This story is from October 18, 2018

Bengaluru women hail #MeToo, say it’s a disinfectant

BENGALURU: Women activists in the city hailed the #MeToo movement on Wednesday, a day when MJ Akbar resigned as Union minister of state for external affairs.
Calling Akbar’s resignation a major milestone, social activist Priya Chetty-Rajagopal described the movement as the harsh sunlight that can make you wince. “But then again, it reveals, it exposes and it clarifies. It disinfects. Eventually it heals. But yes, for some time, it may burn. #MeToo can be looked at as the inadvertent disinfectant that sanitises a holding space for NextGen.”
KS Vimala of Janavadi Mahila Sanghatane, said the Centre should have sacked Akbar from the ministry when allegations were levelled against him.
Dona Fernandes of Vimochana said the resignation has come a bit too late. “Akbar should have resigned when the first allegation came. What he has subjected women to is not mere sexual harassment but sexual violence. We still have a long way to go as harassment at workplace is a larger problem. Women fear retaliation as they are generally shamed if they raise their voice. Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) in many cases are useless,” she added.

Vimala, said, “Not all men are bad. But it is hard to find a single woman who hasn’t faced sexual harassment, be it in childhood or later. But for obvious reasons, they may not have expressed it or even if they did, it wouldn’t have got the treatment it should have got. Even now we see men commenting why she didn’t complaint when it happened etc.”
Activist Prameela LN said we, as a society, need to get sensitised about women issues. “Because there are arguments which still term the movement elitist or limited to educated class. While I agree that some part of it is true, it will go a long way in assuring some confidence at the workplace for the downtrodden as well,” Prameela added.
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