The `Me too` campaign of the victims of
sexual harassment by men has caught on
in a big way. Reputations of many
celebrities from the films, music,media, politics,business and many other
fields lie shattered. Most of the victims have woken up late- some of them 15 to 20 years after the occurrence of such abuses. This has sent
shivers down the pants ( or dhotis) of many other celebrities, who were proud
of their conquests , at the height of their careers. Many of them are trying to
go down memory lane to check for any
skeletons in their cupboards. No wonder many of them are spending sleepless nights.
Many companies, industry bodies,
professional associations have started taking cognizance of this campaign and
have started taking actions against the
predators, who suddenly find themselves to be Pariahs! They are being
shunned by every one- their
friends, colleagues, associates and even family members in some cases. While
some of them with deep pockets are taking the legal route to clear their
reputations, many others have preferred to lie low until the campaign loses its
steam as it happens with many controversies . As it is already happening with
the `Me Too` campaign too!
While many
of the affected celebrities are
worried that their entire future has become a question mark, I know of a few
octogenerians and nanogenerians, who were notorious casanovas in
their younger days, who are not worried about the `Me too` phenomenon.
One of them, in his early nineties proudly declared `I am not worried because I
have survived most of my potential
accusers. They are all dead. Ha!..Ha!...`
A speaker at our
Rotary meeting who was speaking on the topic,
`Sexual
harassment at the workplace` threw some interesting
insights about this problem. She mentioned that while in many cases the intentions of the men who were indulging
in such acts might be innocent banter, it became a problem when such acts created a negative
impact on the victims. She also advised
the women to protest at the first instance of any kind of sexual harassment
they experience in their work place so that the offender gets the message loud
and clear that they are upset - even if
it is simple double meaning words or an improper touch. If the problem still persists she advised the victims to take up the matter with their superiors or even the CEO, if necessary.
She also surprised
the audience by mentioning that research has shown that about 10% of the men
also are affected by sexual harassment in the working place by women, apart
from homosexuals. Some one in the
audience mentioned that in many of the IT companies where men & women rub shoulders on a regular basis,
it is not unusual for young women flirting with their bosses or colleagues. Some
times against the wishes of the men concerned. What happens in such a
situation? Should the men also register their protests with the
management or may be start a campaign on the lines of `Me Too` campaign. It
seems it does exist and is called `Him Too ` and many managements are already
taking cognizance of such complaints from men.
The speaker `s advice
to men in general - ` Watch carefully for the reaction of the women when you
are deliberately or innocently indulging in acts which may be construed as
harassment. If you notice even the
slightest resistance do not continue. Also before you indulge in acts of
harassment, think of your reaction to
someone harassing your own wife or
daughter or a near and dear one.`
This article has
appeared in the Adyar times issue dated , 5-11th May,2019 under my column
`Rajan`s Random Reflections`
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