Indian #MeToo Is Also About Calling Out Male Transgressions

A lot of people are finding the Indian version of #MeToo a bit confusing. While globally the movement is about addressing sexual harassment, the Indian #MeToo is also calling out male transgressions. Many are accusing women of misdirecting by calling out incidences and male behaviour which cannot be classified as harassment. So does this mean that our #MeToo movement is haywire and clueless? Do Indian women not understand what counts as sexual harassment? Or is it that people are yet to fully comprehend the nature of our complaints?

The Indian #MeToo is not just about addressing sexual harassment and abuse at the hands of powerful men, who have long been masquerading as woke boys on the social scene, but it is also about how men in our country simply don’t understand boundaries. They try to pass on their continuous pestering and disrespect of workspace ethics as “harmless flirting”. But for women who are already burdened with oppression and misogyny, this harmless behaviour shows lack of respect towards them and their work.

It was essential to call out this disrespect towards our boundaries

Most people till now have associated the #MeToo Movement with sexual harassment and abuse exclusively. When they look from that lens, certain behaviours may seem unfit to be called out under this category. But can people outrightly deny that behaviours such as repeated pestering for a date, despite a loud and firm no, or trying to make professional transactions hit off on a personal level, again, despite refusal from the female party involved, are not a problem? Haven't we all faced this creepy persuasion from men, who don’t understand where encroachment into a woman’s personal space begins? Fox-trotting on that line, as per their convenience is also a problematic.

SOME TAKEAWAYS

• Many are accusing women of misdirecting Indian #MeToo Movement by calling out incidences and male behaviour which cannot be classified as harassment.
• #MeToo in India is also about how men in our country simply don’t understand boundaries.
• Haven't we all faced this creepy persuasion from men, who don’t understand where work ethics end and encroachment into a woman’s personal space begins?
• There are certain behaviours which may lie outside the spectrum of what counts as harassment and still be disturbing to women.

What hurts more is that most men understand that their behaviour is unprofessional or unethical. They hear our “NO” and yet they persist with their "wooing". This hints at the entitlement they feel. If a man is repeating unacceptable behaviour with multiple women, if he refuses to mind his etiquette, despite repeated reminders, then it needs to be called out. No woman deserves to be uncomfortable in her workplace. Besides by not calling out, we are also letting other naïve women walk into the very trap, that we had to claw our way out of.

We know how bothersome it is to receive “casual” onslaught of messages from our bosses. We know how unwanted phone calls from a man of power, just to chit chat are bothersome.

No woman deserves to endure such attitude and spend months or days in panic mode, wondering what kind of personal and professional repercussions this might bring to her. The inability of Indian men to take no for an answer is legendary. Their wounded egos often lead men down the path of hatred and revenge against women who have declined to entertain their advances.

The professional repercussions of male advances are also another reason why men need to be called out for their transgressions.

Harassment is a very broad term, encompassing varying patterns of sexually predatory behaviour. Yet there are certain misdemeanours which may lie outside its spectrum and still be disturbing. The Indian #MeToo thus is also an attempt to re-establish that line beyond which lies a woman’s discomfort. While men’s wokeness may make them feel that they are on the right side, this redrawing of boundaries has told them that it is quite the otherwise. Many unacceptable parts of male professional behaviours have ended up being normalised over time.

Male transgression is an equally important part of the Indian #MeToo.  It is a reminder to all men who think of themselves as progressive, that their own definition of boundaries needs immediate revision.

Also Read : Why It’s Not Easy To Acknowledge Workplace Harassment For Women

Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section. The views expressed are the author’s own.