Some of our great religious teachers, greatest philosophers, poets, writers and other intellectuals have raised it, discussed it and, prescribed for it, and done so for millennia, but, the sexual harassment of women by men continues. It also continues to be challenged and, perhaps, as never before, by the women victims themselves.
A new, powerful, challenge began last year in the American entertainment industry shaming dozens of male showbiz legends, and unseating industry moghuls. It has compelled whole sectors of social, economic and political life in America to become more alert to the harassment of women and sensitive to their newfound resistance to it.
First, a few women in Hollywood began to publicise their sexual victimisation in October 2017 in the revelations against film industry tycoon Harvey Weinstein. Then, with the use of social platforms like Twitter, Facebook and e-mail networks, women across the industry began to share their own stories of sexual harassment by their powerful bosses.
One American feminist activist had even earlier, in 2006, begun using the phrase ‘Me, too’ in her writings and advocacy against sexual harassment. In the wake of the Weinstein affair, a Hollywood actress began using the Twitter hashtag ‘#MeToo’ to encourage women to upload their own experiences of harassment on to Twitter and other social media platforms.
#MeToo spread like wildfire across the world – resulting in many exposés of misbehaviour by prominent men. Last week, for the first time, two Sri Lankan cricket stars have had to face such accusations by women in India about incidents of harassment during cricket tours there.
How this will be dealt with depends on the acumen of these sports legends as well as the sensitivity and accountability of the relevant authorities on both sides of the Palk Strait. Twitter accusations must remain simply allegations until they are found to be substantive. Even if ‘guilt’ is not established or, cannot be established, at the very least, the newfound mass scale networks of public exposure and social solidarity among women will surely provide new empowerment to combat this social malaise.
Sexual harassment is a form of behaviour of men towards women that presumes decisive power over women’s bodies, their sexuality and social autonomy – a power that then could result in predatory sexual behaviour based on a presumption of consent, sometimes a perceived ‘reluctant’ consent. In other circumstances of professional control, women are simply compelled to give ‘consent’ and remain mum about it thereafter.
“Stealing a kiss” sounds so romantic only if there is a presumption of a pretended resistance to the kiss. Theft, after all, implies a forcible appropriation or a misappropriation through deceit. It is only the presumption that the person resisting the kiss is just pretending, that dilutes the criminal aspect of the action. How often have seemingly gallant men done precisely that?
The theft of a kiss can be de-criminalised as a romantic exploit through such wordplay, but it can also be an act of physical violence if the lady concerned genuinely did not consent. And, there are a myriad other ways that male sexual attentions are imposed on women.
Such impositions range from a daily dose of sexual innuendo in office or social gathering, to hints for sexual favours during professional life or sentimental overtures by seemingly fond, male family elders. These are the softer, less obvious aspects of the pervasive phenomenon of sexual harassment.
The darker side is the secretive, forced physical attentions on women by more powerful men in situations in which the victims have no means of proving the assault nor have the social or professional confidence to even make the accusation. Subdued by the dominance of male superiors and gendered marginalisation, such victims of sexual harassment are often trapped into vicious cycles of regular sexual exploitation – even if not regular rape, at least other forms of forced physical attentions.
That women across the world are constant victims of such physical and mental trauma and, such experiences are hidden away, is an awful truth that has been sidelined although long acknowledged as a reality. Modern communications technology today has offered an opportunity for women to not only share their sexual traumas but also to inform the world about them.
#MeToo has opened up vast new opportunities not only for women victims to share their trauma and demand justice but also for both men and women to join together in advocacy against this dark side of human relationships – the aspect of sexual dominance, exploitation and plain cruelty. The use of cyber communications power by ordinary citizens in this manner will, hopefully, soon complement the endeavours of the authorities in combatting this socially pervasive criminal behaviour.
It is to be hoped that this new impetus against this form of gender exploitation will result in systematic measures being taken that address the many aspects of the problem – from work place social standards and security, to enforcement and criminal prosecution, to education and social awareness-building.