Harassment
On International Men’s Day, scores march against ‘#MeToo harassment’, demand justice
On the occasion of International Men’s Day, scores of men marched through New Delhi’s hub, Connaught Place Monday and demanded an end to the harassment of their sex, Indiatimes reported. The march was organised by men rights groups named Save Family Foundation and Men Welfare Trust.
Slogans like “Men Want Justice,” were shouted with the participants holding placards which read, “Stop treating husband as an ATM”.
The demonstrators also demanded that a Men’s Commission should be set up on the national level, similar to a Women’s Commission, to address the grievances of men, according to the report.
“We are leading a peaceful march for the rights for men. Today, the men are in a very difficult situation. Especially if you look at the recent me too camping. The campaign has made it so easy to name and shame any man, without any proof or evidence. Men are being demonized without any fault of theirs,” Wasif Ali, Co-founder of Save Family Foundation, and one of the organizers of the march said, as quoted by IT.
Ali also added that the media and the judicial system are biased against men when it comes to the famed #MeToo campaign.
The MeToo movement, with many local and international alternatives, is a movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault. #MeToo went viral in October 2017 as a hashtag used on social media in an attempt to demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace.
The ‘MeToo’ hashtag was kick started in India following actor Tanushree Dutta’s sexual harassment accusation on fellow actor Nana Patekar, which led to a chain of events leading to resignations by top corporate heads in few organizations.
“There is no justice system left for the men who are accused during the ‘me too’. They also face a media trial and the man’s reputation is damaged,” Ali said Monday regarding the ongoing movement.
The protesters said the solution for their grievances is the setting up of a Men’s Commission which will exclusively address the complaints of men, in cases like dowry harassment, divorce and custody of children.
“We want a ‘Men’s Commission’ to address our concerns. Every year, double the number of men commits suicide than women. 90,000 men commit suicide in India every year, compared to 40,000 women. But there is no one to hear our concerns. There has to be a separate men’s body,” Ali said, as quoted in the report.
“Even in most of the court cases for the custody of the child, 98% of the time it goes in the favour of the women. I even struggle to get visiting rights to their own children. Why is it so? ” Ali asked.
The group states to have thousands of members across India and fight for the rights of men.