#MeToo in India: a true revolution against sexual abuse must begin at home

Priya Virmani says centuries of subjugation have made women in India easy prey for sexual predators. Now is the time to ride the momentum of the #MeToo movement to demand change – particularly at home, where much of the abuse occurs

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Women activists shout slogans condemning the rape of a nineteen-year old girl while protesting in New Delhi, India, in September. Photo: AP

Published: 10:31pm, 16 Oct 2018Updated: 1:31am, 17 Oct 2018

Earlier this year, the Thomson Reuters Foundation ranked India as the most dangerous country for women. A few months down the line, the Pandora’s Box of gender-based atrocities has finally opened in India. This was long and painfully overdue.

Countless “survivors” have courageously come forward in recent months to name a celebrity sexual predator. The growing list is the beginning of a significant movement that bears the hope of challenging and overturning the Thomson Reuters survey finding once and for all.

Former Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta recently repeated the complaint she first made 10 years ago, accusing well-known actor Nana Patekar of inappropriate behaviour on a film set. Her statement this time ignited a second wave of the #MeToo movement in India. Photo: AFP

Last year, I gave a talk in Kolkata on the #MeToo movement that was taking shape in the West. The response I received was overwhelming. Many women across the age spectrum came to me and spoke about their stories of violence, assault and abuse at the hands of men, mostly men in their lives – relatives, husbands, boyfriends and bosses.

Until the hypocrisy within the family is faced up to, real and lasting change will not come

They also shared stories of children being violated, mostly within the family space. They were speaking in confidence, they said, but I fervently hoped they would find the courage to speak out, that #MeToo would reach India and give the perpetrating men no place to hide.