Defining mo(ve)ment for change

The #MeToo movement has made an impact on countless individualsand has certainly brought about a refreshing change in terms of awareness levels. In course of time, this movement will play a significant role in effectively curbing sexual harassment at workplace in all its dimensions.In order to focus on the core issues, Hyderabad Literary Festival 2018 also conducted panel discussions that saw prominent personalities openly share their views.

Chinmayi Sripaada, Sandhya Menon and  Shutapa Paul, who were in the panel, spoke about how they have been the victims and how could one stop sexual harassment at workplace.

Chinmayi Sripaada, popularplayback singer, discussed her role in the # MeToo movement, giving details. She said, “What became a matter of consent for women for the people in Tamil Nadu, became a matter of caste. Women were caste-profiled, after I took the name of poet-lyricist Vairamuthu.  

He happened to say that it has become routine for people to speak about famous people. In that statement, he discredited my work of 17 years. I had my debut at the age 15 with A R Rehman. I have sung in different languages and run a language service company. I speak five languages and dub in three languages. 

I have done it all; however, when it came to a man discrediting, at the end of the day, I continued to face casteist slurs on social media. People asked me what my rate is per night to sleep with them.  It has become so normal to talk about it, people asked me fifteen times. I also realised why should I be ashamed to be called a prostitute; believe me, it is difficult. I never had the guts to share it about Vairamuthu. Indian society wants a woman to die to prove a point, she has tocommit suicide or be murdered to prove her point to society. What I love doing is taken away from me.”

The panelalso witnessed ideas thrown up by Shutapa Paul,founder-editor of NewCrop, a video-first, digital media platform for start-ups and entrepreneurs.  Founder of a media consultancy Dharma Media Consultants, she stressed on ways in which one could stop sexual harassment at workplace. “I am lucky that I have been doing more of independent work, pushing myself into start-ups. The change that MeToo has brought is that there is a lull right now. People talk about it and cases are being filed. It is very important to remember that public memory is short; it is the network of these men who are helping one another. The positive that came out of this movement was that people started talking about sexual harassment at workplace. 

The Central government says ‘BetiBachao, BetiPadao’, but I say ‘BetiBachao, BetiPadao’ and, after she studies, send her to work. You need to be sure that women are a part of India’s growing economy. We need more women to work and make a safer workplace for them. The awareness about ICC has not been seen since last year, everyone chooses to stay quite if someone is sexually harassed. We started this in order to break the silence and make a better and safer place to work. No change in society is going to come if it is men vs women, we need each other. Irrespective of the gender, sexual harassment is not acceptable.”

Sandhya Menon, a journalist and writer, who was one of the victims of the #MeToo movement, shared, “We bury our stories because we live in a society that doesn’t allow us to talk about such things. There are stories of women which cannot even come out. We need to look into our own houses; men in our own houses would be doing things that could lead to sexual harassment. Unless we start there, we cannot change anything.  

Where is the help for domestic women at work; they are the ones who cook and maintain our house. As women and as an adult if you find something that is wrong, make sure that you go and talk to the person who is going through it, even if they do not want your help. The false complaints that come up if I could explain I have got around 250 women messaging me and out of that three were false, which a very low number. We do this because we need change and we are not vocal enough about this and know what harassment is.”