Women’s Voices: Vulnerability, Agency and Conformity


Dhwani Jaisingh and Anusha Batra
March 6, 2019.
Women’s Voices: Vulnerability, Agency and Conformity
#MeToo and other struggles against Sexual Harassment in India
  • Defining sexual harassment
  • Me too struggle
  • Other acts/struggles that have taken place
Impact of these movements:
From its origins on September 25th 2018 when Tanushree Dutta accused actor Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her, the movement spread rapidly, with thousands all over the country speaking up about their individual experiences of sexual abuse, assault and harassment in the workplace. The accused increased from a handful, to an army, leading to a staccato of them toppling, one after the other. #MeToo spread all across the globe with different proclamations, going from ‘#YoTambien’ (Spanish: I also), ‘#BalanceTonPorc (French: expose your pig) and #quellavoltache (Italian: that time when). The viral campaign spread as a hash tag on social media, with cases reported from all walks of life, age groups and different industries. Indian women in the corporate world feel more empowered but remain cautious of the change once the movement loses its potency. A study conducted by a market research and analyst company, Velocity MR; showed results of 80% of the respondents scared to lose their career, the family reputation and are skeptical towards speaking up about their experiences. The movement, more than anything, spread greater consciousness about the rights of the women employed to ensure a safe and comfortable workplace that is free of all sorts of discrimination and harassment. The Wire reported the impact of the #MeToo movement across 14 spheres; Indian politics, entertainment, media, art, law, education, sports and the corporate sector.
16 women have chronicled allegations of sexual harassment against M.J Akbar, the minister of foreign affairs. They describe their interactions with him when they were under him as an editor for the newspaper, Asian Age. Maneka Gandhi too, the minister for women and child development, has been taking up the issue of the movement, she stated that there should be zero tolerance for policy for sexual harassment at work. The ministry planned on setting up a committee of judicial and senior members to examine the legal framework for sexual harassment complaints.
Bollywood has been affected by the #MeToo movement with Tanushree’s complaint, earlier in 2008 and 2013, but her testimony did not gather enough support. The other subject of allegations was Alok Nath, he was accused of rape by Vinta Nanda; actresses Sandhya Mridul and Deepika Amin have also accused him of sexual harassment. The third and fourth names of the accused are Sajid Khan and Vikas Bahl. The Malyalam movie artists too, such as actor Dileep, was accused of abduction and assault in 2017, many prominent women filed a writ petition in Kerala demanding an internal complaints committee. Other entertainment sectors such as standup comedy was also greatly affected, a member of the All India Bakchod, Utsav Chakraborty, was accused of harassing several women, which led to him apologizing for his actions. Other members of the AIB have ignored the accusations and continued to work with him, leading to the cancellation of their Hotstar show and removed their old episodes too.
In the music industry, singers Kailash Kher and Anu Malik have been asked to step down due to various allegations against them. Whereas in the law industry, various lawyers and judges have stepped up and spoken about the #MeToo movement in support of it. The Alernative Law Forum offers legal support to the victims of sexual harassment, a Sexual Harassment Policy is also released for workplaces to be used without license. Although the #MeToo has not affected the sports industry as much, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri has been accused of sexual harassment and is now on a leave.
The floodgates of the movement appear to have been opened- women from all castes, classes, and industries, have found a collective voice against the “boy’s club” mentality. Some of the cases have dated back to almost a decade of women staying silent about sexual abuse and intimidation by powerful men who preyed on their insecurities. Due to this legacy of the #MeToo movement-victims are less likely to stay quiet, bystanders are more likely to not remain bystanders and employers are less likely to sweep the matters under the rug. Data from the Ministry of Women and Child Development shows that the cases ranged between 520 and 570 countrywide since 2015.
The outrage of the #MeToo movement led to a ripple effect, it has succeeded in bringing the conversation to the fore; right up to the centre of the room. These are not hushed whispers in the back of the room, or conversations held at the water cooler; these are loud deafening sounds of women who have found their voices after being suppressed for too long. The campaign has continued to grow, leading to major consequences of those accused being fired or resigning from their jobs, condemnation and disassociation from members in their industries. The need of the hour is for organizations and top management to conduct gender sensitization workshops for its employees at regular intervals. As the movement becomes a turning point in the future of Indian women, the objective continues to be to deal effectively with sexual harassment complaints and provide a safe working environment for all.






Works Cited
“All You Need to Know: Three Weeks of #MeToo and Its Big Impacts” The Wire, thewire.in/women/all-you-need-to-know-three-weeks-of-metoo-and-its-big-impacts. October 28, 2018.
“After a Long Wait, India’s #MeToo Movement Suddenly Takes Off” The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/world/asia/india-sexual-harassment-me-too-bollywood. October 9, 2018. Vindu Goel, Ayesha Venkataraman and Kai Schultz.
“#MeToo effect: More women focus on healing after sexual harassment” The Hindustan Times, www.hindustantimes.com/health/metoo-effect-more-women-focus-on-healing-after-sexual-harassment/story-SEOUjmdgIxvweniC2pe6cN. October 17, 2018. Sanya Panwar.
“#MeToo: Men Should Realize No Means No” The Outlook India, www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/metoo-men-should-realise-no-means-no/300763. October 11, 2018. Arshia Dhar, Siddhart Mishra.

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