The progress of any society can be judged by the status of women in that society. The normal practice to measure the status is by applying educational and health indicators. However the best way and yet the way which most societies shy off, is to take head on issues directly confronting women, the major being the crimes committed against them. Sexual assault is one such crime. Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual act or behaviour which is threatening, violent, forced or coercive and to which a person has not given consent or was not able to give consent.
Such assault can be an unexpected, traumatic and sometimes life threatening event or series of events. It includes any sexual act that is aggravated, abusive or wrongful. The intensity and the degree of this crime has been once again brought to the fore by the ‘#MeToo’ Campaign which took the world by storm in the second half of October 2017.
On October 5, 2017, The New York Times published an investigative report detailing a number of sexual harassment and assault allegations, women had made about Harvey Weinstein, a prominent film producer and executive. Actress Alyssa Milano gave a clarion call on her twitter that if any woman was harassed or assaulted she would write ‘MeToo’ as their own status and as a reply to her tweet. In the weeks that followed, social media platforms not only in USA, but in several countries including India, were flooded with millions of posts where women came forward to share their own experiences with sexual assault and harassment. Women became vocal and did not hesitate to share their personal accounts of sexual harassment using the (hashtag),‘#MeToo’ which showed the magnitude of women having impacted by sexual assault and harassment. Over a period of time, various types of sexual assaults and harassments resurfaced.
Assuming that campaigns and movements are common features of our civil society, and even accepting the fact that campaigns are short lived, and sometimes politically coloured, what is so significant of this ‘#MeToo’Campaign? Firstly, this campaign addressed the fact that sexual assault is an everyday occurrence for women. Secondly, it reflected that even the so-called ‘safe spaces’ like homes, schools, work place etc. were unsafe for women, besides bringing out the fact that women are not safe at public places, streets, public transport, markets etc. Thirdly, it further exploded the myth that only strangers committed the assault, and brought to the fore that assaults can be from friends, relatives, neighbours, acquaintances and colleagues. Fourthly, it highlighted the fact that the issue of sexual violence against women is not a purely law and order problem, but an issue that is challenging our cultural edifice and therefore there is a need for societal awareness and change. Fifthly, it gave an outlet to collective experience of trauma which reflected the amount of suffering and injustice women go through. Sixthly, it confirmed the fact that women’s behaviour, clothing or attractiveness is not responsible for the incident of sexual assault, nor it has any caste, class or religious affiliations, but it had something to do with the predator’s predilections. Seventhly, the movement served as a platform for giving vent to long held feeling of anger, shame or guilt thus providing a step forward towards regaining self-dignity and respect. Eighthly, it reiterated the need for immediate change in the society that would make way for women to be heard. Let the women speak softly or shout of their rooftops ‘MeToo…… MeToo…..’ and let the predator, the watchman, the tuition sir, seniors, the employers, the custodians of law….. the whole world listen and ponder, and assist to make the world a far better place for women to live in.
In India too, the ‘#MeToo’ Campaign picked up, and stories poured in from women about instances from childhood, their experiences in travelling in public transport, eve teasing, unwanted text messages and pornography videos they received, gross display of sexual aggression, and even about how their ordinary activities like shopping, jogging or biking were affected due to sexual violence. This confirmed the Action Aid UK Report of 2016, which said that 73% of women in India have experienced some type of harassment or violence in public places. Women giving accounts of their experiences thus gave authenticity to the whole movement. It was clear that sexual assault and sexual harassment are incompatible with our core values.
There were negative fallouts of this campaign too. It was criticised as ‘clickivism’ and that it was a fashion statement for rich women. People also questioned whether it was correct to make one’s personal experiences public on social media. There was opinion that instead of laying onus on the victim to stand up and express the harassment she went through, it should be ‘MeToo’ by the perpetrators who should come out and acknowledge their injurious acts and their gravity and ask for forgiveness. The campaign also led to rise of ‘naming and shaming’ Campaign where the victims took to social media to name the culprits, which actually reduced the impact of ‘#MeToo’Campaign.
But to me, whether it was the ‘Pink Chaddi Campaign’ of ‘’#MeToo’Campaign, these campaigns are slowly building up credentials and serving as trigger points for amplifying women’s movement. It is sending a strong message about the winds of change, and underscoring the point that women now are a force to reckon with. Lone voice often becomes vulnerable if identified, while women coming out in numbers, speaking up and speaking loud, can bring in silent revolution whereby they can enjoy the right to exist publicly with security, safety and confidence.
(The author is Associate Professor in Political
Science, Govt. College, Khandola, Marcela).
