Know About #MeToo - Have We Made Any Reparations?

 

Source: The Leaflet

The MeToo movement in India in 2018, was a campaign against sexual harassment of women in the workplace. The several people who came out and addressed the instances when they faced harassment were inspired by a similar movement that began in the West in October 2017. Several powerful names came under the scanner as they faced accusations. 

However, 4 years later, we still have a lot of questions to ask, a lot of reparations to be given to women who were affected, and a podium and strength to women who still suffer in silence.   

#MeToo India

A large number of women who came up with their stories found social media as a medium to come out with their stories. Social media became the way by which women shared their experiences and put to light the harm that they had done. 

Names like Tanushree Dutta, Sona Mohapatra, Kangana Ranaut, and Vinta Nanda along with women from different spheres came up with their stories. Kailash Kher, Sajid Khan, and Alok Nath among others were charged with allegations. 

Sajid Khan

The recent appearance of Sajid Khan on a very popular reality TV show has raised several questions. He was accused by ]several female colleagues, including Mandana Karimi, Saloni Chopra, Rachel White, Simran Suri, Marina Kuwar, Aahana Kumra, Dimple Paula, Sherlyn Chopra, and journalist Karishma Upadhyay. 

The BBC television documentary Death in Bollywood (2021), which covers the suicide of Indian actress Jiah Khan, also included accusations of harassment against Khan on Jiah by her sister Karishma Khan.

The Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association imposed a ban on Khan from directing films in light of the allegations. It was subsequently revoked a year later on 10 December 2019.[23]

Though he denied the allegations, Khan stepped down as the director of Housefull 4 (2019) and was eventually replaced by Farhad Samji, the co-director of Housefull 3 (2016). 

However, despite the allegations and the harm that he caused, he has made a comeback, in what he calls a ‘comeback for the professional loss that he had incurred due to his “arrogance”’. 

 

What Does This Comeback Show?

This comeback of an assaulter to a Reality Show that is a household name shows a multitude of things. It shows that we are okay to look over the harm that a person has done. That we do not even question as a society what in the entire system enables the man to come forward and be an active participant and only seek redressal for his "arrogance" and not even talk or seek apologies about instances of harassment. 

However, on the other hand, women like Tanushree Dutta who were victims of such abuse struggled to get work after she came out with her stories of abuse.

It speaks volumes about how patriarchal is the system and how disabling it is for any woman to come forward and speak because the accused may be left unaffected but the victim would suffer nevertheless.

Dcw Chief Letter and Further Course of Events

Given the events, Swati Maliwal, DCW Chief had written a letter to Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur. Such a sham it's for society that she received rape threats and violent abuses in response. 

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has come out saying that Sajid Khan has received due punishment and can now work for a living. Women like Sherlyn Chopra who had themselves been assaulted by Sajid Khan have come out and expressed their displeasure. 

We as a society have failed these and several other women. This is an attempt at sheer white-washing the image of a man who has not even sought an apology for his actions. 

What Can We Do?

By raising our voices against what's wrong. We can use social media and other platforms to express our opinions but apart from this anybody engaged with the show in any format should boycott it and show their disapproval. Such shows run on TRP demands and a boycott would assist in taking us a step forward.

By this one incident and several such instances, we have shown how much we as a society fail our women from time to time where we perpetrate a man's flourishing in good and bad and disable women no matter what.

Written by Ananya Verma