The #metoo movement started in 2017, in October. The first case that led to the rise of the movement was the sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein in October 2017. But #metoo in India was not only hashtagged “me too” but also with a few other things, like #balancetonporc, which translates to ‘Expose the pig’. It is an anti-sexual harassment initiative that encourages women to name and shame the perpetrators of sexual harassment by posting screenshots of sexual comments received as a reply to their statuses or photos. Many see it as a move towards cleansing society of its toxic masculinity.
The movement, sparked by allegations of sexual abuse directed at Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein by numerous women, spread quickly. It gave women who had never spoken out about the abuse and men that perpetuated it a platform to speak out. The questions that this movement raises are not about how many women experienced sexual harassment or assault, but why it is so common for women to experience it. India was the last major country where #metoo was not yet big. Sexual harassment and assault is a global issue and it affected people irrespective of their class and religion. Everyone had to admit that the scale of violence against women was huge, but there was no way to count the number of people who suffered from it in silence or to recognize survivors in a crowd.
The #MeToo movement in India has failed to generate the same kind of impact that it did in western countries. It is a very disturbing situation emerging in the Indian part of the Twitterverse. The failure of #MeToo in India has been blamed on patriarchy and misogyny, but I am not buying it. I am going to explain why I believe this movement failed miserably in India and what we should do about it. But it failed to create any impact in India. Men who did their big sexual assaults were not seen in the media. Those famous women who started the MeToo movement were too sophisticated to talk about their sexual assault experiences in India. Metoo Movement is a sort of feminist movement that encourages women all over the world to speak out and in particular, to share their stories of sexual harassment. Me too Movement aims at empowering women to express their sexual harassment in the fight for justice.
For the first time in #MeToo history, India finally received coverage when it happened. But there were hardly any major repercussions in any of the cases that came out on social media. A few people were fired from their jobs and all the rest of the people who were called out have gone on to a normal life. #MeToo Movement was a watershed moment for women. It was an opportunity for them to speak out against men who had sexually harassed them at work. It was a catharsis. After years of fear and silence, women finally dared to name their perpetrators and in the process, gave others the courage to stand up and say #Metoo as well.