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Men who undermine women with sexual harassment will always feel empowered if we constantly dismiss the experience shared. It does not matter when you tell – it is very important that you do tell!
Thank you Mari
I write this as a clarification, as they have been beseiged by calls after my Print article appeared.
NCAS, of which I am a founder-member has done very good work over the decades.
I’ve been assured by reliable sources that NCAS had nothing to do with Mazher Hussain after my denouement, over a decade ago.
It would however be wonderful,in my opinion, if it undertook a cleaning up operation, with regards to sexual exploitation as it knows the NGO world so well.
Like we have seen Khurshid Anwar. He was spearheading Nirbhaya protests in the morning and raping his own team members in the evening. That divorcee has created more harm to the society than any one else.
It’s so true. I have so many instances where women were not allowed to speak up within organisations and rather were forced to leave. I just feel that ensuring that you fight your cause is the first step, you will also get support.
It takes more than courage to speak up and pin point this ugly intolerant behaviour . Thank you Mari for speaking out and trust more women traumatised will take courage to stand for their rights and shun men who use their power and position to humiliate women they pick on. It’s time for introspection and redemption.
Public Notice
COVA executive board met on 16th October in the context of the sexual harassment published in the online news portal THE PRINT on COVA Executive Director Dr.Mazer Hussain. The board unanimously decided to set up a 3 women member committee drawn from the social sector. The committee will enquire into the entire issue and submit a detailed report to the board within one and half months time. The board also asked Dr Mazher Hussain to go on leave for three months.
– Rama jyothi, President
-Varghese Theckanath, Secretary
It takes immense courage to speak out, both then and now. In the bleakness of current political scenario both locally and world over, you bring hope. Thank you for being an inspiring role model. Woman-time HAS come!
Ashok, (first comment on this article) has clearly missed the point. People like you are part of the problem when your only takeways are to be worried about this bring generalized to tarnish the whole sector and that went ought to speak up – in this case she DID speak up and nothing happened.
We need to change and start believing survivors, and actively support them and have zero tolerance for sexual harassment and assualt. THAT is what you should takeaway from #metoo.
I can confirm that the Mazhar issue led to his being unofficially banned from being invited for subsequent NCAS GB meetings. I hope that ban is still in place. And I can also confirm that I myself know of at least two other NGO leaders who had relationships (presumably sexual) with women (other than their wives) who worked under them. I am not sure whether these were consensual relationships, but as Mari pointed out, even consensual relationships in such situations need to be questioned. So this is definitely an issue that needs to be called out, but unfortunately, like those who supported Mari with their comments, it is difficult to speak out unless the women involved are willing to speak up. Mari has offered a role model for others to take up the baton. I wonder how many will.
Mari, your story is so inspiring and should be read by hundreds across the world to stop these dirty old men misusing their positions of power. So glad to see that all your supporters are women too and ofcourse the ‘old boy’ network rears it’s head to nay say your opinion. Ignore them.
This movement will hopefully help our next generation of women, be strong and slap back any misuse of power by any man. Yes, the time has come and your article vocalises it perfectly.
Well said Mari and I hope your courage spreads to other women in India and even here. Its a hard call for any woman which must change for our daughters sake!
You are a role-model. I am happy you wrote about this since there have been other cases as well where seniors kept mum because of the money and emoluments. As Marx says finally things boil down to who belongs to which class, and I add gender has not yet cut across class. Women too speak the same language as men when they belong to the same class..and NGOs are all about funds. I have never been beguiled by their sweet fake words!! All NGOs may not have predators but they definitely don’t speak against them.
Well said, Mari! All too often, ‘progressive’ men get away with sexist and prurient behaviour because women judge them by different standards. Glad you had the guts to call him out.
I know a couple of old fools who think that Mazher Hussainshould get a national award for his work. I know the man and have heard countless women complain about him. Im glad this puts paid to his Nobel prize hopes.
Thank you, Mari, for your courage in speaking out about this sorry incident, for how courageously you responded at the time – and for sharing the even sorrier response of some of your colleagues. You DID speak up at the time and were not heard – like so many others in that situation. The airline did not ‘book’ him, the conference organisers did not ban him… If his crime had been financial dishonesty I suspect he would not have been let off so easily. Hopefully Woman Time* coming means that professional status will no longer trump (pun intended) sexual abuse, just as it doesn’t trump other crimes. But this is not just an NGO malaise – it is a societal malaise… which sector can say that it hasn’t experienced such sorry stories? For the NGO sector this is the #WeToo moment.
*I found the song! https://youtu.be/hSOaXReL_98
Lots of people are gunning for NGOs nowadays, which I think is unjustified. Have no personal knowledge of how much good work they are doing on the ground, which could be substantial. It should not be nullified because they get a few foreign junkets. It would also be unfair to generalise and use one incident to paint all / many of them as predators. 2. The constructive takeaway from Me Too is that women, especially those who could have lived with the consequences of so doing, ought to have spoken up much earlier. Mazher Hussain should have been booked eighteen years ago. The airline would have dealt with the paperwork.
Men who undermine women with sexual harassment will always feel empowered if we constantly dismiss the experience shared. It does not matter when you tell – it is very important that you do tell!
Thank you Mari
A month and a half has past since the COVA Exec Comm formed a committe to look into this matter. Anyone knows what is the outcome?
I write this as a clarification, as they have been beseiged by calls after my Print article appeared.
NCAS, of which I am a founder-member has done very good work over the decades.
I’ve been assured by reliable sources that NCAS had nothing to do with Mazher Hussain after my denouement, over a decade ago.
It would however be wonderful,in my opinion, if it undertook a cleaning up operation, with regards to sexual exploitation as it knows the NGO world so well.
Like we have seen Khurshid Anwar. He was spearheading Nirbhaya protests in the morning and raping his own team members in the evening. That divorcee has created more harm to the society than any one else.
Details – https://themalefactor.com/2013/12/20/khurshid-anwars-death-an-eye-opener-for-many/
It’s so true. I have so many instances where women were not allowed to speak up within organisations and rather were forced to leave. I just feel that ensuring that you fight your cause is the first step, you will also get support.
It takes more than courage to speak up and pin point this ugly intolerant behaviour . Thank you Mari for speaking out and trust more women traumatised will take courage to stand for their rights and shun men who use their power and position to humiliate women they pick on. It’s time for introspection and redemption.
Public Notice
COVA executive board met on 16th October in the context of the sexual harassment published in the online news portal THE PRINT on COVA Executive Director Dr.Mazer Hussain. The board unanimously decided to set up a 3 women member committee drawn from the social sector. The committee will enquire into the entire issue and submit a detailed report to the board within one and half months time. The board also asked Dr Mazher Hussain to go on leave for three months.
– Rama jyothi, President
-Varghese Theckanath, Secretary
It takes immense courage to speak out, both then and now. In the bleakness of current political scenario both locally and world over, you bring hope. Thank you for being an inspiring role model. Woman-time HAS come!
Ashok, (first comment on this article) has clearly missed the point. People like you are part of the problem when your only takeways are to be worried about this bring generalized to tarnish the whole sector and that went ought to speak up – in this case she DID speak up and nothing happened.
We need to change and start believing survivors, and actively support them and have zero tolerance for sexual harassment and assualt. THAT is what you should takeaway from #metoo.
I can confirm that the Mazhar issue led to his being unofficially banned from being invited for subsequent NCAS GB meetings. I hope that ban is still in place. And I can also confirm that I myself know of at least two other NGO leaders who had relationships (presumably sexual) with women (other than their wives) who worked under them. I am not sure whether these were consensual relationships, but as Mari pointed out, even consensual relationships in such situations need to be questioned. So this is definitely an issue that needs to be called out, but unfortunately, like those who supported Mari with their comments, it is difficult to speak out unless the women involved are willing to speak up. Mari has offered a role model for others to take up the baton. I wonder how many will.
Mari, your story is so inspiring and should be read by hundreds across the world to stop these dirty old men misusing their positions of power. So glad to see that all your supporters are women too and ofcourse the ‘old boy’ network rears it’s head to nay say your opinion. Ignore them.
This movement will hopefully help our next generation of women, be strong and slap back any misuse of power by any man. Yes, the time has come and your article vocalises it perfectly.
Well said Mari and I hope your courage spreads to other women in India and even here. Its a hard call for any woman which must change for our daughters sake!
You are a role-model. I am happy you wrote about this since there have been other cases as well where seniors kept mum because of the money and emoluments. As Marx says finally things boil down to who belongs to which class, and I add gender has not yet cut across class. Women too speak the same language as men when they belong to the same class..and NGOs are all about funds. I have never been beguiled by their sweet fake words!! All NGOs may not have predators but they definitely don’t speak against them.
Well said, Mari! All too often, ‘progressive’ men get away with sexist and prurient behaviour because women judge them by different standards. Glad you had the guts to call him out.
I know a couple of old fools who think that Mazher Hussainshould get a national award for his work. I know the man and have heard countless women complain about him. Im glad this puts paid to his Nobel prize hopes.
Who would have believed other women if Mari herself was not listened to. Thanks Mari for talking about it.
Thank you, Mari, for your courage in speaking out about this sorry incident, for how courageously you responded at the time – and for sharing the even sorrier response of some of your colleagues. You DID speak up at the time and were not heard – like so many others in that situation. The airline did not ‘book’ him, the conference organisers did not ban him… If his crime had been financial dishonesty I suspect he would not have been let off so easily. Hopefully Woman Time* coming means that professional status will no longer trump (pun intended) sexual abuse, just as it doesn’t trump other crimes. But this is not just an NGO malaise – it is a societal malaise… which sector can say that it hasn’t experienced such sorry stories? For the NGO sector this is the #WeToo moment.
*I found the song! https://youtu.be/hSOaXReL_98
Lots of people are gunning for NGOs nowadays, which I think is unjustified. Have no personal knowledge of how much good work they are doing on the ground, which could be substantial. It should not be nullified because they get a few foreign junkets. It would also be unfair to generalise and use one incident to paint all / many of them as predators. 2. The constructive takeaway from Me Too is that women, especially those who could have lived with the consequences of so doing, ought to have spoken up much earlier. Mazher Hussain should have been booked eighteen years ago. The airline would have dealt with the paperwork.
A truth inspire of being told years later remains a truth…end of story