Piyush Mishra Reveals Being Sexually Harassed In Grade 7 By Female Relative: Time To Introspective

Veteran actor and singer Piyush Mishra opened up about a shocking childhood experience. He said that 50 years ago when he was in class 7, he was sexually assaulted by a female relative. Although the experience left a dark memory, he never thought about taking revenge. While his story is really heart-wrenching, people are not taking it seriously. The most disgusting comment on Piyush Mishra's sexual harassment is from men who said why don’t such relatives harass them? How can a man feel sad if a woman sexually harasses them?

People are harassed despite their gender. And harassers don’t have a particular gender either. In our society, sexual harassment is shockingly common. And this is why it is ignored as something that everyone goes through. It is trivialised as the everyday common struggle of life that each one of us goes through.

When women are harassed, questions are raised about them. They are blamed for not being careful and being sexually attractive. Now when a man gets harassed, that too by a woman, his pain is overlooked and seen rather as an ‘enjoying’ experience. The comments on Piyush Mishra’s news are so disgusting that it makes us wonder about the absence of humanity in our society.

Piyush Mishra Sexually Harassed In Grade 7: Women Too Can Harass Men

People, usually men, are commenting that having female harassers is not painful. Rather it is fun since women make themselves sexually available to men. Dome of the comments that I noticed were-

Aisi relative toh mai bhi deserve karta hu

Vo Suhane din, Vo aasiqane Din 🤩😉

Maza aaya hoga isko toh 😂

Totally senseless. How can a male feel sexually harmed by female? 90% men on earth would love to be sexually assaulted by women.

Shocked, aren’t you? Men have the belief that being harassed by a woman is being lucky. That when a woman sexually harasses a man, the man doesn’t feel pain but pleasure.

But is this right? Is being sexually harassed ever a good experience? Just because the harasser is a woman, does sexual harassment become pleasure-seeking activity?

It is easy for men to say that women harassing men is pleasure seeking activity. But if you look at the records, the picture is entirely different. According to a study, 1.9 per cent of men and 7.5 per cent of women were sexually harassed in the workplace. Such men and women were prone to poor mental health and suicidal thoughts.

Now think and tell me- is sexual harassment desirable for men?

The main reason behind this perception is the idea that women are never considered harmful to men. It is believed that even if women want to harm men, they are either overpowered or reduced to pleasure-providing objects. Moreover, men’s consent for sex is always taken for granted. And so if a female harasses them, they would rather like it than feel bad.

A similar incident happened recently when a female fan was trying to kiss the actor Aditya Roy Kapoor despite his resistance. Or else remember the scene from Bridgeton season one where Daphne forces herself on Simon to get a child despite his disapproval?

These incidents and the comments section of Mishra’s news clearly show that men’s consent is always taken for granted. Moreover, it is assumed that a woman cannot harass a man because men are always on the lookout for women who are sexually available to them.

It is because of all this that sexual harassment among men is trivialised. It is assumed that men can never be harassed-one because they are powerful and two because they have more sexual prowess and needs than women.

But is it right to make such generalisations? Is it okay to undermine the trauma of a man who has been sexually harassed?

Sexual harassment, whether it happens with a man or a woman, is never desirable or pleasurable. It is a breach of a person’s consent and privacy and causes harm to the sense of self. If women are seen as survivors of sexual harassment and their traumas are usually recognised, men should get this right too. Harassment of men is also a part of gender-based crime. Their traumas are equally painful as are women’s. And if they live through it, they too are survivors of sexual harassment.

But dear society, let us understand that sexual harassment in any case is painful. Non-consensual sexual advances leave dark spots on our memories and bodies. Be it a man, woman or any other gender, sexual harassment can never be justified as something that one liked. It is a crime, no matter who faces it or who perpetuates it.

Views expressed are the author's own.

Suggested Reading: Perinatal Depression Is Common In New Father Too, Finds Study