advertisement
Next in line in India’s #MeToo movement, which is spreading like a wildfire at the moment, is Kashmir. By Tuesday evening, 9 October, more than 13 cases of sexual harassment had surfaced.
It began with the Kashmir Women's Collective, that took the initiative of documenting stories of harassment.
In a publicly accessible Google document, the collective has clarified that the women mentioned in the cases wish to remain anonymous for their own safety.
“We have collected this data from the primary source, the women themselves, and after their consent, are sharing it publicly for a few reasons,” the document specifies.
Listing ten instances of what comprises cases of sexual harassment and terming them as an example of absolute male privilege and entitlement, the collective said, “These girls have stayed quiet for too long. Let's support them, unconditionally.”
Among the 13 cases, including the ones with unnamed harassers, the following prominent names surfaced:
The list also mentions a shocking recount of sexual assault by a woman who was abused by her paternal aunt. Her account reads:
According to the collective, “these are cases ranging from frivolous chats with absolute disregard to the girl’s discomfort, silence or disinterest, to attempts at physical assaults and forceful inappropriate touching.”
On a commonly asked questions against survivor’s silence, the collective has said that, “Not everyone would like to lodge an FIR because the justice system is slow, weak and biased and hectic too. It is their choice how they pursue their case. We should support them.”
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)