Women empowerment features in the news again because of the sudden public opinion expressed by the #MeToo campaign. I believe social media has given a voice to every one for expressing their views on the topic of ‘Harassment at the workplace’, I doubt its credibility.

Firstly, harassment/crimes against women is not new for Indians due to the patriarchal system. Feminists have been working for decades to uplift the status of women. They constantly root for giving equal opportunities at every level. Then, why does the #MeToo movement become so popular – Is it because an actress lodged a complaint against a male actor for harassing her 10 years ago? Should we consider this as genuine concern for the whole movement of Feminism or is it just a publicity stunt?

Secondly, if you are a victim of harassment of any kind, shouldn’t you oppose it instantly or should you wait for the Western world to start a campaign and follow suit? The powerful people who are raising their voices now on social media, have they even visited or supported an NGO that is working towards women empowerment? By creating a ruckus on social media do you think you will seek justice?

Thirdly, many people are raising false allegations which is diluting the credibility of the entire movement. If an offence has been committed, lodge an FIR, file a court case and wait for the verdict. Seriously, I don’t find any good reason of raising an issue after 10 years – what kind of an example are you setting? Is it ok to accept harassment quietly just because you need the job and later when you arrive at an influential position you want public support to seek justice? Everyone is a lone fighter in this world. Don’t you have the strength and courage to fight the culprit on your own? Why do you demand public recognition for challenging the oppressor?

Fourthly, I have strict reservations when people use the term ‘harassment’ casually. Do you know what is the trauma associated with any kind of harassment? Are you ready to suffer the pain and revolt later? It will be unreasonable to generalize the entire male fraternity of being guilty of harassment. As it is said ‘ek macchli poore talab ko ganda karti hai’. Neither all men are good or bad and same goes for women too. In the corporate world, I myself have witnessed instances of a woman being taken advantage of at her own will. Should we ignore such incidents? Should men also start a movement against these women?

Finally, a question for the women : you demand equality with men at all levels, but until the mindset of the public changes vis-à-vis how a woman should be treated and respected as an individual, are you strong enough to face the music?

I am glad that people are talking about harassment (not new though) but this movement will bear fruit only if the problem is resolved at the grassroot level. There is no point in creating fear in the minds of men when the law and order does not have any answers to punish the offenders. If the movement goes in the wrong way, men will be scared to talk to women or even work with them. I don’t think this is its goal. Think about it and share your views too.

 Few members of my peer group have expressed their opinion #MeToo

Sudarshan Vig, an IT Professional and a passionate photographer believes, “ The #MeToo movement is a welcome step to unmask to the world, predators and perpetrators who think they are above the law since they wear a garb of power. If you notice, in most cases, the fiercely famous and powerful ones who are named because if they weren’t, the cases are usually reported with less fear or flak. Another case would be relatives indulging in this predatory behaviour. The timing of reporting is never an issue because of the said power and societal norms. Hence, only unity helps. One thing we need to note of this psyche is that these people are serial harassers, so there are always multiple women who have gone through this psychological darkness and hence unity always helps in getting the animal down. I hope this movement sustains so that there is better judgement as to what is acceptable, and patriarchy slowly dies a well-needed death. “

 Suhas Bhatnagar, a poet and writer states, “I don’t think the movement called #MeToo is going to last long. Even right now the phase has gone slow. The reason behind is in India the society is male-dominated and the men don’t accept their pitfalls easily. I am in favor of this movement and I thought it shall give some confidence to women. But, I am sorry to say this was misused and common women didn’t participate, the only reason being a male-dominated society. Tell me the names of any prominent actor who is charged in this movement. Only second-class actors were targeted. Moreover, the prominent actresses have dared it. We must remember #MeToo is not only for women, it is also for male household servants who have suffered in the so-called high society.”

 Read: Sexual Harassment At Workplace: The Laws and the Dos and Don’ts

Chirasree Bose, an IT professional and author states, “I don’t reproach this new campaign ‘#metoo’. Neither do I support it blindly just because it endorses women empowerment. I do not doubt the credibility of someone’s protest because they’ve voiced their agony after a long space of ten years. Because I believe a sinner should be punished – always. Even if his doing surfaces after a decade. However what really piques me is some supposed feminists (with no idea of its real meaning) take advantage of such campaigns to satisfy their own need of fame and cheap publicity. And this often leads to people questioning the integrity of women who genuinely have suffered. Therefore I never really get obsessed over these new cults which are expressed through ‘hashtags’ on social media. Instead let’s acknowledge the underlying issue head-on and encourage our women to stand up to it. ”

Read : Only 6.6% sexual harassment cases in India resulted in convictions

Aarzoo Mehek, a spiritual thinker and a lovely poetess shares her view on #MeToo. She says, ” The viral hashtag of the #MeToo movement is just the tip of the iceberg. The eruption of the suppressed emotions, shame, hurt, and sexual harassment at the hands of their male counterpart has taken social media by storm. Being a woman I can relate to this outburst of women whose careers have been sabotaged and their growth has been limited.

The question is, how far is this accusation validated.

Raking the dirt after so many years raises lots of doubts and credibility of the instance. Unnecessary mudslinging is creating a rift between genders. The essence of the #MeToo movement is lost amidst the turbocharged social media. The #MeToo movement will come to its conclusion when the voice of the victim is heard without them being judged for it.

 I thank all the contributors for voicing their opinion. With so many voices being raised against harassment in Indian workplaces, what is your SAY about #MeToo? Leave your comments in the section below.