#MeToo is not just a celebrity movement, it’s a powerful tool to call for action and Pakistan is showing us the way.
Pakistan’s film and fashion fraternity recently saw a #MeToo movement against sexual harassment. Now, in Karachi, a new form of #MeToo has emerged — among school students.
Saba Ali, a school student from Bahria College took to Facebook to share an incident of sexual harassment she faced at the hands of her teacher Sadat Bashir, a federal board-appointed examiner, during her 12th grade biology practical exam. Ali’s post caught the Pakistani social media like wildfire, and sparked a volley of similar accusations from dozens of teenage students from the same school. They posted their own testimonies against Bashir, and, within two days, support groups such as #PunishSadatBashir came up.
Other #MeToo movements, especially in the West, began with the testimonies of celebrities and instantly gained the support of tens of thousands of ordinary citizens.
In Pakistan, it is the other way around. Celebrities like Mahira Khan and Meesha Shafi are now openly showing their support to the school students.
Seeing all this, more and more school students are coming out with their stories and posting their testimonies to support groups. Many groups online are devising ways to tackle the situation — from getting Bashir penalized, to addressing the general problem of sexual harassment in schools.
Ever since #MeToo came about, we have seen how, even in this entertainment-driven, hashtag-obsessed online world, social movements have not just found a place, but an empire.
But in India, when female celebrities are questioned about the silence on the #MeToo movement in Bollywood, they cite the risks involved in speaking up, and talk about victim-blaming and the fear of being shunned professionally.
In a recent interview, when veteran film critic Anupama Chopra asked Alia Bhatt about the reason for the lack of support in Bollywood for the #MeToo movement, she said, “There’s a very big misconception that if you’ve been sexually assaulted or molested or been exploited in any way, with the kind of culture we come from, there’s a certain sense that it becomes your fault.”
Meanwhile, Sonam Kapoor was quoted as saying in an interview with The Indian Express, “Unfortunately in India, there’s a lot of shame attached to it. If something happens to you, you just smile and pretend to be dumb. You just ignore it, pretend it didn’t happen because if you speak about it, you will get into more trouble.”
But these fears were faced by everyone around the world who boarded the movement.
Silence isn’t usually considered a bad move. It can be better than saying something inappropriate. But once you realise the value of speaking up, silence pricks.
X President Shri Pranabh Mukherjee is respectable person as a good politician as he did not play bad politics as we see today going on. I have strong belief in him that he will act in such a way that neither the congress nor the bjp will be unhappy with him. Also the present politicians can learn from him how to be good.
RSS is not an organisation that is untoucable.They are part of nation building for the last six to seven decades.Pranab Mukherjee is not doing any service to them by attending their function in Nagpur. All political leaders across party lines have associated with the RSS in one way or the other until the devout Christian and Hindu hater from Italy stepped into the political arena with her “Don Quixote” of a son.It is only now that RSS is drawn into every issue by the mother – son duo making the organisation seem like pariah to the general public.Good sense has prevailed.
Bloody media …..why it is highlighting this as much vulgar one ….I want to question if a non Congress hindutva candidate attend congress programs what the reaction of media ???? I hope they say that particular person choosing the right and eligible path …but if a non BJP candidate attending RSS meeting they show it as a vulgar and wrong path ….it is the true face of baised media ..India media is worst worst worst worst than more worser one …..
India is a country of 120 crores people and so many leaders have come and gone.Mr Pranab Mukherjee is at his liberty to attend RSS meeting similar to late Mr venkatraman protesting against Shankaracharya arrest by Jayalalitha govt. These are silly things left to be ignored for more important things to be concentrated affecting common poor people lives