushkina has proposed a bill on sexual harassment that would "make men control their hands and their emotions" in the work environment, but so far she has seen no support from her colleagues. "I was told it would take me 15 years to make this law a reality," she said. Women's rights were in theory at the centre of the early Soviet project and International Women's Day, March 8, remains a public holiday in Russia. But in reality the main change to most women's lives in the USSR was that they were expected to have a job as well as run a home. In recent years those rights have suffered additional blows as the government extols conservative views on gender roles and labels feminism a hostile Western trend. Punishment for domestic abuse was softened last year, for example, with most abusers now only paying a fine and facing no time in custody. Even cases of rape rarely make it to trial, said Pushkina. "Sexual harassment cases all fall apart at the stage of a complaint." President Vladimir Putin, who has led the country for almost two decades, is certainly no feminist. In 2006 he appeared to praise the sexual stamina of Israel ex-president Moshe Katsav who was subsequently forced to resign over rape accusations. "What a powerful guy he turned out to be! Raped ten women! I didn't expect that, he surprised us all! We all envy him!" Putin was quoted as saying at the time by Kommersant newspaper. "Chances are, nothing will happen to Slutsky and he will keep his mandate," said Alyona Popova, who heads feminist association The W Project. Rusova was also pessimistic. "People will take the side of the person of authority, because our society is such that it is easier to blame the woman," she said. "When you find yourself in this situation, you have nowhere to go."

Lawmakers mock Russia's #Metoo campaigner

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


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

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

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

<p>The junior partner in Australia&#39;s coalition government elected as its new leader on Monday a former newspaper editor who takes over as deputy prime minister after an embarrassing sex scandal threatened a decades-old conservative alliance.</p>

<p>Michael McCormack was chosen in a party-room ballot to replace Barnaby Joyce as the leader of the rural-based National Party after Joyce, who campaigned on family values, resigned over an extramarital affair with his former media secretary.</p>

<p>Joyce is expecting a child with his former staff member and has left his marriage of 24 years. He resisted weeks of pressure to quit but said on Friday he would resign as party leader after a new allegation of sexual harassment emerged.</p>

<p>Under the terms of the coalition deal with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull&#39;s centre-right Liberal Party, the leader of the Nationals automatically becomes deputy prime minister.</p>

<p>The drawn-out saga over Joyce&#39;s extramarital affair had threatened to fracture the alliance between the Liberals and Nationals that has been in place for almost 100 years.</p>

<p>McCormack won the party-room vote over a single challenger, George Christensen, who had proposed breaking the alliance with the Nationals&#39; senior partner.</p>

<p>&quot;I will honour that faith and trust and responsibility by always doing my best,&quot; McCormack told reporters in Canberra.</p>

<p>The alliance suffered during a public falling-out between Turnbull and Joyce over the deputy leader&#39;s affair. Turnbull described it as a &quot;shocking error of judgment&quot;, to which Joyce replied by calling Turnbull &quot;inept&quot;.</p>

<p>Turnbull pointedly did not leave Joyce as acting prime minister when he left Australia last week for meetings with US&nbsp;President Donald Trump in Washington.</p>

<p>McCormack has kept a low profile in recent years but his appointment is not without controversy. He was forced to apologise for stridently homophobic comments he made in an editorial when he was running a rural newspaper in 1993.</p>

<p>Turnbull, also a former journalist, welcomed McCormack&#39;s appointment.</p>

<p>&quot;Our enduring and successful political partnership will continue under Michael&rsquo;s leadership of the National Party,&quot; Turnbull said in an emailed statement.</p>

<p>Political analysts saw McCormack&#39;s low profile as an early obstacle before elections due by May 2019.</p>

<p>&quot;It will take quite a bit of time before McCormack registers with voters in rural and regional Australia,&quot; said Haydon Manning, a political science professor at Flinders University in South Australia.</p>

<p>&quot;Turnbull doesn&#39;t have much time before the election and he losses his best asset in Joyce, who is without doubt the best retail politician,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Joyce now moves to the backbench. Little-known outside Australia, he made international headlines in 2015 when he deported two dogs brought into Australia by US&nbsp;actor Johnny Depp without the proper paperwork, a row that became known as the &quot;war on terrier&quot;.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Michael McCormack was chosen in a party-room ballot to replace Barnaby Joyce as the leader of the rural-based National Party

The junior partner in Australia's coalition government elected as its new leader on Monday a former newspaper editor who takes over as deputy prime minister after an embarrassing sex scandal threatened a decades-old conservative alliance. Michael McCormack was chosen in a party-room ballot to replace Barnaby Joyce as the leader of the rural-based National Party after Joyce, who campaigned on family values, resigned over an extramarital affair with his former media secretary. Joyce is expecting a child with his former staff member and has left his marriage of 24 years. He resisted weeks of pressure to quit but said on Friday he would resign as party leader after a new allegation of sexual harassment emerged. Under the terms of the coalition deal with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's centre-right Liberal Party, the leader of the Nationals automatically becomes deputy prime minister. The drawn-out saga over Joyce's extramarital affair had threatened to fracture the alliance between the Liberals and Nationals that has been in place for almost 100 years. McCormack won the party-room vote over a single challenger, George Christensen, who had proposed breaking the alliance with the Nationals' senior partner. "I will honour that faith and trust and responsibility by always doing my best," McCormack told reporters in Canberra. The alliance suffered during a public falling-out between Turnbull and Joyce over the deputy leader's affair. Turnbull described it as a "shocking error of judgment", to which Joyce replied by calling Turnbull "inept". Turnbull pointedly did not leave Joyce as acting prime minister when he left Australia last week for meetings with US President Donald Trump in Washington. McCormack has kept a low profile in recent years but his appointment is not without controversy. He was forced to apologise for stridently homophobic comments he made in an editorial when he was running a rural newspaper in 1993. Turnbull, also a former journalist, welcomed McCormack's appointment. "Our enduring and successful political partnership will continue under Michael’s leadership of the National Party," Turnbull said in an emailed statement. Political analysts saw McCormack's low profile as an early obstacle before elections due by May 2019. "It will take quite a bit of time before McCormack registers with voters in rural and regional Australia," said Haydon Manning, a political science professor at Flinders University in South Australia. "Turnbull doesn't have much time before the election and he losses his best asset in Joyce, who is without doubt the best retail politician," he said. Joyce now moves to the backbench. Little-known outside Australia, he made international headlines in 2015 when he deported two dogs brought into Australia by US actor Johnny Depp without the proper paperwork, a row that became known as the "war on terrier".

New deputy leader for Australia after sex scandal forces party shake-up

<p>A governor of a southern state has been accused of &quot;sexual misconduct&quot;, news reports said Monday.</p>

<p>The reports said the governor had asked women Raj Bhawan employees for sexual favours.</p>

<p>A report of the alleged sexual misconduct has reached the home ministry in Delhi, which has asked police to investigate the matter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The identity of the governor has not yet been made public. Nor is it confirmed whether the alleged misconduct relates to the governor&#39;s current tenure or his previous one.</p>

<p>The reports added that if the governor were to be found guilty, he will be asked to resign immediately.</p>

<p>The reports added that a number of Raj Bhawan employees have accused the governor of sexual misconduct.</p>

<p>This is not the first complaint of this nature against the governor of an Indian state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In 2017, the governor of Meghalaya, V Shanmuganathan, was forced to resign over similar complaints. Over a 100 Raj Bhawan employees had asked then president Pranab Mukherjee for&nbsp;Shanmuganathan to be recalled.&nbsp;</p>


The identity of the governor has not been disclosed. The home ministry has asked police to investigate the allegation

A governor of a southern state has been accused of "sexual misconduct", news reports said Monday. The reports said the governor had asked women Raj Bhawan employees for sexual favours. A report of the alleged sexual misconduct has reached the home ministry in Delhi, which has asked police to investigate the matter. The identity of the governor has not yet been made public. Nor is it confirmed whether the alleged misconduct relates to the governor's current tenure or his previous one. The reports added that if the governor were to be found guilty, he will be asked to resign immediately. The reports added that a number of Raj Bhawan employees have accused the governor of sexual misconduct. This is not the first complaint of this nature against the governor of an Indian state. In 2017, the governor of Meghalaya, V Shanmuganathan, was forced to resign over similar complaints. Over a 100 Raj Bhawan employees had asked then president Pranab Mukherjee for Shanmuganathan to be recalled.

Governor of southern state accused of 'sexual misconduct', report reaches home ministry

<p>Australia&#39;s deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, announced his resignation on Friday. Joyce will resign as the leader of his party in the wake of allegations that linked him to one of the female employees. Joyce faces allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.</p>

<p>Joyce will officially resign on Monday as the leader of the National party. The Deputy Prime Minister is reported to have been involved in an alleged affair with his former media secretary. Joyce also expects a child with the woman.</p>

<p>Joyce&#39;s decision follows a fall-out with President Malcolm Turnbull who described Joyce&#39;s affair as &quot;shocking error of judgment&quot;; Joyce retorted by calling Turnbull &quot;inept&quot;.</p>

<p>Joyce is a practising Catholic who has been married for 24 years and is known to have campaigned on family values. Although he denies charges of any wrongdoing, he admits that the allegations did contribute to his hastening of taking the decision.</p>

<p>&quot;I will say on Monday morning at the party room I will step down as the leader of the National Party and deputy leader of Australia,&quot; Joyce said.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Joyce will officially resign on Monday as the leader of the National party

Australia's deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, announced his resignation on Friday. Joyce will resign as the leader of his party in the wake of allegations that linked him to one of the female employees. Joyce faces allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. Joyce will officially resign on Monday as the leader of the National party. The Deputy Prime Minister is reported to have been involved in an alleged affair with his former media secretary. Joyce also expects a child with the woman. Joyce's decision follows a fall-out with President Malcolm Turnbull who described Joyce's affair as "shocking error of judgment"; Joyce retorted by calling Turnbull "inept". Joyce is a practising Catholic who has been married for 24 years and is known to have campaigned on family values. Although he denies charges of any wrongdoing, he admits that the allegations did contribute to his hastening of taking the decision. "I will say on Monday morning at the party room I will step down as the leader of the National Party and deputy leader of Australia," Joyce said. (With inputs from Reuters)

Australian Deputy Prime Minister quits amid sexual harassment allegations

<p>Jay Asher, best-selling children&#39;s author was expelled from a prominent writers&#39; organisation as allegations of sexual harassment were levelled against him.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As reported by Associated Press on Monday,&nbsp;Lin Oliver, executive director of the Society of Children&#39;s Book Writers and Illustrators said&nbsp;that Asher had violated the society&#39;s harassment code.</p>

<p>The ban came into place last year but the issue has come to light now that #MeToo campaign has grown in momentum, in support of sexual abuse/harassment victims.</p>

<p>Prize-winning illustrator David Diaz was also asked to leave the organisation as there were reports of him being involved in some form of misdemeanour.</p>

<p>In an email, Oliver wrote:&nbsp;&quot;Both Jay Asher and David Diaz were found to have violated the SCBWI code of conduct in regard to harassment. Claims against them were investigated and, as a result, they are no longer members and neither will be appearing at any SCBWI events in the future.&quot;</p>

<p>Asher is best known for novels such as <em>Thirteen Reasons Why</em> and <em>The Future of Us</em>, while Diaz won the prestigious Caldecott Medal for illustration for the 1994 book <em>Smoky Night</em>. Diaz has worked on dozens of books, including <em>Me, Frida and The Little Scarecrow Boy.</em></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Best-selling children's author Asher had violated the society's harassment code

Jay Asher, best-selling children's author was expelled from a prominent writers' organisation as allegations of sexual harassment were levelled against him. As reported by Associated Press on Monday, Lin Oliver, executive director of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators said that Asher had violated the society's harassment code. The ban came into place last year but the issue has come to light now that #MeToo campaign has grown in momentum, in support of sexual abuse/harassment victims. Prize-winning illustrator David Diaz was also asked to leave the organisation as there were reports of him being involved in some form of misdemeanour. In an email, Oliver wrote: "Both Jay Asher and David Diaz were found to have violated the SCBWI code of conduct in regard to harassment. Claims against them were investigated and, as a result, they are no longer members and neither will be appearing at any SCBWI events in the future." Asher is best known for novels such as Thirteen Reasons Why and The Future of Us, while Diaz won the prestigious Caldecott Medal for illustration for the 1994 book Smoky Night. Diaz has worked on dozens of books, including Me, Frida and The Little Scarecrow Boy.

'Thirteen Reasons Why' author Jay Asher expelled from writers' group over harassment charges

<p>Another shocking incident of sexual harassment surfaced in Delhi NCR after a student posted a video of a man masturbating while sitting next to her in a bus.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the video, the man is seen exposing himself, touching himself inappropriately in public. The man had a bag cover himself from other passengers while the girl sitting next to him could see his misdoings.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The man in question appears to be middle-aged in the video. The woman also alleged that he tried touching her as well.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The woman also tried shouting at the man and draw attention but reportedly there wasn&#39;t much of a response from other passengers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The incident happened when the bus was passing through Vasant Vihar in south Delhi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The woman left the bus and went straight to the police station to lodge a complaint for sexual harassment and public obscenity.</p>

<p>The incident took place on February 7, the man is yet to be arrested.</p>

<p>The girl later took to Twitter stating that she simply wants &quot;the person to be arrested as soon as possible&quot;.</p>

<p>She tweeted that her video is a message to &quot;those who are just doing wrong things to women... women have to stand up.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The case has been registered and an investigation is underway.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Case registered &amp; investigation has begun. It&#39;s being probed who was he &amp; under what circumstances he did that. It&#39;s a case of perversion &amp; depraved mindset. Passengers in the bus should have intervened too: Delhi police CPRO on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> University&#39;s student molested by man on bus <a href="https://t.co/Ebk1u8Dbnz">pic.twitter.com/Ebk1u8Dbnz</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/963002093803114496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>According to Delhi Police CRPO, the authorities are trying to identify and locate the man and called the incident a case of perversion.</p>

<p>He also noted that the passengers on the bus should have intervened too.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


In the video, the man is seen exposing himself, touching himself inappropriately in public

Another shocking incident of sexual harassment surfaced in Delhi NCR after a student posted a video of a man masturbating while sitting next to her in a bus. In the video, the man is seen exposing himself, touching himself inappropriately in public. The man had a bag cover himself from other passengers while the girl sitting next to him could see his misdoings. The man in question appears to be middle-aged in the video. The woman also alleged that he tried touching her as well. The woman also tried shouting at the man and draw attention but reportedly there wasn't much of a response from other passengers. The incident happened when the bus was passing through Vasant Vihar in south Delhi. The woman left the bus and went straight to the police station to lodge a complaint for sexual harassment and public obscenity. The incident took place on February 7, the man is yet to be arrested. The girl later took to Twitter stating that she simply wants "the person to be arrested as soon as possible". She tweeted that her video is a message to "those who are just doing wrong things to women... women have to stand up." The case has been registered and an investigation is underway. Case registered & investigation has begun. It's being probed who was he & under what circumstances he did that. It's a case of perversion & depraved mindset. Passengers in the bus should have intervened too: Delhi police CPRO on #Delhi University's student molested by man on bus pic.twitter.com/Ebk1u8Dbnz — ANI (@ANI) February 12, 2018 × According to Delhi Police CRPO, the authorities are trying to identify and locate the man and called the incident a case of perversion. He also noted that the passengers on the bus should have intervened too.

Delhi: Man masturbates in bus, girl posts video online

<p>Casey Affleck has pulled out of presenting the Best Actress award at this year&#39;s Oscars ceremony.</p>

<p>The 42-year-old actor was due to present the award at the upcoming awards ceremony to keep up the longstanding tradition of the previous year&#39;s Best Actor recipient - which Casey picked up for his work on &#39;Manchester By The Sea&#39; - handing out the gong to the following year&#39;s Best Actress.</p>

<p>However, the star has informed the Academy that he will not be attending this year&#39;s ceremony, the Academy have confirmed in a short statement.</p>

<p>They said: &quot;We appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year.&quot;</p>

<p><em><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-james-francos-new-york-event-cancelled-in-wake-of-sexual-misconduct-allegations-29091" target="_blank">Also Read:&nbsp;James Franco&#39;s New York event cancelled in wake of &#39;sexual misconduct&#39; allegations</a></strong></em></p>

<p>Whilst Casey&#39;s reason for backing out of the ceremony has not yet been revealed, it is thought the decision could centre around the rise of the #MeToo movement - which aims to allow women to speak out against sexual harassment - as Casey infamously had two <a href="http://www.wionews.com/life-fun/best-actor-oscar-winner-casey-affleck-addresses-sexual-harassment-allegations-on-him-12961" target="_blank">lawsuits filed against him</a> by women claiming he sexually harassed them in 2010.</p>

<p>Both women alleged that Casey harassed them after working with them on 2010 movie &#39;I&#39;m Still Here&#39;, and whilst the star has denied the claims made against him, it has been reported he has opted not to attend the Oscars in order to keep the focus away from is alleged actions.</p>

<p><em><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/golden-globes-2018-updates-dressed-in-black-hollywood-stars-have-a-message-28820" target="_blank">Also Read:&nbsp;Golden Globes 2018: Dressed in black, Hollywood stars have a message</a></strong></em></p>

<p>The lawsuits were settled outside of court for undisclosed amounts, and in the settlement, the actor did not admit any guilt. He and his accusers are barred from discussing details of the case.</p>

<p>As of the time of writing, it is not known who will replace Casey at the ceremony, which is due to take place at Dolby Theatre at Hollywood &amp; Highland Center on March 4.</p>

<p><em>Credit: BANG Showbiz</em></p>


Although the actual reason has not been revealed, it is speculated that two sexual harassment claims against him have prompted Afflect to pull out

Casey Affleck has pulled out of presenting the Best Actress award at this year's Oscars ceremony. The 42-year-old actor was due to present the award at the upcoming awards ceremony to keep up the longstanding tradition of the previous year's Best Actor recipient - which Casey picked up for his work on 'Manchester By The Sea' - handing out the gong to the following year's Best Actress. However, the star has informed the Academy that he will not be attending this year's ceremony, the Academy have confirmed in a short statement. They said: "We appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year." Also Read: James Franco's New York event cancelled in wake of 'sexual misconduct' allegations Whilst Casey's reason for backing out of the ceremony has not yet been revealed, it is thought the decision could centre around the rise of the #MeToo movement - which aims to allow women to speak out against sexual harassment - as Casey infamously had two lawsuits filed against him by women claiming he sexually harassed them in 2010. Both women alleged that Casey harassed them after working with them on 2010 movie 'I'm Still Here', and whilst the star has denied the claims made against him, it has been reported he has opted not to attend the Oscars in order to keep the focus away from is alleged actions. Also Read: Golden Globes 2018: Dressed in black, Hollywood stars have a message The lawsuits were settled outside of court for undisclosed amounts, and in the settlement, the actor did not admit any guilt. He and his accusers are barred from discussing details of the case. As of the time of writing, it is not known who will replace Casey at the ceremony, which is due to take place at Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4. Credit: BANG Showbiz

Casey Affleck pulls out of Oscars, will not present Best Actress award

<p>Enzo Amore has &quot;unequivocally denied&quot; the rape allegations placed against him.<br />
<br />
The 31-year-old professional wrestler - whose real name is Eric Arndt - was accused earlier this week of having sexually abused a woman by the name of Philomena Sheahan in October last year, and after the allegations saw him dropped by WWE, he has now released a statement denying the claims made against him.<br />
<br />
The statement, which was released by his attorney to TMZ.com, reads: &quot;Over the last two days, Philomena Sheahan has made multiple public accusations against Eric Arndt (also known as Enzo Amore with the WWE), including allegations of sexual misconduct concerning an October 2017 incident in Phoenix.<br />
<br />
&quot;Mr Arndt fully and unequivocally denies those accusations.<br />
<br />
&quot;He is cooperating with the authorities in this matter and looks forward to having it resolved in a timely manner. Neither Mr Arndt nor his counsel will be making any further public comments on this matter.&quot;<br />
<br />
Earlier this week, Philomena took to Twitter to allege that Enzo had raped whilst two of his friends let the crime happen on October 19.<br />
<br />
She wrote on Twitter: &quot;OKAY..it&#39;s been long enough &amp; I have been so so scared to share this. I was raped in mid-October by the WWE Enzo Amore (also known as Eric Arden) &amp; Tyler Grosso &amp; TOOPOOR let it happen as accomplices. I was in a mental hospital for 45 days after it. They ARE NOT good people. (sic)&quot;<br />
<br />
Philomena also shared screenshots of messages she sent to another Twitter user, in which she claimed the trio, including Enzo, got her &quot;f***ed up&quot; on a cocktail of drugs before assaulting her.<br />
<br />
At the time of the woman&#39;s allegations, WWE claimed they were suspending the wrestler indefinitely, with a statement which read: &quot;WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving sexual harassment or sexual assault. Until this matter is resolved, Eric Arndt has been suspended.&quot;<br />
<br />
However, on Tuesday (23.01.18), the wrestling company revealed they had sacked the star.<br />
<br />
They said in a short statement: &quot;WWE has come to terms with the release of Eric Arndt (Enzo Amore).&quot;<br />
<br />
Phoenix Police Department is currently investigating the alleged crime, which was reported by Philomena on October 23.</p>

<p><em>Credit: BANG Showbiz</em></p>


He was accused earlier this week of sexually abusing a woman because of which the wrestler was sacked from WWE

Enzo Amore has "unequivocally denied" the rape allegations placed against him. The 31-year-old professional wrestler - whose real name is Eric Arndt - was accused earlier this week of having sexually abused a woman by the name of Philomena Sheahan in October last year, and after the allegations saw him dropped by WWE, he has now released a statement denying the claims made against him. The statement, which was released by his attorney to TMZ.com, reads: "Over the last two days, Philomena Sheahan has made multiple public accusations against Eric Arndt (also known as Enzo Amore with the WWE), including allegations of sexual misconduct concerning an October 2017 incident in Phoenix. "Mr Arndt fully and unequivocally denies those accusations. "He is cooperating with the authorities in this matter and looks forward to having it resolved in a timely manner. Neither Mr Arndt nor his counsel will be making any further public comments on this matter." Earlier this week, Philomena took to Twitter to allege that Enzo had raped whilst two of his friends let the crime happen on October 19. She wrote on Twitter: "OKAY..it's been long enough & I have been so so scared to share this. I was raped in mid-October by the WWE Enzo Amore (also known as Eric Arden) & Tyler Grosso & TOOPOOR let it happen as accomplices. I was in a mental hospital for 45 days after it. They ARE NOT good people. (sic)" Philomena also shared screenshots of messages she sent to another Twitter user, in which she claimed the trio, including Enzo, got her "f***ed up" on a cocktail of drugs before assaulting her. At the time of the woman's allegations, WWE claimed they were suspending the wrestler indefinitely, with a statement which read: "WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving sexual harassment or sexual assault. Until this matter is resolved, Eric Arndt has been suspended." However, on Tuesday (23.01.18), the wrestling company revealed they had sacked the star. They said in a short statement: "WWE has come to terms with the release of Eric Arndt (Enzo Amore)." Phoenix Police Department is currently investigating the alleged crime, which was reported by Philomena on October 23. Credit: BANG Showbiz

Enzo Amore denies rape allegations

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


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

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

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

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


Muslim men and women from around the world started using the hashtag yesterday and in less than 24 hours it was tweeted 2,000 times. It has gone on to become one of the top ten trends of Farsi Twitter

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

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

<p>French film legend Brigitte Bardot attacked the #MeToo movement Wednesday, claiming that actresses who complain of sexual harassment were just looking for publicity.</p>

<p>&quot;The vast majority are being hypocritical and ridiculous,&quot; she told the French magazine Paris Match.</p>

<p>&quot;Lots of actresses try to play the tease with producers to get a role. And then, so we will talk about them, they say they were harassed,&quot; declared the 83-year-old Bardot.<br />
<br />
&quot;I was never the victim of sexual harassment. And I found it charming when men told me that I was beautiful or I had a nice little backside,&quot; said the actress, who became a sex symbol overnight for <em>And God Created Woman</em>&nbsp;in 1956.<br />
<br />
Her comments come a week after fellow French star Catherine Deneuve sparked a worldwide feminist backlash by defending men`s right to &quot;hit on&quot; women.<br />
<br />
She signed an open letter by 100 prominent women that claimed that #MeToo had become a puritanical &quot;witch-hunt&quot; which threatened sexual freedom.<br />
<br />
It also implied that women fondled on public transport should just get over it.<br />
<br />
But Deneuve later distanced herself from some of the other signatories after one claimed that women can orgasm during rape.The 74-year-old went on to apologise to victims of sexual assault, saying there was &quot;nothing good&quot; about harassment.<br />
<br />
Bardot, who ended her film career in 1973 so she could dedicate herself to her animal rights charity, has a long history of provoking feminists.<br />
<br />
Yet she admitted to the magazine that she has not digested what happened to her when she was at the height of her fame in the 1960s, and her love life made international headlines.<br />
<br />
&quot;I still find it difficult to understand what happened to me,&quot; she said. &quot;That uncontrollable time made me very distrustful of the human race.&quot;<br />
<br />
Bardot said she &quot;has almost no contact these days with the entertainment industry&quot; other than phone calls from her old friends like veteran actor Alain Delon.<br />
<br />
Instead, she looks after her six cats, nine dogs and some 50 other animals at her farm and animal sanctuary near the French Riviera resort of Saint Tropez.<br />
<br />
She said that when she is gone she wants to be known as the &quot;animals` fairy godmother&quot;.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
A supporter of the far-right National Front, Bardot said she prefers the late pope John Paul II to Pope Francis and prays to the Virgin Mary, which she calls &quot;my little Virgin&quot;.<br />
<br />
But she said that if she was reincarnated she would be like to be a &quot;mustang, that wild and free horse of the American West&quot;.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


"The vast majority are being hypocritical and ridiculous," Bardot old the French magazine Paris Match.

French film legend Brigitte Bardot attacked the #MeToo movement Wednesday, claiming that actresses who complain of sexual harassment were just looking for publicity. "The vast majority are being hypocritical and ridiculous," she told the French magazine Paris Match. "Lots of actresses try to play the tease with producers to get a role. And then, so we will talk about them, they say they were harassed," declared the 83-year-old Bardot. "I was never the victim of sexual harassment. And I found it charming when men told me that I was beautiful or I had a nice little backside," said the actress, who became a sex symbol overnight for And God Created Woman in 1956. Her comments come a week after fellow French star Catherine Deneuve sparked a worldwide feminist backlash by defending men`s right to "hit on" women. She signed an open letter by 100 prominent women that claimed that #MeToo had become a puritanical "witch-hunt" which threatened sexual freedom. It also implied that women fondled on public transport should just get over it. But Deneuve later distanced herself from some of the other signatories after one claimed that women can orgasm during rape.The 74-year-old went on to apologise to victims of sexual assault, saying there was "nothing good" about harassment. Bardot, who ended her film career in 1973 so she could dedicate herself to her animal rights charity, has a long history of provoking feminists. Yet she admitted to the magazine that she has not digested what happened to her when she was at the height of her fame in the 1960s, and her love life made international headlines. "I still find it difficult to understand what happened to me," she said. "That uncontrollable time made me very distrustful of the human race." Bardot said she "has almost no contact these days with the entertainment industry" other than phone calls from her old friends like veteran actor Alain Delon. Instead, she looks after her six cats, nine dogs and some 50 other animals at her farm and animal sanctuary near the French Riviera resort of Saint Tropez. She said that when she is gone she wants to be known as the "animals` fairy godmother". A supporter of the far-right National Front, Bardot said she prefers the late pope John Paul II to Pope Francis and prays to the Virgin Mary, which she calls "my little Virgin". But she said that if she was reincarnated she would be like to be a "mustang, that wild and free horse of the American West".

French legend Brigitte Bardot slams #MeToo 'publicity-seeking' actresses

<p>Guinness World Record holder Kesiraju Srinivas, popularly known as &#39;Ghazal Srinivas&#39;, was arrested in Hyderabad on Tuesday on charges of sexually harassing a female employee of a private radio channel, managed by him.</p>

<p>According to police, the woman, in a complaint filed on December 29, accused Srinivas, who sings ghazals in Telugu, of harassment.</p>

<p>Based on the complaint, the singer was arrested and a case of sexual harassment was registered against him, they said.</p>

<p>A local court later remanded him into judicial custody till January 12.</p>

<p>Srinivas, however, has denied the allegations against him.</p>

<p>&quot;I respect women...I treated the complainant like my daughter. It is untrue that I harassed her,&quot; the singer told reporters.</p>

<p>Srinivas found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records after becoming the first person to sing a song in most languages. He recorded the track &#39;Golden Dreams of Gandhiji&#39; in 125 languages.</p>

<p>The 51-year-old singer had also participated in a campaign against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.</p>


Srinivas, however, has denied the allegations against him.

Guinness World Record holder Kesiraju Srinivas, popularly known as 'Ghazal Srinivas', was arrested in Hyderabad on Tuesday on charges of sexually harassing a female employee of a private radio channel, managed by him. According to police, the woman, in a complaint filed on December 29, accused Srinivas, who sings ghazals in Telugu, of harassment. Based on the complaint, the singer was arrested and a case of sexual harassment was registered against him, they said. A local court later remanded him into judicial custody till January 12. Srinivas, however, has denied the allegations against him. "I respect women...I treated the complainant like my daughter. It is untrue that I harassed her," the singer told reporters. Srinivas found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records after becoming the first person to sing a song in most languages. He recorded the track 'Golden Dreams of Gandhiji' in 125 languages. The 51-year-old singer had also participated in a campaign against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Hyderabad-based singer 'Ghazal Srinivas' arrested on charges of sexual harassment

<p>To battle sexual harassment in workplaces and to fight for gender equality, 300 Hollywood celebs and other entertainment industry players have joined forces to launch Time`s Up.<br />
<br />
The movement was announced on Monday in an open letter published in The New York Times.The initiative has already raised $13 million towards a legal defense fund to &quot;help survivors of sexual assault and harassment across all industries challenge those responsible for the harm against them and give voice to their experiences,&quot; according to the letter.<br />
<br />
Among the donors to the fund, according to a statement from Time`s Up, are actresses Jennifer Aniston, Kerry Washington, Meryl Streep and Reese Witherspoon, as well as producers Shonda Rhimes and J.J. Abrams, talent agencies Creative Artists and William Morris Endeavor, and filmmaker Steven Spielberg`s foundation.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I stand with women across every industry to say <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TIMESUP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TIMESUP</a> on abuse, harassment, marginalization and underrepresentation. START YOURYEAR OFF RIGHT. Join me! Sign the statement of solidarity &amp; donate to the <a href="https://twitter.com/timesupnw?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TIMESUPNW</a> Legal Defense Fund: <a href="https://t.co/BYckTp8eNm">https://t.co/BYckTp8eNm</a> <a href="https://t.co/pNfLvsz8xV">pic.twitter.com/pNfLvsz8xV</a></p>
&mdash; kerry washington (@kerrywashington) <a href="https://twitter.com/kerrywashington/status/947854500794175489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The New York Times reported that Time`s Up is requesting women to wear black to the Golden Globes as a way to speak out against inequality.The movement comes after several men in Hollywood face allegations of sexual misconduct, including Harvey Weinstein, Dustin Hoffman, Brett Ratner and Kevin Spacey.&nbsp;</p>


The movement was announced on Monday in an open letter published in The New York Times.

To battle sexual harassment in workplaces and to fight for gender equality, 300 Hollywood celebs and other entertainment industry players have joined forces to launch Time`s Up. The movement was announced on Monday in an open letter published in The New York Times.The initiative has already raised $13 million towards a legal defense fund to "help survivors of sexual assault and harassment across all industries challenge those responsible for the harm against them and give voice to their experiences," according to the letter. Among the donors to the fund, according to a statement from Time`s Up, are actresses Jennifer Aniston, Kerry Washington, Meryl Streep and Reese Witherspoon, as well as producers Shonda Rhimes and J.J. Abrams, talent agencies Creative Artists and William Morris Endeavor, and filmmaker Steven Spielberg`s foundation. I stand with women across every industry to say #TIMESUP on abuse, harassment, marginalization and underrepresentation. START YOURYEAR OFF RIGHT. Join me! Sign the statement of solidarity & donate to the @TIMESUPNW Legal Defense Fund: https://t.co/BYckTp8eNm pic.twitter.com/pNfLvsz8xV — kerry washington (@kerrywashington) January 1, 2018 × The New York Times reported that Time`s Up is requesting women to wear black to the Golden Globes as a way to speak out against inequality.The movement comes after several men in Hollywood face allegations of sexual misconduct, including Harvey Weinstein, Dustin Hoffman, Brett Ratner and Kevin Spacey.

'Time's Up': Women in Hollywood join hands to fight against sexual harassment

<p>Indian politicians have been infamous for promoting their children up the ladder but trust Bollywood to popularise the term &#39;nepotism&#39;.<br />
<br />
However, this was not the only word that made headlines as the film industry had its moment of reckoning with the Harvey Weinstein scandal exploding in Hollywood and terms such as pay disparity and feminism becoming a part of the debate in Bollywood.<br />
<br />
When actor Kangana Ranaut called director Karan Johar &quot;the flagbearer of nepotism&quot;, little did she know that it will replace its colloquial Hindi counterpart, &#39;bhai-bhateejawaad&#39;.</p>

<p>Similar to last year&#39;s buzzword &quot;intolerance&quot; that became a hashtag, &quot;nepotism&quot; was the word of 2017 for the industry.<br />
<br />
Karan gave it back to Kangana&#39;s volley and the chain reaction began, with - outsiders or star kids - being asked for comments related to the newest entrant in the lingo of the film industry.<br />
<br />
From Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Deepika Padukone to Alia Bhatt, almost every celebrity had one nepotism-related question waiting to be answered at media interactions.<br />
<br />
While male stars have ruled for decades, female actors have also started asserting themselves when it comes to equal pay and experimenting with roles, making the word &#39;feminism&#39; popular, but as Priyanka Chopra put it, the phrase is still misunderstood.<br />
<br />
&quot;There is movement but it is very nominal. We need to work so much more. In our country and across the globe, girls are treated as secondary citizen. They face violence and abuse everywhere. And feminism is a way to control that situation, but it has become a negative term,&quot; Priyanka told PTI.<br />
<br />
The cinema too reflected this change with women-centric films such as <em>Lipstick Under My Burkha</em>, <em>Tumhari Sulu</em>, <em>Secret Superstar</em>&nbsp;and <em>Mom</em>&nbsp;doing well at the box office this year.<br />
<br />
In Hollywood, Weinstein, once the nurturer of independent cinema, became synonymous with sexual harassment after the New York Times broke the biggest story of this year in October by alleging multiple sexual allegations against the now-disgraced media mogul.<br />
<br />
The expose was followed by a detailed piece by journalist Ronan Farrow for The New Yorker.<br />
<br />
Emboldened by the articles, more than 50 women, including powerful A-listers from Hollywood such as Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong&#39;o, Salma Hayek, Uma Thurman, Heather Graham, Eva Green, Lea Seydoux, came forward to share their horrific stories of sexual harassment at the hands of the producer.<br />
<br />
One of the most powerful men in Hollywood once, Weinstein&#39;s career is over and he has been thrown out of the company that he co-founded.<br />
<br />
The scandal had a domino effect in Hollywood with many powerful men such as Brett Ratner, James Toback, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Pive, Mark Schwahn facing similar career-ending accusations.<br />
<br />
A tumultuous, but an equally introspective year is nearing its end. The first award ceremony of 2018 will take the issue of sexual harassment head on as both women and men of Hollywood have pledged to appear in black to address the ugly, dark side of the business.<br />
<br />
Here&#39;s hoping Bollywood gathers the strength to call out and exposes its Weinsteins in the coming years.&nbsp;</p>


From Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Deepika Padukone to Alia Bhatt, almost every celebrity had one nepotism-related question waiting to be answered at media interactions.

Indian politicians have been infamous for promoting their children up the ladder but trust Bollywood to popularise the term 'nepotism'. However, this was not the only word that made headlines as the film industry had its moment of reckoning with the Harvey Weinstein scandal exploding in Hollywood and terms such as pay disparity and feminism becoming a part of the debate in Bollywood. When actor Kangana Ranaut called director Karan Johar "the flagbearer of nepotism", little did she know that it will replace its colloquial Hindi counterpart, 'bhai-bhateejawaad'. Similar to last year's buzzword "intolerance" that became a hashtag, "nepotism" was the word of 2017 for the industry. Karan gave it back to Kangana's volley and the chain reaction began, with - outsiders or star kids - being asked for comments related to the newest entrant in the lingo of the film industry. From Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Deepika Padukone to Alia Bhatt, almost every celebrity had one nepotism-related question waiting to be answered at media interactions. While male stars have ruled for decades, female actors have also started asserting themselves when it comes to equal pay and experimenting with roles, making the word 'feminism' popular, but as Priyanka Chopra put it, the phrase is still misunderstood. "There is movement but it is very nominal. We need to work so much more. In our country and across the globe, girls are treated as secondary citizen. They face violence and abuse everywhere. And feminism is a way to control that situation, but it has become a negative term," Priyanka told PTI. The cinema too reflected this change with women-centric films such as Lipstick Under My Burkha, Tumhari Sulu, Secret Superstar and Mom doing well at the box office this year. In Hollywood, Weinstein, once the nurturer of independent cinema, became synonymous with sexual harassment after the New York Times broke the biggest story of this year in October by alleging multiple sexual allegations against the now-disgraced media mogul. The expose was followed by a detailed piece by journalist Ronan Farrow for The New Yorker. Emboldened by the articles, more than 50 women, including powerful A-listers from Hollywood such as Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong'o, Salma Hayek, Uma Thurman, Heather Graham, Eva Green, Lea Seydoux, came forward to share their horrific stories of sexual harassment at the hands of the producer. One of the most powerful men in Hollywood once, Weinstein's career is over and he has been thrown out of the company that he co-founded. The scandal had a domino effect in Hollywood with many powerful men such as Brett Ratner, James Toback, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Pive, Mark Schwahn facing similar career-ending accusations. A tumultuous, but an equally introspective year is nearing its end. The first award ceremony of 2018 will take the issue of sexual harassment head on as both women and men of Hollywood have pledged to appear in black to address the ugly, dark side of the business. Here's hoping Bollywood gathers the strength to call out and exposes its Weinsteins in the coming years.

'Nepotism' and 'sexual harassment': Words that dominated showbiz in 2017

<p>Two women were harassed every day at their workplaces in India in 2017.&nbsp;</p>

<p>News reports said Sunday that the National Commission for Women (NCW) received an average of 1.7 complaints a day in 2017.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The reports said that in the 316 days between January 1 and December 12, the commission received 539 complaints.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sixty per cent of the complaints came from five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Uttar Pradesh led with 26% of the complaints, followed by Dehi (13%), Maharashtra (7.42%), Madhya Pradesh (7.05%), and Haryana (6.86%).&nbsp;</p>

<p>The reports said that data for the previous four years starting from 2014 threw up similar figures with the NCW receiving 1.8 complaints a day on average.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In those four years, 1,971 complaints were received by the commission.</p>

<p>The figures however are official, with experts believing the unofficial figures would be much higher.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Complaints of harassment are first expected to be addressed by internal complaints committees, in the case of the organised sector, or district complaints committees,&nbsp;in the case of the unorganised sector.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The complainant can then approach the state women&#39;s commission or the national women&#39;s commission for redress.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But a number of women do not complain because the committees either do not exist or are thought to be ineffective.&nbsp;</p>

<p>An August 2015 report, again by the NCW, said that 69 per cent of women who face sexual harassment at the workplace do not report it.&nbsp;</p>


The National Commission for Women received an average of 1.7 complaints a day in 2017

Two women were harassed every day at their workplaces in India in 2017. News reports said Sunday that the National Commission for Women (NCW) received an average of 1.7 complaints a day in 2017. The reports said that in the 316 days between January 1 and December 12, the commission received 539 complaints. Sixty per cent of the complaints came from five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana. Uttar Pradesh led with 26% of the complaints, followed by Dehi (13%), Maharashtra (7.42%), Madhya Pradesh (7.05%), and Haryana (6.86%). The reports said that data for the previous four years starting from 2014 threw up similar figures with the NCW receiving 1.8 complaints a day on average. In those four years, 1,971 complaints were received by the commission. The figures however are official, with experts believing the unofficial figures would be much higher. Complaints of harassment are first expected to be addressed by internal complaints committees, in the case of the organised sector, or district complaints committees, in the case of the unorganised sector. The complainant can then approach the state women's commission or the national women's commission for redress. But a number of women do not complain because the committees either do not exist or are thought to be ineffective. An August 2015 report, again by the NCW, said that 69 per cent of women who face sexual harassment at the workplace do not report it.

India: Two women harassed every day at workplace in 2017

<p>Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against an unknown person in the alleged molestation of an actress on a Delhi-Mumbai Vistara flight.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The FIR has been registered under section 354 (sexual harassment) of the IPC and the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The actress is 17.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mumbai Police said earlier that they had recorded the actress&#39; statement and were registering an offence accordingly.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The actress had said earlier that she was molested on an Air Vistara flight.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dangal-girl-zaira-wasim-alleges-molestation-attempt-in-delhi-mumbai-flight-26352" target="_blank">Actress alleges molestation attempt on Delhi-Mumbai flight</a></p>

<p>She said that a co-passenger sitting behind her, a middle-aged man, had put his feet on her armrest.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When she protested, the man cited turbulence as the reason for putting his feet on her armrest.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The actress added that, to her horror, the man had then proceeded to touch her back and neck with his feet.&nbsp;</p>


The actress had alleged that a co-passenger had molested her on an Air Vistara flight

Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against an unknown person in the alleged molestation of an actress on a Delhi-Mumbai Vistara flight. The FIR has been registered under section 354 (sexual harassment) of the IPC and the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. The actress is 17. Mumbai Police said earlier that they had recorded the actress' statement and were registering an offence accordingly. The actress had said earlier that she was molested on an Air Vistara flight. Also read: Actress alleges molestation attempt on Delhi-Mumbai flight She said that a co-passenger sitting behind her, a middle-aged man, had put his feet on her armrest. When she protested, the man cited turbulence as the reason for putting his feet on her armrest. The actress added that, to her horror, the man had then proceeded to touch her back and neck with his feet.

Actress molestation case: Mumbai Police register FIR against unknown person

<p>Democratic US&nbsp;Senator Al Franken announced his resignation from office on Thursday, bowing to pressure from party colleagues after a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him.</p>

<p>Franken, 66, a former comedian who had been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, said he would be leaving in a few weeks. Even as he did so, he denied some of the allegations against him and questioned others.</p>

<p>&quot;I know in my heart that nothing I&#39;ve done as a senator - nothing - has brought dishonor on this institution,&quot; Franken said. &quot;Nevertheless, today I am announcing that in the coming weeks, I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate.&quot;</p>

<p>Franken, whose Senate seat will initially be filled by a Democrat appointed by Minnesota&#39;s Democratic governor, is one of several prominent American men in politics, media, and entertainment to be accused in recent months of sexual harassment and misconduct.</p>

<p>Allegations that he had groped and tried to kiss women without their consent began to surface three weeks ago.</p>

<p>After the initial accusations, Franken said he was embarrassed and ashamed by his behaviour but would not resign. Rather, he said, he would cooperate with a Senate ethics probe and work to regain the trust of the people of Minnesota.</p>

<p>However on Wednesday, calls for him to resign came from the majority of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate, including Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and almost all of the Democratic women in the chamber. That pressure came as a new allegation, denied by Franken, hit the news.</p>

<p>&quot;Some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others I remember very differently,&quot; Franken said on Thursday.</p>

<p>Striking a tone of defiance, he also sought to contrast himself with two Republicans - President Donald Trump and Senate candidate Roy Moore.</p>

<p>&quot;I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate, with the full support of his party,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Trump was heard bragging about kissing and touching women in a 2005 videotape that surfaced last year as he was running for the White House. He apologised for the remarks, but called them private &quot;locker-room talk&quot; and said he had not done the things he talked about. Trump also denied allegations at that time by at least 12 women of sexual advances and groping in the past.</p>

<p>Reuters has not independently verified the accusations.</p>

<p>Moore, who is running for the Senate in Alabama in a special election on Tuesday, has been accused by several women of sexual assault or misconduct when they were teenagers and Moore was in his early 30s. Moore, 70, has denied the accusations, which Reuters has not independently verified.</p>

<p>Trump has backed Moore, but Senate Republicans have been cooler toward his candidacy.</p>

<p>In pressing Franken to step aside, Democrats have tried to capture the moral high ground and draw a distinction between their party and Republicans.</p>

<p>&quot;As he and I discussed yesterday, this is the right decision ... In every workplace in America, including the US&nbsp;Senate, we must confront the challenges of harassment and misconduct,&quot; said Amy Klobuchar, Franken&#39;s fellow Democratic senator from Minnesota.</p>

<p>Democrat John Conyers, the longest serving member of the US&nbsp;House of Representatives, stepped down on Tuesday after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, the first member of Congress to leave his seat during the wave of high-profile harassment allegations. Conyers has denied the allegations against him.</p>

<p><strong>Senate balance of power</strong></p>

<p>For the moment, the Republicans&#39; slim majority in the Senate will not be affected as Minnesota&#39;s Democratic governor, Mark Dayton, will appoint someone to take his place, ensuring Democrats hold the seat for now.</p>

<p>Dayton said in a statement he would make his decision in the next couple of days.</p>

<p>In the longer term, Franken&#39;s departure may complicate the party&#39;s efforts to hold or build on the 46 Senate seats they currently hold. Two independent senators also vote with the Democrats.</p>

<p>While Republicans are defending eight seats in the midterm election in November 2018, Democrats must preserve 26, if Minnesota holds a special election for Franken&#39;s chair.</p>

<p>The election to fill Franken&#39;s seat could be close. When he ran in 2008, the race was decided after an extensive recount, with Minnesota&#39;s Supreme Court weighing in. In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton won the state by less than two points.</p>

<p>In the latest accusation against Franken, Politico reported on Wednesday that a congressional aide said Franken had tried to forcibly kiss her in 2006, before he was elected to the Senate. Franken denied the allegation, Politico reported.</p>

<p>Reuters has not independently verified the accusations against him.</p>

<p>Despite the party&#39;s calls for him to leave, several of Franken&#39;s Democratic colleagues dabbed tears from their eyes during his speech on Thursday. His family watched from the balcony.</p>

<p>Afterward, his Democratic colleagues lined up to embrace him, including many of the women who had called for his resignation.</p>


Franken, 66, a former comedian who had been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, said he would be leaving in a few weeks. Even as he did so, he denied some of the allegations against him and questioned others

Democratic US Senator Al Franken announced his resignation from office on Thursday, bowing to pressure from party colleagues after a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him. Franken, 66, a former comedian who had been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, said he would be leaving in a few weeks. Even as he did so, he denied some of the allegations against him and questioned others. "I know in my heart that nothing I've done as a senator - nothing - has brought dishonor on this institution," Franken said. "Nevertheless, today I am announcing that in the coming weeks, I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate." Franken, whose Senate seat will initially be filled by a Democrat appointed by Minnesota's Democratic governor, is one of several prominent American men in politics, media, and entertainment to be accused in recent months of sexual harassment and misconduct. Allegations that he had groped and tried to kiss women without their consent began to surface three weeks ago. After the initial accusations, Franken said he was embarrassed and ashamed by his behaviour but would not resign. Rather, he said, he would cooperate with a Senate ethics probe and work to regain the trust of the people of Minnesota. However on Wednesday, calls for him to resign came from the majority of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate, including Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and almost all of the Democratic women in the chamber. That pressure came as a new allegation, denied by Franken, hit the news. "Some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others I remember very differently," Franken said on Thursday. Striking a tone of defiance, he also sought to contrast himself with two Republicans - President Donald Trump and Senate candidate Roy Moore. "I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate, with the full support of his party," he said. Trump was heard bragging about kissing and touching women in a 2005 videotape that surfaced last year as he was running for the White House. He apologised for the remarks, but called them private "locker-room talk" and said he had not done the things he talked about. Trump also denied allegations at that time by at least 12 women of sexual advances and groping in the past. Reuters has not independently verified the accusations. Moore, who is running for the Senate in Alabama in a special election on Tuesday, has been accused by several women of sexual assault or misconduct when they were teenagers and Moore was in his early 30s. Moore, 70, has denied the accusations, which Reuters has not independently verified. Trump has backed Moore, but Senate Republicans have been cooler toward his candidacy. In pressing Franken to step aside, Democrats have tried to capture the moral high ground and draw a distinction between their party and Republicans. "As he and I discussed yesterday, this is the right decision ... In every workplace in America, including the US Senate, we must confront the challenges of harassment and misconduct," said Amy Klobuchar, Franken's fellow Democratic senator from Minnesota. Democrat John Conyers, the longest serving member of the US House of Representatives, stepped down on Tuesday after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, the first member of Congress to leave his seat during the wave of high-profile harassment allegations. Conyers has denied the allegations against him. Senate balance of power For the moment, the Republicans' slim majority in the Senate will not be affected as Minnesota's Democratic governor, Mark Dayton, will appoint someone to take his place, ensuring Democrats hold the seat for now. Dayton said in a statement he would make his decision in the next couple of days. In the longer term, Franken's departure may complicate the party's efforts to hold or build on the 46 Senate seats they currently hold. Two independent senators also vote with the Democrats. While Republicans are defending eight seats in the midterm election in November 2018, Democrats must preserve 26, if Minnesota holds a special election for Franken's chair. The election to fill Franken's seat could be close. When he ran in 2008, the race was decided after an extensive recount, with Minnesota's Supreme Court weighing in. In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton won the state by less than two points. In the latest accusation against Franken, Politico reported on Wednesday that a congressional aide said Franken had tried to forcibly kiss her in 2006, before he was elected to the Senate. Franken denied the allegation, Politico reported. Reuters has not independently verified the accusations against him. Despite the party's calls for him to leave, several of Franken's Democratic colleagues dabbed tears from their eyes during his speech on Thursday. His family watched from the balcony. Afterward, his Democratic colleagues lined up to embrace him, including many of the women who had called for his resignation.

The Democratic US Senator Franken says he will resign over sexual misconduct allegations

<p>After Time Magazine announced<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/metoo-time-magazine-announces-silence-breakers-as-person-of-the-year-26051"> &#39;Silence Breakers&#39; as the &#39;Person of the Year&#39;,</a>&nbsp;pop star Taylor Swift became the focus of attention on social media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Several people on social media questioned her inclusion as a &quot;silence breaker&quot;, stating that her incident wasn&#39;t as serious as compared to some other people&nbsp;who deserved to be on the cover more than her, media reports said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, according to &nbsp;Time, the kind of impact an incident has on the audience makes more sense. And in her case, it did.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the magazine, Swift talks about her sexual harassment incident in detail - how she was groped by DJ Mueller during a meet-and-greet photo session.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mueller had then filed a defamation suit against Swift who then filed a countersuit of $1 against him and won. Her aim was&nbsp;to &ldquo;serve as an example to other women who may resist publicly reliving similar outrageous and humiliating acts.&quot;</p>

<p>While some people expressed their anger and confusion about Swift&#39;s inclusion in the cover, other fans were in her support.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Why is Taylor Swift including in Times &ldquo;Silence Breakers&rdquo; cover? I&rsquo;m real life confused...??</p>
&mdash; Big Pun. (@KillaMinilla) <a href="https://twitter.com/KillaMinilla/status/938393874673930241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Very confused as to why Taylor Swift is on the cover of Time as one of the &ldquo;Silence Breakers&rdquo;. So many important conversations and breakthroughs were made this year and I don&rsquo;t recall her being at the forefront of any of them.</p>
&mdash; Tracee Ellis Ross Jr (@virghoe_) <a href="https://twitter.com/virghoe_/status/938754142826303488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have mixed feelings about Taylor Swift getting TIME Person of the Year</p>
&mdash; Zel ? (@mrzlstrll) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrzlstrll/status/938751367518199811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have this weird sense of fairness. I come by it honestly by way of my father. My aunt said of him, &ldquo;your Dad always does the right thing.&rdquo; I try to live by that. This is why I am appalled at the number of people saying Taylor Swift isn&rsquo;t a victim worthy of being in Time 1/</p>
&mdash; bunny brewster (@smartsassylib) <a href="https://twitter.com/smartsassylib/status/938747171339427841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hate her if you want to, but facts are facts. Taylor Swift won a lawsuit against her abuser, and has helped inspire other women to go after their abusers. She has donated money to help victims recover, and to help with their legal funds. So YES. She helped break the silence.</p>
&mdash; Katy Mae Bossart (@bekindmae) <a href="https://twitter.com/bekindmae/status/938746633029869568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Taylor Swift was sexually assaulted.<br />
Taylor Swift was SUED by her ASSAULTER for millions because he couldn&rsquo;t get a job due to his actions.<br />
Taylor Swift dealt with the victim-blaming, the jokes, and harassment by media, but still chose to countersue.<br />
She IS a silence breaker.</p>
&mdash; ??Maleigha Sari (@MaleighaSari) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaleighaSari/status/938421151285547011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Many people have said that her inclusion as a silence breaker, stating that her incident wasn't as serious as compared to some other people - who deserved to be on the cover more than her.?

After Time Magazine announced 'Silence Breakers' as the 'Person of the Year', pop star Taylor Swift became the focus of attention on social media. Several people on social media questioned her inclusion as a "silence breaker", stating that her incident wasn't as serious as compared to some other people who deserved to be on the cover more than her, media reports said. However, according to Time, the kind of impact an incident has on the audience makes more sense. And in her case, it did. In the magazine, Swift talks about her sexual harassment incident in detail - how she was groped by DJ Mueller during a meet-and-greet photo session. Mueller had then filed a defamation suit against Swift who then filed a countersuit of $1 against him and won. Her aim was to “serve as an example to other women who may resist publicly reliving similar outrageous and humiliating acts." While some people expressed their anger and confusion about Swift's inclusion in the cover, other fans were in her support. Why is Taylor Swift including in Times “Silence Breakers” cover? I’m real life confused...?? — Big Pun. (@KillaMinilla) December 6, 2017 × Very confused as to why Taylor Swift is on the cover of Time as one of the “Silence Breakers”. So many important conversations and breakthroughs were made this year and I don’t recall her being at the forefront of any of them. — Tracee Ellis Ross Jr (@virghoe_) December 7, 2017 × I have mixed feelings about Taylor Swift getting TIME Person of the Year — Zel ? (@mrzlstrll) December 7, 2017 × I have this weird sense of fairness. I come by it honestly by way of my father. My aunt said of him, “your Dad always does the right thing.” I try to live by that. This is why I am appalled at the number of people saying Taylor Swift isn’t a victim worthy of being in Time 1/ — bunny brewster (@smartsassylib) December 7, 2017 × Hate her if you want to, but facts are facts. Taylor Swift won a lawsuit against her abuser, and has helped inspire other women to go after their abusers. She has donated money to help victims recover, and to help with their legal funds. So YES. She helped break the silence. — Katy Mae Bossart (@bekindmae) December 7, 2017 × Taylor Swift was sexually assaulted. Taylor Swift was SUED by her ASSAULTER for millions because he couldn’t get a job due to his actions. Taylor Swift dealt with the victim-blaming, the jokes, and harassment by media, but still chose to countersue. She IS a silence breaker. — ??Maleigha Sari (@MaleighaSari) December 6, 2017 ×

Taylor Swift as 'silence breaker' on Time: Netizens confused

<p>Pamela Anderson has responded to the backlash she received over her comments that women should have had the &#39;common sense&#39; not to enter hotel rooms with Harvey Weinstein.</p>

<p>The &#39;Baywatch&#39; star, in an interview with Megyn Kelly, had said that it&#39;s &#39;common sense&#39; not to go into a hotel room with a man as she opened up about the &#39;seductive&#39; nature of Hollywood.</p>

<p>The Playboy covergirl, who has been accused of victim-blaming, took to Instagram to double down on her stance.</p>

<p>&quot;We have the power to be safe and free by using common sense. My message is consistent throughout - I&#39;m a deep thinker / I have a unique perspective. and consequence is part of my life. This is great,&quot; she wrote. &quot;I am also an advocate for men. I just don&#39;t agree with it all. Backlash is good. - I like this. My position is not &#39;problematic&#39; because I doesn&#39;t fall in line with the common herd or trend.&quot;</p>

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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcJ6P4jly6_/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Re- My interview on #todayshow #megynkelly Somebody had to say this. Please don&rsquo;t worry. Refer people to my blog and long standing commitment to defending the vulnerable. We have the power to be safe and free by using common sense. My message is consistent throughout- I&#39;m a deep thinker / I have a unique perspective. and consequence is part of my life. This is great. I am also an advocate for men. I just don&#39;t agree with it all. Backlash is good. - I like this. My position is not &#39;problematic&#39; because I doesn&#39;t fall in line with the common herd or trend. I&#39;m trying to tell women as a survivor of childhood abuse myself - It is important to be proactive as an adult who knows better - in defending themselves. Don&#39;t get in cars with strangers #rideresponsibly- Don&#39;t go to Hotel rooms alone for an audition. Women are powerful and smart and we can use all our charms in more positive ways. I think it&rsquo;s very smart to be proactive. And I stand by what I say. My mother taught me - protect yourself. Especially with my &lsquo;image&rsquo;&rsquo; - she and I were worried it could give people wrong Impression. I am not an easy girl and have not had as many partners people might think. I believe in love and commitment and common sense. This is why I&#39;m usually married. It is how I feel safe and protected in a sexual relationship. .A monogamous lover is the best and most brave lover there is. I only want intimate sexual experiences - where I can be free to give my wildest fantasies to someone who loves me. and never have used sex as a weapon. It&#39;s just too easy. #bestrong #staysafe #noblame @todayshow #solutions #nodrama</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by The Pamela Anderson Foundation (@pamelaanderson) on <time datetime="2017-12-01T09:37:26+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Dec 1, 2017 at 1:37am PST</time></p>
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The Baywatch star had said women should have had the 'common sense' not to enter hotel rooms with Harvey Weinstein

Pamela Anderson has responded to the backlash she received over her comments that women should have had the 'common sense' not to enter hotel rooms with Harvey Weinstein. The 'Baywatch' star, in an interview with Megyn Kelly, had said that it's 'common sense' not to go into a hotel room with a man as she opened up about the 'seductive' nature of Hollywood. The Playboy covergirl, who has been accused of victim-blaming, took to Instagram to double down on her stance. "We have the power to be safe and free by using common sense. My message is consistent throughout - I'm a deep thinker / I have a unique perspective. and consequence is part of my life. This is great," she wrote. "I am also an advocate for men. I just don't agree with it all. Backlash is good. - I like this. My position is not 'problematic' because I doesn't fall in line with the common herd or trend." Re- My interview on #todayshow #megynkelly Somebody had to say this. Please don’t worry. Refer people to my blog and long standing commitment to defending the vulnerable. We have the power to be safe and free by using common sense. My message is consistent throughout- I'm a deep thinker / I have a unique perspective. and consequence is part of my life. This is great. I am also an advocate for men. I just don't agree with it all. Backlash is good. - I like this. My position is not 'problematic' because I doesn't fall in line with the common herd or trend. I'm trying to tell women as a survivor of childhood abuse myself - It is important to be proactive as an adult who knows better - in defending themselves. Don't get in cars with strangers #rideresponsibly- Don't go to Hotel rooms alone for an audition. Women are powerful and smart and we can use all our charms in more positive ways. I think it’s very smart to be proactive. And I stand by what I say. My mother taught me - protect yourself. Especially with my ‘image’’ - she and I were worried it could give people wrong Impression. I am not an easy girl and have not had as many partners people might think. I believe in love and commitment and common sense. This is why I'm usually married. It is how I feel safe and protected in a sexual relationship. .A monogamous lover is the best and most brave lover there is. I only want intimate sexual experiences - where I can be free to give my wildest fantasies to someone who loves me. and never have used sex as a weapon. It's just too easy. #bestrong #staysafe #noblame @todayshow #solutions #nodrama A post shared by The Pamela Anderson Foundation (@pamelaanderson) on Dec 1, 2017 at 1:37am PST ×

Pamela Anderson responds to critics over sexual harassment comment

<p>Following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape, a British actress has now accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of violating sex trafficking laws in Cannes, France.</p>

<p>According to Page Six, aspiring actress Kadian Noble claimed the disgraced producer invited her to his hotel room during the Cannes film festival in 2004 claiming he wanted to cast her in a forthcoming movie.In the lawsuit, she also claimed that the disgraced studio mogul proceeded to grope her before trapping her in the bathroom and forcing her to perform sexual acts.</p>

<p>According to Noble`s lawsuit, she alleges that during the encounter, Weinstein told her, &quot;Everything will be taken care of for you if you relax.&quot;The lawsuit is not aimed only at Harvey Weinstein but also his brother, Bob, and their company the Weinstein Company, citing &quot;reckless disregard&quot; on their parts.<br />
<br />
Kadian also noted that Weinstein then called an unnamed Weinstein Company producer in the US, who told Kadian &quot;that she needed to be `a good girl and do whatever he wished,` and if she did, then `they would work` with her further.<br />
<br />
&quot;That`s when Weinstein pulled Kadian closer and &quot;groped her breasts,&quot; the lawsuit said.The lawsuit then described the alleged assault, including Weinstein pulling down the actress` shirt, &quot;revealing her breasts,&quot; while unbuckling his pants and belt.In response, Weinstein`s spokesperson has denied the claims.</p>

<p>Weinstein`s representative noted, &quot;Mr Weinstein denies allegations of non-consensual sex. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.&quot;&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The suit comes on the same day as a civil claim in the UK from an anonymous woman, who alleges that she was also sexually assaulted by Weinstein.The authorities in different cities are collaborating to try and build a legal case against the producer.</p>

<p>Los Angeles detectives have been interviewing witnesses in preparation for a case to present to the district attorney; the NYPD has been investigating two rape complaints; and in London, three other cases are being handled.&nbsp;</p>


The suit comes on the same day as a civil claim in the UK from an anonymous woman, who alleges that she was also sexually assaulted by Weinstein

Following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape, a British actress has now accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of violating sex trafficking laws in Cannes, France. According to Page Six, aspiring actress Kadian Noble claimed the disgraced producer invited her to his hotel room during the Cannes film festival in 2004 claiming he wanted to cast her in a forthcoming movie.In the lawsuit, she also claimed that the disgraced studio mogul proceeded to grope her before trapping her in the bathroom and forcing her to perform sexual acts. According to Noble`s lawsuit, she alleges that during the encounter, Weinstein told her, "Everything will be taken care of for you if you relax."The lawsuit is not aimed only at Harvey Weinstein but also his brother, Bob, and their company the Weinstein Company, citing "reckless disregard" on their parts. Kadian also noted that Weinstein then called an unnamed Weinstein Company producer in the US, who told Kadian "that she needed to be `a good girl and do whatever he wished,` and if she did, then `they would work` with her further. "That`s when Weinstein pulled Kadian closer and "groped her breasts," the lawsuit said.The lawsuit then described the alleged assault, including Weinstein pulling down the actress` shirt, "revealing her breasts," while unbuckling his pants and belt.In response, Weinstein`s spokesperson has denied the claims. Weinstein`s representative noted, "Mr Weinstein denies allegations of non-consensual sex. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances." The suit comes on the same day as a civil claim in the UK from an anonymous woman, who alleges that she was also sexually assaulted by Weinstein.The authorities in different cities are collaborating to try and build a legal case against the producer. Los Angeles detectives have been interviewing witnesses in preparation for a case to present to the district attorney; the NYPD has been investigating two rape complaints; and in London, three other cases are being handled.

Harvey Weinstein now accused of violating sex trafficking laws in Cannes

<p>After Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, billionaire Richard Branson is accused of sexual harassment.</p>

<p>In a Facebook post, former backup singer Antonia Jenae wrote she was sexually harassed by Virgin Group&#39;s boss Richard Branson in a party on his Necker Island in 2010.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As reported by The Sun, she said that Branson stuck his head between her breasts and &quot;motorboated&quot; them by&nbsp;blowing and making an engine noise.</p>

<p>Jenae was a backup singer for Joss Stone, at the time.</p>

<p>Following a concert,&nbsp;the group was invited by Branson to his island where the alleged incident took place.</p>

<p>She said, &ldquo;He went &lsquo;brrrrrr&rsquo; and just walked away. It &nbsp;was surreal, totally out of the blue. Joss and I were like, &lsquo;What the hell was that?!&rsquo; Everyone was wondering why I wasn&rsquo;t angry because I&rsquo;m usually a firebrand. But I was just too shocked.&rdquo;</p>

<p>She also claims in the report that Branson tried to get her to show him her breasts and to walk around topless. The next day, she was invited on a plane back to the US with Branson and his wife.</p>

<p>On the issue, a spokesman for Mr Branson said, &quot;Richard has no recollection of this matter. Neither do his family and friends who were with him at the time. There would never have been any intention to offend or make anyone feel uncomfortable. Richard apologises if anyone felt that way.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


After Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, billionaire Richard Branson is accused of sexual harassment. In a Facebook post, former backup singer Antonia Jenae wrote she was sexually harassed by Virgin Group's boss Richard Branson in a party on his Necker Island in 2010. As reported by The Sun, she said that Branson stuck his head between her breasts and "motorboated" them by blowing and making an engine noise. Jenae was a backup singer for Joss Stone, at the time. Following a concert, the group was invited by Branson to his island where the alleged incident took place. She said, “He went ‘brrrrrr’ and just walked away. It was surreal, totally out of the blue. Joss and I were like, ‘What the hell was that?!’ Everyone was wondering why I wasn’t angry because I’m usually a firebrand. But I was just too shocked.” She also claims in the report that Branson tried to get her to show him her breasts and to walk around topless. The next day, she was invited on a plane back to the US with Branson and his wife. On the issue, a spokesman for Mr Branson said, "Richard has no recollection of this matter. Neither do his family and friends who were with him at the time. There would never have been any intention to offend or make anyone feel uncomfortable. Richard apologises if anyone felt that way."

Backup singer accuses Richard Branson of sexual harassment, says he 'stuck his head between my breasts'

<p>An additional superintendent of police has been charged with sexually harassing a&nbsp;woman constable at police headquarters in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The constable alleged that she had complained to an additional director general of police and had given her video and audio as proof but that the ADG threatened to suspend her.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I complained to ADG and submitted videos and audios as proof but she threated to suspend me,&quot; ANI reported her as saying.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bhopal: Woman constable posted at PHQ, alleges sexual harassment by Additional SP Rajendra Verma, says, &#39;I complained to ADG &amp; submitted videos &amp; audios as proof but she threatened to suspend me.&#39; <a href="https://t.co/iePMPfybf1">pic.twitter.com/iePMPfybf1</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/933295472734650368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>ANI added that a case has&nbsp;been registered under section 354 A IPC against Additional SP Rajendra Verma.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPDATE</a> Bhopal: Case registered under section 354 A IPC against Additional SP Rajendra Verma for alleged sexual harassment of a woman constable posted at PHQ</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/933348389697159168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>In Shimla, Himachal Pradesh an army colonel has been arrested for allegedly raping the daughter of a lieutenant colonel posted at Army Training&nbsp;Command.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Himachal Pradesh: Police arrested a serving colonel from Army Training Command in Shimla for allegedly raping a woman; Case registered under section 376 in Indian Penal Code</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/933344318332346368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The woman filed a complaint on November 20 and the colonel was arrested Wednesday after investigations, PTI reported.</p>

<p>Police confirmed the arrest of the colonel but refused to disclose his identity.</p>


The colonel was arrested in Shimla, the additional SP of police was charged in Bhopal

An additional superintendent of police has been charged with sexually harassing a woman constable at police headquarters in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The constable alleged that she had complained to an additional director general of police and had given her video and audio as proof but that the ADG threatened to suspend her. "I complained to ADG and submitted videos and audios as proof but she threated to suspend me," ANI reported her as saying. Bhopal: Woman constable posted at PHQ, alleges sexual harassment by Additional SP Rajendra Verma, says, 'I complained to ADG & submitted videos & audios as proof but she threatened to suspend me.' pic.twitter.com/iePMPfybf1 — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2017 × ANI added that a case has been registered under section 354 A IPC against Additional SP Rajendra Verma. #UPDATE Bhopal: Case registered under section 354 A IPC against Additional SP Rajendra Verma for alleged sexual harassment of a woman constable posted at PHQ — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2017 × In Shimla, Himachal Pradesh an army colonel has been arrested for allegedly raping the daughter of a lieutenant colonel posted at Army Training Command. Himachal Pradesh: Police arrested a serving colonel from Army Training Command in Shimla for allegedly raping a woman; Case registered under section 376 in Indian Penal Code — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2017 × The woman filed a complaint on November 20 and the colonel was arrested Wednesday after investigations, PTI reported. Police confirmed the arrest of the colonel but refused to disclose his identity.

Army colonel arrested for rape, SP charged with sexual harassment

<p>Looks like Natalie Portman is still unpacking decades of work tainted by sexism and sexual harassment amid the wave of allegations emerging from Hollywood.While speaking at Vulture Festival in Los Angeles, Portman said that she has 100 stories of sexual misconduct in Hollywood and has experienced one in the movie industry many times, according to Contactmusic.<br />
<br />
She said, &quot;When I heard everything coming out, I was like, wow, I`m so lucky that I haven`t had this. And then, on reflection, I was like, okay, definitely never been assaulted, definitely not, but I`ve had discrimination or harassment on almost everything I&#39;ve ever worked on in some way.&quot; Adding, &quot;I went from thinking I don`t have a story to thinking, Oh wait, I have 100 stories. And I think a lot of people are having these reckonings with themselves, of things that we just took for granted as like, this is part of the process.&quot;<br />
<br />
The Oscar-winning actress recalled one particular time when she was invited on a plane with a producer, only to find he had made a bed.&quot;Nothing happened. I was not assaulted. I said, `This doesn`t make me comfortable` and that was respected but was super not OK. That was really unacceptable and manipulative. I was scared,&quot; explained Portman.<br />
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Portman also admitted she turned down work that could lead to her being overly objectified when she was younger.<br />
<br />
The `Black Swan` actress shared, &quot;There was definitely a period where I was reluctant to do any kind of kissing scenes, sexual scenes. Because for my first roles, the reaction people would give in reviews was to call me a Lolita and things like that, and I got so scared by it.&quot;Continuing, &quot;And I think that`s also got to be part of our conversation now: When you`re defensive as a woman against being looked at that way, that you`re like, `I don`t want to` - what do we close off of ourselves or diminish in ourselves because we want to protect ourselves?&quot;</p>

<p>She also recalled the overwhelmingly male-dominated film sets she`s experienced throughout her career.&quot;Usually, you walk into a movie as the only woman, and you`re often the only woman on set. It`s very rare to have female crew members apart from hair, makeup, and wardrobe - the very stereotypical departments for women to be in - and I think women experience this in a lot of industries,&quot; shared Portman.<br />
<br />
It should be noted that Natalie Portman will be next seen in Alex Garland`s `Annihilation` alongside Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Oscar Isaac.The flick is slated to release on February 25, 2018, in the U.S.&nbsp;</p>


Looks like Natalie Portman is still unpacking decades of work tainted by sexism and sexual harassment amid the wave of allegations emerging from Hollywood

Looks like Natalie Portman is still unpacking decades of work tainted by sexism and sexual harassment amid the wave of allegations emerging from Hollywood.While speaking at Vulture Festival in Los Angeles, Portman said that she has 100 stories of sexual misconduct in Hollywood and has experienced one in the movie industry many times, according to Contactmusic. She said, "When I heard everything coming out, I was like, wow, I`m so lucky that I haven`t had this. And then, on reflection, I was like, okay, definitely never been assaulted, definitely not, but I`ve had discrimination or harassment on almost everything I've ever worked on in some way." Adding, "I went from thinking I don`t have a story to thinking, Oh wait, I have 100 stories. And I think a lot of people are having these reckonings with themselves, of things that we just took for granted as like, this is part of the process." The Oscar-winning actress recalled one particular time when she was invited on a plane with a producer, only to find he had made a bed."Nothing happened. I was not assaulted. I said, `This doesn`t make me comfortable` and that was respected but was super not OK. That was really unacceptable and manipulative. I was scared," explained Portman. Portman also admitted she turned down work that could lead to her being overly objectified when she was younger. The `Black Swan` actress shared, "There was definitely a period where I was reluctant to do any kind of kissing scenes, sexual scenes. Because for my first roles, the reaction people would give in reviews was to call me a Lolita and things like that, and I got so scared by it."Continuing, "And I think that`s also got to be part of our conversation now: When you`re defensive as a woman against being looked at that way, that you`re like, `I don`t want to` - what do we close off of ourselves or diminish in ourselves because we want to protect ourselves?" She also recalled the overwhelmingly male-dominated film sets she`s experienced throughout her career."Usually, you walk into a movie as the only woman, and you`re often the only woman on set. It`s very rare to have female crew members apart from hair, makeup, and wardrobe - the very stereotypical departments for women to be in - and I think women experience this in a lot of industries," shared Portman. It should be noted that Natalie Portman will be next seen in Alex Garland`s `Annihilation` alongside Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Oscar Isaac.The flick is slated to release on February 25, 2018, in the U.S.

I have 100 stories: Natalie Portman on Hollywood's sexual misconduct problem

<p>Hollywood actress Julia Roberts has revealed that she is one of the few lucky ones who have been &quot;spared&quot; from sexual harassment during her career.</p>

<p>According to People Magazine, the 50-year-old actress said, she is fortunate to have not suffered any form of sexual misconduct in the workplace.<br />
<br />
In an interview given to a leading news channel, the Oscar-winning actress admitted her luck makes her &quot;feel bad&quot; because she doesn`t understand why she did not face the same alleged treatment that others claim to have been subjected to.She said, &quot;You know, it`s all so ugly in so many ways. I`ve never had this experience. I mean, I almost feel bad saying that because I don`t know why I was spared. You hear some of these heart-wrenching, awful stories and I have a daughter, it is heartbreaking. But it`s not been part of my experience.&quot;<br />
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This is not the first time Roberts has come forward to speak about the alleged misconduct of the likes of Harvey Weinstein.She previously released a statement in support of victims after decades of allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.<br />
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The <em>Notting Hill</em>&nbsp;star also urged any victims of sexual abuse or harassment to turn to specialist organisations for help and support.&quot;If you`ve been subjected to any kind of abuse or harassment, there are places to go for help, including the Rape, Abuse, &amp; Incest National Network (RAINN.org). Or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline 800-656-HOPE (4673),&quot; noted Roberts.</p>


The 50-year-old actress said, she is fortunate to have not suffered any form of sexual misconduct in the workplace

Hollywood actress Julia Roberts has revealed that she is one of the few lucky ones who have been "spared" from sexual harassment during her career. According to People Magazine, the 50-year-old actress said, she is fortunate to have not suffered any form of sexual misconduct in the workplace. In an interview given to a leading news channel, the Oscar-winning actress admitted her luck makes her "feel bad" because she doesn`t understand why she did not face the same alleged treatment that others claim to have been subjected to.She said, "You know, it`s all so ugly in so many ways. I`ve never had this experience. I mean, I almost feel bad saying that because I don`t know why I was spared. You hear some of these heart-wrenching, awful stories and I have a daughter, it is heartbreaking. But it`s not been part of my experience." This is not the first time Roberts has come forward to speak about the alleged misconduct of the likes of Harvey Weinstein.She previously released a statement in support of victims after decades of allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. The Notting Hill star also urged any victims of sexual abuse or harassment to turn to specialist organisations for help and support."If you`ve been subjected to any kind of abuse or harassment, there are places to go for help, including the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN.org). Or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline 800-656-HOPE (4673)," noted Roberts.

Julia Roberts on sexual harassment: I don't know why I was spared

<p>&#39;Transparent&#39; actor Jeffrey Tambor has been accused of sexual misconduct by Trace Lysette, his co-star on the show, on Friday, reports from <em>Variety</em>&nbsp;stated.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Transparent is a groundbreaking Amazon series that capitulates one father&#39;s journey to womanhood - Maura Pfefferman- which is played by Jeffrey Tambor, and has won two Emmys.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lysette, who has featured multiple times in the show, is calling out&nbsp; Amazon to remove the actor on the grounds of &#39;inappropriate behavior&#39; and claims that the star allegedly &#39;got physical&#39; once, reported <em>Variety</em>. &nbsp;</p>

<p>According to sources, Amazon is already in the process of carrying out a thorough investigation in the matter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lysette released a detailed statement, on Friday, pinning down details of the incident from the day.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Despite multiple uncomfortable experiences with Jeffrey, it has been an incredible, career-solidifying honor to bring life to my character Shea on Amazon&rsquo;s Transparent,&rdquo; Lysette said. &ldquo;Working on the award-winning series as a low-income trans woman with active roots in New York&rsquo;s ball culture is a rare opportunity most of my sisters are not given.&quot;</p>

<p>She finally wrote, &ldquo;My hope is that Amazon can find the good in this, and use this as an opportunity, a teachable moment to re-center the other trans characters in this show with the family members instead of just pulling it,&rdquo; she continued. &ldquo;Let our brilliant writers continue to craft something that is entertaining and creates a social change the way they know how. Don&rsquo;t let the trans community suffer for the actions of one cis male actor&hellip; I call on Amazon to make another bold affirmative move to our communities, remove the problem and let the show go on.&rdquo;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">My full statement <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MeToo</a> <a href="https://t.co/V4CHpvEMpZ">pic.twitter.com/V4CHpvEMpZ</a></p>
&mdash; Trace Lysette (@tracelysette) <a href="https://twitter.com/tracelysette/status/931366076209799168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Tambor has since contradicted the accusations in a statement to <em>Variety</em>, stating that he has &ldquo;never been a predator &mdash; ever,&quot; as per media reports.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;For the past four years, I&rsquo;ve had the huge privilege &mdash; and huge responsibility &ndash; of playing Maura Pfefferman, a transgender woman, in a show that I know has had an enormous, positive impact on a community that has been too long dismissed and misunderstood. Now I find myself accused of behavior that any civilized person would condemn unreservedly,&rdquo; the statement reads.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I know I haven&rsquo;t always been the easiest person to work with. I can be volatile and ill-tempered, and too often I express my opinions harshly and without tact. But I have never been a predator &ndash; ever,&rdquo; Tambor continued. &ldquo;I am deeply sorry if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being sexually aggressive or if I ever offended or hurt anyone. But the fact is, for all my flaws, I am not a predator and the idea that someone might see me in that way is more distressing than I can express,&rdquo; he said to the media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Amazon Studios takes issues of sexual harassment rather seriously after president Roy Price was accused of similar allegations from multiple women, last month.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Transparent is a groundbreaking Amazon series that capitulates one father's journey to womanhood - Maura Pfefferman- which is played by Jeffrey Tambor and has won two Emmys.

'Transparent' actor Jeffrey Tambor has been accused of sexual misconduct by Trace Lysette, his co-star on the show, on Friday, reports from Variety stated. Transparent is a groundbreaking Amazon series that capitulates one father's journey to womanhood - Maura Pfefferman- which is played by Jeffrey Tambor, and has won two Emmys. Lysette, who has featured multiple times in the show, is calling out Amazon to remove the actor on the grounds of 'inappropriate behavior' and claims that the star allegedly 'got physical' once, reported Variety. According to sources, Amazon is already in the process of carrying out a thorough investigation in the matter. Lysette released a detailed statement, on Friday, pinning down details of the incident from the day. “Despite multiple uncomfortable experiences with Jeffrey, it has been an incredible, career-solidifying honor to bring life to my character Shea on Amazon’s Transparent,” Lysette said. “Working on the award-winning series as a low-income trans woman with active roots in New York’s ball culture is a rare opportunity most of my sisters are not given." She finally wrote, “My hope is that Amazon can find the good in this, and use this as an opportunity, a teachable moment to re-center the other trans characters in this show with the family members instead of just pulling it,” she continued. “Let our brilliant writers continue to craft something that is entertaining and creates a social change the way they know how. Don’t let the trans community suffer for the actions of one cis male actor… I call on Amazon to make another bold affirmative move to our communities, remove the problem and let the show go on.” My full statement #MeToo pic.twitter.com/V4CHpvEMpZ — Trace Lysette (@tracelysette) November 17, 2017 × Tambor has since contradicted the accusations in a statement to Variety, stating that he has “never been a predator — ever," as per media reports. “For the past four years, I’ve had the huge privilege — and huge responsibility – of playing Maura Pfefferman, a transgender woman, in a show that I know has had an enormous, positive impact on a community that has been too long dismissed and misunderstood. Now I find myself accused of behavior that any civilized person would condemn unreservedly,” the statement reads. “I know I haven’t always been the easiest person to work with. I can be volatile and ill-tempered, and too often I express my opinions harshly and without tact. But I have never been a predator – ever,” Tambor continued. “I am deeply sorry if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being sexually aggressive or if I ever offended or hurt anyone. But the fact is, for all my flaws, I am not a predator and the idea that someone might see me in that way is more distressing than I can express,” he said to the media. Amazon Studios takes issues of sexual harassment rather seriously after president Roy Price was accused of similar allegations from multiple women, last month.

Trace Lysette accuses 'Transparent' co-star Jeffrey Tambor of sexual harassment: Report

<p>Aly Raisman, a 23-year-old US gymnast has accused former US national gymnasts doctor of sexually harassing her.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The six-time Olympic medalist, in an interview to &quot;60 Minutes&quot; said&nbsp;that Larry Nassar who is&nbsp;of the most celebrated doctors for gymnasts in the US&nbsp;abused her when she was 15-years-old.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She said that she was &quot;really innocent&quot; at that time and she trusted Nassar.</p>

<p>She said that the team was&nbsp;told that he is the best US&nbsp;Olympic and gymnast&nbsp;doctor.</p>

<p>To gain her confidence and &quot;normalise&quot;&nbsp;the assaults the doctor used to buy her presents, she said in the interview.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Raisman could not figure out his behaviour&nbsp;at first. She realised that his treatment was not normal only after&nbsp;she was approached by an investigator working for USA Gymnasts in 2015, she revealed.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>It was only&nbsp;then, that she spoke about his harassment.</p>

<p>Nassar worked with USA gymnast for more than two decades.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She feels that her revelations can bring change in the power structure of USA Gymnasts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She spoke about the harassment to protect the upcoming younger athletes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Before Raisman over 130 other women have made similar claims about Nassar.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to &quot;60 Minutes&quot; several women who have accused Nassar of sexual abuse have stated that he inserted &quot;gloveless hand into their vagina for treating hip and back pain.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


She feels that her revelations can bring change in the power structure of USA Gymnasts.?She spoke about the harassment to protect the upcoming younger athletes

Aly Raisman, a 23-year-old US gymnast has accused former US national gymnasts doctor of sexually harassing her. The six-time Olympic medalist, in an interview to "60 Minutes" said that Larry Nassar who is of the most celebrated doctors for gymnasts in the US abused her when she was 15-years-old. She said that she was "really innocent" at that time and she trusted Nassar. She said that the team was told that he is the best US Olympic and gymnast doctor. To gain her confidence and "normalise" the assaults the doctor used to buy her presents, she said in the interview. Raisman could not figure out his behaviour at first. She realised that his treatment was not normal only after she was approached by an investigator working for USA Gymnasts in 2015, she revealed. It was only then, that she spoke about his harassment. Nassar worked with USA gymnast for more than two decades. She feels that her revelations can bring change in the power structure of USA Gymnasts. She spoke about the harassment to protect the upcoming younger athletes. Before Raisman over 130 other women have made similar claims about Nassar. According to "60 Minutes" several women who have accused Nassar of sexual abuse have stated that he inserted "gloveless hand into their vagina for treating hip and back pain."

US gymnast accuses former doctor of sexual abuse

<p>US goalkeeper Hope Solo has accused former FIFA President Sepp Blatter of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/comedian-louis-ck-admits-sexual-misconduct-entertainment-outlets-cut-ties-23950" target="_blank">sexual assault</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Sepp Blatter grabbed my ass, it was a few years ago at the Ballon d&#39;Or ceremony just before I got on stage,&quot; Solo told Portuguese newspaper Expresso.</p>

<p>Solo, 36, said the incident took place in 2013. Blatter was at the time president of FIFA. &nbsp;</p>

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<p>US goalkeeper Hope Solo. (Facebook)</p>
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<p>Solo and Blatter had walked on to the stage together to present the FIFA&#39;s women player of the year award in January 2013.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 81-year-old Blatter has denied the allegation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;The allegation is ridiculous,&quot; a spokesperson for him said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Blatter served as president of FIFA from 1998 to 2015.</p>

<p>He was suspended from all football-related activities, for corruption, in September 2015.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/hollywood-mogul-weinstein-accused-of-rape-21257" target="_blank">Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein accused of rape</a></p>

<p>Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/actress-portia-de-rossi-accuses-steven-seagal-of-sexual-harassment-23862" target="_blank"> Actor Steven Seagal, comedian Louis CK accused of sexual misconduct</a></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>


'Sepp Blatter grabbed my ass, it was a few years ago at the Ballon d'Or ceremony just before I got on stage,' Hope Solo told the Portuguese newspaper Expresso

US goalkeeper Hope Solo has accused former FIFA President Sepp Blatter of sexual assault. "Sepp Blatter grabbed my ass, it was a few years ago at the Ballon d'Or ceremony just before I got on stage," Solo told Portuguese newspaper Expresso. Solo, 36, said the incident took place in 2013. Blatter was at the time president of FIFA. US goalkeeper Hope Solo. (Facebook) × Solo and Blatter had walked on to the stage together to present the FIFA's women player of the year award in January 2013. The 81-year-old Blatter has denied the allegation. "The allegation is ridiculous," a spokesperson for him said. Blatter served as president of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He was suspended from all football-related activities, for corruption, in September 2015. Also read: Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein accused of rape Also read: Actor Steven Seagal, comedian Louis CK accused of sexual misconduct

He grabbed my ass: US goalkeeper accuses Sepp Blatter of sexual assault

<p><br />
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/lebanons-hezbollah-accuses-saudi-of-detaining-hariri-23953" target="_blank">Saudi Arabia holding Lebanon PM, inciting Israel to strike country: Hezbollah</a></p>

<p>Lebanon`s powerful Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday accused Saudi Arabia of detaining prime minister Saad Hariri and of asking the Shiite movement`s arch-foe Israel to launch strikes.&nbsp;Hariri`s sudden resignation on November 4 in a statement made from Riyadh took the Lebanese political class by surprise and has sparked international concern.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-goalkeeper-accuses-former-fifa-president-of-sexual-harassment-23954" target="_blank">He grabbed my ass: US goalkeeper accuses Sepp Blatter of sexual assault</a></p>

<p>Hope Solo, the 36-year-old US goalkeeper has accused former FIFA president Sepp Blatter of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/actress-portia-de-rossi-accuses-steven-seagal-of-sexual-harassment-23862" target="_blank">sexual harassment</a>. In an interview with Portugal newspaper Expresso, Solo said that Sepp had grabbed her ass.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/world-cup-playoff-sweden-beat-toothless-italy-with-1-0-23955" target="_blank">Football World Cup play-offs: Sweden beat </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/world-cup-playoff-sweden-beat-toothless-italy-with-1-0-23955" target="_blank">lacklustre</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/world-cup-playoff-sweden-beat-toothless-italy-with-1-0-23955" target="_blank"> Italy</a></p>

<p>A second-half goal by Sweden substitute Jakob Johansson was enough to beat Italy 1-0 and put his side in the driving seat after their World Cup playoff first leg on a chilly night.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/comedian-louis-ck-admits-sexual-misconduct-entertainment-outlets-cut-ties-23950" target="_blank">&#39;These stories are true,&#39; says comedian Louis CK</a></p>

<p>US&nbsp;comedian Louis C.K. on Friday admitted to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/actress-portia-de-rossi-accuses-steven-seagal-of-sexual-harassment-23862" target="_blank">sexual misconduct allegations made against him&nbsp;</a>by several women, and television and film companies moved quickly to sever ties. &quot;These stories are true,&quot; C.K. said in a statement.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/heres-what-got-cheaper-after-revised-gst-rates-23947" target="_blank">Revised GST rates: Complete list</a></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the biggest GST rearrangement till date, tax rates on over 200 items were cut down&nbsp;to provide relief to consumers and businesses&nbsp;on Friday.&nbsp;Giving a major reprieve to the common man, the GST Council came up with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/preview/article/23931">a number of new measures.&nbsp;</a>Maximum pruning was done in the 28% slab which will now be applied to only 50 items from 228 earlier. Many of the items and services which were previously under the 28% bracket will now attract a tax of 18% only.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Saudi Arabia holding Lebanon PM, inciting Israel to strike country: Hezbollah Lebanon`s powerful Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday accused Saudi Arabia of detaining prime minister Saad Hariri and of asking the Shiite movement`s arch-foe Israel to launch strikes. Hariri`s sudden resignation on November 4 in a statement made from Riyadh took the Lebanese political class by surprise and has sparked international concern. He grabbed my ass: US goalkeeper accuses Sepp Blatter of sexual assault Hope Solo, the 36-year-old US goalkeeper has accused former FIFA president Sepp Blatter of sexual harassment. In an interview with Portugal newspaper Expresso, Solo said that Sepp had grabbed her ass. Football World Cup play-offs: Sweden beat lacklustre Italy A second-half goal by Sweden substitute Jakob Johansson was enough to beat Italy 1-0 and put his side in the driving seat after their World Cup playoff first leg on a chilly night. 'These stories are true,' says comedian Louis CK US comedian Louis C.K. on Friday admitted to sexual misconduct allegations made against him by several women, and television and film companies moved quickly to sever ties. "These stories are true," C.K. said in a statement. Revised GST rates: Complete list In the biggest GST rearrangement till date, tax rates on over 200 items were cut down to provide relief to consumers and businesses on Friday. Giving a major reprieve to the common man, the GST Council came up with a number of new measures. Maximum pruning was done in the 28% slab which will now be applied to only 50 items from 228 earlier. Many of the items and services which were previously under the 28% bracket will now attract a tax of 18% only.

WION Morning news brief, November 11, 2017: 5 stories

<p>The new discourse of `naming and shaming` has taken the social media and institutions by surprise, and it seems to have very soon met with a dead-end. Those who took the initiative to muster a list of the accused refuse to answer the question `what if` there are the names of those who were not involved in harassment and, therefore, the question of evidence remains unanswered. Those questioning the list, including the feminists who questioned the veracity of such a method of &#39;naming and shaming&#39;, equated it with public lynching.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>One could further say, it amounts to a justification of collateral damage like those who suffer without conviction in much of the `war on terror`.&nbsp; Those who brought out the list are fine-tuning it and bringing out not only just a list of the accused but planning to bring out the nature of complaints, expand the meaning of harassment, and call for a public debate on how fear gets instilled in institutional spaces. While those opposed to the list at best are interested in how else to fine tune the institutional response and protect the already existing mechanisms that have been devised, such as the GSCASH. While both are a welcome moves they are not going to see a meeting point anytime soon.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The stalemate, as it continues, sidesteps the question as to whether this debate can at all be settled without debating the larger context. Admittedly, there is an institutional crisis as much as there is a crisis of compassion and concern, in general, and not merely within the ambit of sexuality. One possible reason why this debate has raised the dust but not thrown any new light could be because the feminists who are raising the issue of harassment could well be working within the very framework in which the accused seem to defend themselves.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>It&rsquo;s not without coincidence that neither has paused to ask what type of relations we are searching for. What would be a deeper idea of love wherein claims and counterclaims -- jostling for space -- cuts both ways without any easy resolution but continues to nurture deeper affections, attachments and an idea of longing and belongingness. It includes an idea of sharing and looking out for each other mutually, and a sense of fondness beyond a mere sense of ownership, control or self-glorification. The debate on harassment cannot be meaningfully continued without an accompanying debate on ideas of love, affection and togetherness.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Are we collectively inhabiting in times best typified by what in another context Slavoj Zizek refers to as the `fear of falling in love`? What we instead have is, according to him, &quot;precisely love without the fall, without falling in love, without this totally unpredictable dramatic encounter. And that&rsquo;s what I find very sad. I think that today we are simply more and more afraid of this event or encounters. You encounter something which is totally contingent but the result of it if you accept it as an event is that your entire life changes.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The `fall` requires losing one`s own self, it is an event of `pure contingency`. An event that refuses to remain contained but seamlessly spills over into a process that again as Alain Badiou in another context refers to as the `fidelity to the event`. Where the subjects, in this case, the lovers ` interpret and explore an Event without denying its Evental nature`. However, one needs to recognise that a deep relation ` seems to hold together without guarantees or secure knowledge. It is unfolded or constructed through a series of interventions or enquiries. To take part in such a process is to believe, or guess, that there is something there to be unpacked or unfolded`. How do we counter power and fear with love and compassion?</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In an age of hyper-recognition, anxiety, and anomie, the politics of opposition, including those of the feminist variant, can possibly spread by internalising these very features. The marked absence of debate on love and attachment by those questioning as much as those being questioned is a point worth pondering over. The courage to question ourselves as to what sustains love is necessary to understand what propels harassment and fear.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>There are no easy answers, but to suffer from a pervasive sense of the `fear of the fall` is only to prevent oneself from even beginning to look for the answers. It is complex because the relation between love and fear is not one of a straight lines but rather a crooked one. As Bertrand Russel in his celebrated book on the Conquest of Happiness notes that it is intriguing that those who feel loved find love and those who suffer the `lack` only further distance themselves and continue to suffer abject neglect. The Lacanian idea of lack is the lack of very `being`, lacking the very ability to desire. Politics without desire is to inscribe death or passivity over life. We have collectively succeeded in interrogating the ability of power to subsume love but failed to trust the ability of love in overcoming power.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The new political spaces we inhabit have an immense symbolic potential to resignify our practices and create their `uncanny double`. They implode from within and therein lays our failure to move beyond the stalemates we encounter. The crisis of gendered spaces is as much about our collective inability to love as it is about identifying power. Hundred years of the process of secularisation of social and personal relations, as Zygmut Bauman observes, has led to a situation of ending up only with contingent commitments and ad hoc bonds.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The best we could achieve is contractualisation of relations, as a template for free and equal relations. However, while it takes two to enter a contract, it takes, as Bauman points out, only one to break it. The pervasive sense of uncertainty and insecurity within which we strike intimate relations has made them `free` and porous. This has to be the collective context to debate how best to carry the fight against fear and harassment and to evaluate if the method of `naming and shaming` cumulatively aids or debilitatingly blocks our search for the alternatives.&nbsp;</p>


The crisis of gendered spaces is as much about our collective inability to love as it is about identifying power.

The new discourse of `naming and shaming` has taken the social media and institutions by surprise, and it seems to have very soon met with a dead-end. Those who took the initiative to muster a list of the accused refuse to answer the question `what if` there are the names of those who were not involved in harassment and, therefore, the question of evidence remains unanswered. Those questioning the list, including the feminists who questioned the veracity of such a method of 'naming and shaming', equated it with public lynching. One could further say, it amounts to a justification of collateral damage like those who suffer without conviction in much of the `war on terror`. Those who brought out the list are fine-tuning it and bringing out not only just a list of the accused but planning to bring out the nature of complaints, expand the meaning of harassment, and call for a public debate on how fear gets instilled in institutional spaces. While those opposed to the list at best are interested in how else to fine tune the institutional response and protect the already existing mechanisms that have been devised, such as the GSCASH. While both are a welcome moves they are not going to see a meeting point anytime soon. The stalemate, as it continues, sidesteps the question as to whether this debate can at all be settled without debating the larger context. Admittedly, there is an institutional crisis as much as there is a crisis of compassion and concern, in general, and not merely within the ambit of sexuality. One possible reason why this debate has raised the dust but not thrown any new light could be because the feminists who are raising the issue of harassment could well be working within the very framework in which the accused seem to defend themselves. It’s not without coincidence that neither has paused to ask what type of relations we are searching for. What would be a deeper idea of love wherein claims and counterclaims -- jostling for space -- cuts both ways without any easy resolution but continues to nurture deeper affections, attachments and an idea of longing and belongingness. It includes an idea of sharing and looking out for each other mutually, and a sense of fondness beyond a mere sense of ownership, control or self-glorification. The debate on harassment cannot be meaningfully continued without an accompanying debate on ideas of love, affection and togetherness. Are we collectively inhabiting in times best typified by what in another context Slavoj Zizek refers to as the `fear of falling in love`? What we instead have is, according to him, "precisely love without the fall, without falling in love, without this totally unpredictable dramatic encounter. And that’s what I find very sad. I think that today we are simply more and more afraid of this event or encounters. You encounter something which is totally contingent but the result of it if you accept it as an event is that your entire life changes." The `fall` requires losing one`s own self, it is an event of `pure contingency`. An event that refuses to remain contained but seamlessly spills over into a process that again as Alain Badiou in another context refers to as the `fidelity to the event`. Where the subjects, in this case, the lovers ` interpret and explore an Event without denying its Evental nature`. However, one needs to recognise that a deep relation ` seems to hold together without guarantees or secure knowledge. It is unfolded or constructed through a series of interventions or enquiries. To take part in such a process is to believe, or guess, that there is something there to be unpacked or unfolded`. How do we counter power and fear with love and compassion? In an age of hyper-recognition, anxiety, and anomie, the politics of opposition, including those of the feminist variant, can possibly spread by internalising these very features. The marked absence of debate on love and attachment by those questioning as much as those being questioned is a point worth pondering over. The courage to question ourselves as to what sustains love is necessary to understand what propels harassment and fear. There are no easy answers, but to suffer from a pervasive sense of the `fear of the fall` is only to prevent oneself from even beginning to look for the answers. It is complex because the relation between love and fear is not one of a straight lines but rather a crooked one. As Bertrand Russel in his celebrated book on the Conquest of Happiness notes that it is intriguing that those who feel loved find love and those who suffer the `lack` only further distance themselves and continue to suffer abject neglect. The Lacanian idea of lack is the lack of very `being`, lacking the very ability to desire. Politics without desire is to inscribe death or passivity over life. We have collectively succeeded in interrogating the ability of power to subsume love but failed to trust the ability of love in overcoming power. The new political spaces we inhabit have an immense symbolic potential to resignify our practices and create their `uncanny double`. They implode from within and therein lays our failure to move beyond the stalemates we encounter. The crisis of gendered spaces is as much about our collective inability to love as it is about identifying power. Hundred years of the process of secularisation of social and personal relations, as Zygmut Bauman observes, has led to a situation of ending up only with contingent commitments and ad hoc bonds. The best we could achieve is contractualisation of relations, as a template for free and equal relations. However, while it takes two to enter a contract, it takes, as Bauman points out, only one to break it. The pervasive sense of uncertainty and insecurity within which we strike intimate relations has made them `free` and porous. This has to be the collective context to debate how best to carry the fight against fear and harassment and to evaluate if the method of `naming and shaming` cumulatively aids or debilitatingly blocks our search for the alternatives.

'Naming and Shaming', but where is love?

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


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

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

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

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