I have always had a belief that perpetrators of sexual assault are the less educated people from the lower strata of society. The #Metoo campaign made me realise that it's not so. The allegations against film personalities, politicians and other influential people made me realise how wrong I was. The number of women who revealed that they have been sexually assaulted really exposes the magnitude of the problem. And that is exactly the purpose of #Metoo campaign.
It was started by Tarana Burke, an American social activist and community organiser, and later popularised by Alyssa Milano on Twitter in 2017. She encouraged people to tweet about it to give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem. And that is exactly what it did. People from all kinds of fields be it, media, music industry, film industry, educational institutions and so on hashtagged 'me too.' The revelations prove sexual assault is irrespective of class or field or community. It cannot be reduced to a limited part of society or field of work.
The cause for such a large number of cases of sexual assault cannot be reduced to just 'desire or lust.' As Dr Manju Mehta, a clinical psychologist and former professor of AIIMS said, "sexual harassment, assault or rape has little to do with sex. They may have sex on their mind a great deal, but only as a tool to control and conquest a body. The real thrill is in the conquest, not in relationships." This has a lot to do with the patriarchal structure of our society and our deeply rooted stereotypes about how men and women should be.
The 2012 Nirbhaya rape case is a classic example to explain this statement. The guilty including a minor did not even show a small sign of regret or guilt in their actions. They justified it claiming she deserved it as she was travelling at night. This is not the only case where the guilty has made baseless justifications like this. In many cases, the offenders are backed by others including powerful figures in society. Victim-blaming has been an old practice. If the perpetrator is also powerful as seen in the revelation through #Metoo campaign, it becomes even more difficult for women to get justice. Anyhow, the online campaign helps women proclaim they are not afraid any more. They are saying 'enough' to the sexual harassment and exploitation they had to confront just because the perpetrators were 'powerful.'
Unfortunately, sexual harassment at workplace wasn't even recognised in India till 2013. In 2013, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013, recognised workplace such an harassment as an infringement of women's fundamental rights under Indian Constitution for the first time. But we must remember that this is only the first step. This will allow not only the people but also the authorities understand the magnitude of the problem. The second step is a joined effort by authorities and people to work out a solution. Merely bringing new laws to increase the level of punishment is not enough. It would be wiser to ensure that the present laws are properly implemented.
In short, women use the #Metoo campaign to speak out about the harassment or rape they had faced recently or many years ago. Instead of criticising them by arguing why they didn't disclose it when it happened, we should applaud them for having the courage to do it now. I remember the famous proverb I stuck on my wall to study which could be applied to this instance as well; Better late than never. I applaud the movement but this should be a broad movement to include all strata of society not only the affluent.
Less financially powerful women should also be given a platform where they can disclose their experience. It should be inclusive. There are many who criticise the movement claiming the perpetrator didn't actually 'rape' the survivor, so why make it a big deal? That is absurd. Any form of intimacy which is not consensual amounts to harassment. This is not about dignity or humiliation. As I said before, it is about one thing; consent. It is about a person's right to her own body. Having control over our own body and deciding what to do with it is our right. Nobody should be able to violate that.
The constant staring and weird looks that I get when I walk from college to my hostel is not my experience alone. I'm sure I'm echoing the experience of many girls and women. The discomfort that I feel when there are several eyes on me cannot be explained with just one or two sentences. We should not forget the fact that this is also a subtle form of harassment. Harassment can be subtle or loud. It ranges from constant staring to catcalling, dirty comments to graver forms including inappropriate touching and the worst of all, rape. What requires is the application of the phrase 'catch them young.' Instead of isolating girls and women and telling them to be careful, it is high time we tell boys and educate them of what should and shouldn’t be done. It is time we drop the 'be a man' phrase every time they do something so called 'unmanly.'
It is time we as a society strive together and deconstruct the socially constructed gender stereotypes. I would like to end with one more hashtag, #StartWithTheBoys, which is a two-minute film featuring Bollywood veteran Madhuri Dixit.