‘Victim Might Be A Stranger But She Needs Our Support’

‘Abuse,
asking
for
sexual
favours,
and
expecting
women
to
compromise
to
gain
a
foothold
or
accelerate
their
careers
exist
in
every
field.’
‘Why
is
a
woman
alone
expected
to
go
through
the
grind?’

Actor-politician
Khushboo
Sundar
said
the
Kerala
government-appointed
Justice
K
Hema
Committee
was
‘much
needed’
to
break
the
abuse
faced
by
female
professionals
in
the
Malayalam
film
industry
and
urged
women
not
to
compromise
and
the
men
to
speak
up
for
victims
of
sexual
harassment.

The
#MeToo
moment
prevailing
in
‘our
industry
breaks
you,’
the
senior
actor
said
in
a
post
on

X.

‘Kudos
to
the
women
who
have
stood
their
ground
and
emerged
victorious.
The
#HemaCommittee
was
much
needed
to
break
the
abuse.
But
will
it?’
the
BJP
leader
added.

The
Justice
Hema
Committee
was
constituted
by
the
Kerala
government
after
the
2017
actress
assault
case
and
its
report
revealed
instances
of
harassment
and
exploitation
of
women
in
the
Malayalam
cinema
industry.

It
has
revealed
exploitation
and
abuse
of
women,
leading
to
many
women
actors
coming
out
with
allegations
of
harassment
at
the
hands
of
their
male
counterparts
and
other
men
in
the
industry.

‘Abuse,
asking
for
sexual
favours,
and
expecting
women
to
compromise
to
gain
a
foothold
or
accelerate
their
careers
exist
in
every
field.
Why
is
a
woman
alone
expected
to
go
through
the
grind?
Although
men
too
face
it,
it’s
marginally
women
who
bear
the
brunt,’
Sundar
said.

The
fear
of
being
shamed,
victim
blaming,
and
questions
like
‘why
did
you
do
it’
or
‘What
made
you
do
it’
break
the
woman.

‘The
victim
might
be
a
stranger
to
you
or
me,
but
she
needs
our
support,
an
ear
to
listen,
and
emotional
backing
from
us
all.
When
questioning
why
she
didn’t
come
out
earlier,
we
need
to
consider
her
circumstances
—
not
everyone
is
privileged
to
speak
out,’
she
said.

‘To
all
the
men
out
there,
I
implore
you
to
stand
by
the
victim
and
show
your
unwavering
support,’
she
added.

Photographs
curated
by
Manisha
Kotian/Rediff.com