By: Tehmeena Rizvi, Bureau Chief-ICN Jammu & Kashmir
The Me-Too movement (or #MeToo movement), with many local and international alternatives, is a movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault.
#MeToo spread virally in October 2017 as a hashtag used on social media in an attempt to demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace. It followed soon after the sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
Tarana Burke, an American social activist and community organizer, began using the phrase “Me Too” as early as 2006, and the phrase was later popularized by American actress Alyssa Milano, on Twitter in 2017. Milano encouraged victims of sexual harassment to tweet about it and “give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem”. This was met with success that included but was not limited to high-profile posts from several American celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lawrence, and Uma Thurman.
The original purpose of “Me Too” as used by Tarana Burke in 2006, was to empower women through empathy, especially young and vulnerable women. In October 2017, Alyssa Milano encouraged using the phrase as a hashtag to help reveal the extent of problems with sexual harassment and assault by showing how many people have experienced these events themselves.
After millions of people started using the phrase, and it spread to dozens of other languages, the purpose changed and expanded, as a result, it has come to mean different things to different people. Tarana Burke accepts the title of the leader and creator of the movement but has stated she considers herself a worker of something much bigger. Burke has stated that this movement has grown to include both men and women of all colours and ages, as it continues to support marginalized people in marginalized communities.
There have also been movements by men aimed at changing the culture through personal reflection and future action, including #IDidThat, #I Have, and #I Will. Analyses of the movement often point to the prevalence of sexual violence, which has been estimated by the World Health Organization to affect one-third of all women worldwide. A 2017 poll by ABC News and The Washington Post also found that 54% of American women report receiving “unwanted and inappropriate” sexual advances with 95% saying that such behaviour usually goes unpunished. Others state that #MeToo underscores the need for men to intervene when they witness demeaning behaviour.
Burke said that #MeToo declares sexual violence sufferers are not alone and should not be ashamed. Burke says sexual violence is usually caused by someone the woman knows, so people should be educated from a young age they have the right to say no to sexual contact from any person, even after repeat solicitations from an authority or spouse, and to report predatory behaviour. Burke advises men to talk to each other about consent, call out demeaning behaviour when they see it and try to listen to victims when they tell their stories.
Alyssa Milano described the reach of #MeToo as helping society understand the “magnitude of the problem” and said, “it’s a standing in solidarity to all those who have been hurt.” She stated that the success of #MeToo will require men to take a stand against behaviour that objectifies women.
The Me Too movement in India is seen as either an independent outgrowth influenced by the international campaign against sexual harassment of women in the workplace or an offshoot of the American “Me Too” social movement.Me Too began gaining prominence in India with the gaining popularity of the international movement, and later gained sharp momentum in October 2018 in the entertainment industry of Bollywood, centered in Mumbai, when actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. This led to many in the news media, Indian films and government development sectors accused by women speaking out their experiences and making allegations of sexual harassment by the men involved.
Although India’s #MeToo movement has drawn inspiration from the United States’, it differs in key ways. Unlike the allegations against high-powered film producer Harvey Weinstein, which were investigated and reported by established news organizations, the accusations in India have erupted on social media, with women using their Twitter handles or Facebook pages to share their stories. And unlike in the United States, where First Amendment rights strongly protect free speech, defamation laws in India allow the criminal prosecution of women who are unable to prove public allegations against their abusers, with a maximum jail term of two years. These obstacles to the implementation of fair justice emboldened female activists to work towards strengthening an existing Indian law, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, which had been poorly implemented since it was enacted in 2013.
As of mid-October 2018, the social “Me Too” campaign of India continued to grow and be covered by major media outlets as a topic of importance, with victims outing their abusers on a nearly daily basis. The movement has since resulted in major social consequences for several of those accused, such as firing or resignation from their jobs, condemnation and disassociation from members of their respective industries, and indignation against their actions from their fans and/or the public at large. Similarly, accusers have also been the target of countersuits from the accused, even as they often have social support and added coverage from the media.
When the #me too stories of harassment emerged from media long hidden stories tumbled out. Well, revelations did not surprise me as I have been familiar with the situation. Male dominance created an uncomfortable atmosphere and women had the fear of backlash. When I started working for this campaign back in 2017, it was defamed for spoiling the image of culprits. People said that there are no harassment cases in Kashmir. And I wish that leaving patriarchy aside and not calling me a western feminist, we could have brought a smaller change to the society. The irony part was that they couldn’t escape and once again it has evolved but unlike other states it was carried out disgracefully. Women need to get up for themselves and claim their space and fight against all odds.
