#METOO MOVEMENT

A dialogue from A Doll’s House written by Henrick Ibsen struck my mind which explains the
inner voice of a woman. Helmer tells Nora- “First and foremost, you are wife and mother”.
To which Nora replied- “ That I Don’t believe in the first and foremost, I am an individual,
just as much as you are.” This dialogue carries a forceful message as it explains women are
equal members of society and have a right to live as an individual free from violence and
discrimination, with the right to be educated, own property, vote and fully participate in
economic activities. Seeking equality in an unequal society is a task demanding concerted
action on the part of the individual, the community, government on a community basis. This
is what women as a class must realise in their struggle for equal justice in the democratic
republic of India. As now the tables have been turned after the #MeToo Movement.

The Year 2017 sparked off with the controversy of #MeToo campagain after the Harvey
Weinstien scandal in the USA has motivate the women to throw allegations in India
especially in bollywood and journalism.

.#MeToo is a movement which was initiated in 2006 by a social activist Tarana Burke against
the dire concern of the masses on the matter of sexual abuse or harrasement in America. The
idea behind the Me Too movement was “Empowerment through Empathy”. It was created to
ensure survivors know they’re not alone in their journey. But it gained recognition in October
2017 after Alyssa Milano, an American actress posted a tweet asking the victims and
survivors of sexual assault to come out, accepting the bitter truth of the society and letting
others know that they are not alone.

The movement arrived in India in 2016 is spreading through Bollywood. The movement has
gained momentum in India as more women have put torrent of allegations of sexual
harrasament against men. The former bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta alleged that Nana
Patekar sexually harassed her on a movie set in 2008. However, Patekar has rejected Dutta’s
allegations and said he made the same denial 10 years ago. After the allegations of sexual
harassment charges on Union Minsiter of State for External Affairs, MJ Akbar resigned from
his post, a committee of a group of ministers was set up, heads by Union home Minister
Ranath Singh. The committee has now been given a timeline of three months to address the
issue. The Women and Child Development Ministry also launched an electronic complaint
box that enabled women to bring to light any complaints of sexual harassement at work place.
There has been a landmark case of Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan on the same.

After all the women bravely come out sharing their experiences this movement empowered
the women to form a community and help each other in talking about bitter truths of sexual
abuse in the world. It raised awareness among women about their rights as an individual in
their work place and outside and helped men understand the consequences of the same.

Being a woman myself, we basically need the creation of an environment where women can
be independent and safe and are able to shine as equals in society. There is a need to be a sea-
change in the mind-set of the people in the country. In the end I would like to conclude with a
quote by Kim Stanley Robinson which says- “We have come a long way, We have a long way
to go. In between we are somewhere.”

- Pragya Khubani
Sem- II
Batch 2018- 2023.