#MeToo Movement has been the talk of the town breathing new life into the women’s spectrum and caters to the reporting of facts dealing with sexual harassment, abuse and physical and mental assault. It resulted in a widespread movement and galvanized activists all over the world.
International Journal of Management (IJM) Volume 11, Issue 2, February 2020, pp 62–74, Article ID: IJM_11_02_007 Available online at http://www.iaeme.com/ijm/issues.asp?JType=IJM&VType=11&IType=2 Journal Impact Factor (2020): 10.1471 (Calculated by GISI) www.jifactor.com ISSN Print: 0976-6502 and ISSN Online: 0976-6510 © IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF THE ME-TOO MOVEMENT WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BANGALORE CITY- THE TRUE STORY UNVEILED C A Annie Stephen Faculty of Commerce, Kristu Jayanti College, Bangalore, India Nithya Student - BCom, Kristu Jayanti College, Bangalore, India ABSTRACT #MeToo Movement has been the talk of the town breathing new life into the women’s spectrum and caters to the reporting of facts dealing with sexual harassment, abuse and physical and mental assault It resulted in a widespread movement and galvanized activists all over the world And it has brought out into the open stories that were buried deep within their hearts #MeToo movement that gained momentum has encouraged women to come out and speak about their personal stories of sexual harassment It was reported that majority of the cases were reported from the entertainment industry An attempt has been to understand the actual scenario of the movement on college students and the impact of the same on their lives A wellstructured questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents The results showed that majority of the cases go unreported and that majority of the victims prefer not taking any action against the predator and owing to the social stigma , silence seems to be the best alternative at hand Keywords: Metoo movement Cite this Article: C A Annie Stephen and Nithya, A Study on the Impact of the MeToo Movement with Special Reference to Bangalore City - The True Story Unveiled, International Journal of Management (IJM), 11 (2), 2020, pp 62–74 http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/issues.asp?JType=IJM&VType=11&IType=2 INTRODUCTION The #MeToo movement which is of recent origin came to India in 2017 when a student pursuing law Raya Sarkar compiled a list of alleged sexual harassers in the Indian academia The idea of women speaking up years after the alleged incident and even making these http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 62 editor@iaeme.com C A Annie Stephen and Nithya accusations anonymously threw up several questions – and over a year later, they are still in the air In an online poll of 15,000 members across the country by LocalCircles, 32 per cent said that they or one of their family members have experienced or observed sexual harassment at the work place After the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment at the workplace buffeted social media in the past weeks, a survey revealed that nearly one in three individuals have either faced it or knows someone in their family who did, and every second victim faced physical advances by the perpetrator However the work is on and the movement continues to focus on helping those who need it to find entry points for individual healing and galvanizing a broad base of survivors to disrupt the systems that allow for the global proliferation of sexual violence The main intention of the movement remains to reframe and expand the global conversation around sexual violence to speak to the needs of a broader spectrum of survivors Young people, queer, trans, and disabled folks, Black women and girls, and all communities of color The need for perpetrators to be held accountable and the strategies implemented to sustain long term, systemic change Even as the #MeToo movement began brewing in the West in 2017, a group of researchers started worrying about the fallout of the global storm that claimed many big names, starting first with the fashion industry and slowly spreading to other fields Though the #MeToo movement empowered women to speak out against sexual harassment and jolted awake sleeping sexual harassment cells at the workplace, new research has found that the effects of #MeToo on women in the workforce may not have been all positive The statistics reveal there has been a sudden spike in the sexual harassment complaints reported before the National Commission for women Figure Sudden Spike-National Commission for women LITERATURE REVIEW In a study on “The #MeToo Movement as a Global Learning Moment” by Joanna Regulska, 2018, wherin she belived to have studied that most women around the world have experienced sexual harassment, assault, and violence, or have at times been pushed into a zone where they knew it did not feel right causing pain, emotional and physical, and for others still, this moment had to be deeply buried In the context of India, Raya Sarkar, a Dalit Queer PhD Scholar, put together a List of Sexual Harassers in Academia (LoSHA) on Facebook in October 2017 Both the LoSHA and the responses to it by prominent feminists led to an uproar on social media However, with the discussion not moving beyond naming and http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 63 editor@iaeme.com A Study on the Impact of the Me-Too Movement with Special Reference to Bangalore City - The True Story Unveiled shaming, the conversation died down shortly thereafter While a couple of academicians mentioned on the list were found guilty when official enquiries were taken up, most others faced no repercussions and there was no news of any inquiry being initiated against them (Dasgupta 2018) In a study by “#Me Too Movement; It Is Time That We All Act and Participate in Transformation” by Bun-Hee Lee, 2018 led to the view that when the problem with sexual harassment is accused, it is sometimes regarded as an accuser’s fault or evidence of social maladjustment This misguided prejudice and atmosphere have kept victims in silence for a long time Therefore, this wrong prejudice should be eliminated The #MeToo movement, given the global nature of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and violence against women, it asks about our responsibilities in creating an inclusive and diverse environment conducive to advancing intercultural and intercultural understanding Ullman and PeterHagene (2014) found that confidants who react negatively to a victim’s disclosure by blaming the victim, trying to control their choices about legal or health issues related to the assault, or treating the victim differently increased the victim’s problems and ended up in a state of selfblame, and feelings of helplessness OBJECTIVES To study the challenges faced by the victims of sexual harassment To study the effect of me-too moments to the victims To study the action taken by the victims To study the consequences of the me-too moments by the victims To suggest remedies to tackle the menace of me-too victims METHODOLOGY The study has been undertaken with a pre-notion that there are a far larger proportion of people who undergo the sexual assault and the unreported cases far outnumber the cases reported The study has been conducted with the help of primary data Data has been gathered with the help of structured questionnaire administered to the respondents Data has been gathered through the Google forms wherein the respondents could give details without revealing their identity Simple graphs and charts have been used for data analysis and data inferences 4.1 Analysis GENDER Female 36% 64% Figure Gender characteristics http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 64 editor@iaeme.com C A Annie Stephen and Nithya In the above chart I can be observed that the Gender characteristics have been displayed Around 36% of the population comprised of Males and 64% percentage comprised of females The main reason for higher proportion of female respondents is that the female respondents are more prone to having a me-too experience and had shown the willingness to express CURRENT AGE 10 years-15 years 15 years-20 years 20 years-25 years 25 years-30 years 4%0% 14% 82% Figure Current Age The above graph depicts the age f the respondents Majority of the population belonged to the age category of 15 to 20 years About 14 % of the respondents were between the age of 20 to 25 years and 4% of the populations were between the ages of 25 to 30 years HAVE YOU BEEN HARASSED? Yes No 38% 62% Figure Have been harassed The above graph depicts the respondents answer to the question whether they have been harassed at any point in their lives 62% of the respondents confessed to actually being harassed by others while 38% of the respondents denied any such experience http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 65 editor@iaeme.com A Study on the Impact of the Me-Too Movement with Special Reference to Bangalore City - The True Story Unveiled WAS IT A VERBAL SEXUAL HARASSMENT Yes No 21% 79% Figure Verbal sexual harassment The chart reveals the respondents response to the verbal harassment faced by the individuals 21% of the respondents stated that they have not faced verbal sexual harassment and 79% of the respondents stated to have experienced verbal form of abuse DID YOU EXPERIENCE INAPPROPRIATE TOUCH? Yes No 40% 60% Figure Inappropriate touch On being questioned as to whether the respondents experienced inappropriate touch from the predators, about 49% of the respondents felt that they had experienced inappropriate touch and 60% of the respondents’ state to have experienced inappropriate touch http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 66 editor@iaeme.com C A Annie Stephen and Nithya DID YOU RECEIVE SEXUAL TEXT? Yes No 44% 56% Figure Sexual texts The study reveals that fact whether the respondents received any form of illicit content or text The figure shown depicts 44% of the respondents to have not received inappropriate texts while 44% have faced abuse and harassment through the sexual texts WAS IT A SEXUAL ASSAULT? Yes No 21% 79% Figure Sexual assault The above graph reveals that 21% of the respondents experienced sexual assaults while the other 79% of the respondents did not face sexual assault http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 67 editor@iaeme.com A Study on the Impact of the Me-Too Movement with Special Reference to Bangalore City - The True Story Unveiled AT WHAT AGE WAS THE INCIDENT HAPPENED? yrs-10 yrs 10 yrs-20 yrs 11% 20 yrs-30 yrs 3% 86% Figure The age of the respondents when the incidents happened The graph depicts the age of the respondents when the incidents happened which led to a form of a me-too experience 86% of the respondents experienced such unpleasant moments at the age of 10-20 years while 11% of the respondents’ experienced it at the age of 20-30 years and yet another 3% of the respondents’ experienced the same at the age of 5-10 years HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN HARASSED? 1-5 times 5-10 times 10-15 times 15 times and more 12% 0% 12% 76% Figure 10 Number of times the Respondents’ The graph presents the number of times the respondents’ have been harassed At least 76% of the respondents revealed that they have been harassed at least 1-5 times, 12% of the respondents’ have been subject to such atrocities 5-10 times and 12 % of the respondents’ have experienced it more than 15 times http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 68 editor@iaeme.com C A Annie Stephen and Nithya WAS THE PERPETRATOR A KNOWN PERSON? Yes No 37% 63% Figure 11 The perpetrator was a known person The graph here depicts whether the perpetrator was a known person I was observed that 63% of the respondents stated that it was an unknown person while 37% of the respondents’ felt that it was a know person DID YOU RAISE OBJECTION? Yes No 41% 59% Figure 12 The responses to the fact whether the victim raise any objection The graph reveals the responses to the fact whether the victim raise any objection at the time of such misbehavior It was observed that 41% of the respondents were of the opinion that they did raise objection but were subdued on account of many factors including societal pressure etc http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 69 editor@iaeme.com A Study on the Impact of the Me-Too Movement with Special Reference to Bangalore City - The True Story Unveiled WHAT WAS THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE ASSAULT? Depression Low self esteem Anger Frustation Loneliness 8% 14% 32% 24% 22% Figure 13 Consequences of assult The above graph depicts the consequences of a me-too moment experienced by the respondents It was observed that many of the respondents felt angry while 14% of the respondents felt lonely 24% of the respondents face depression and long term consequences and 32% of the respondents face d low self-esteem during their life time HOW DID YOU OVERCOME IT? Self Other's assistance 29% 71% Figure 14 The responses on the manner of overcoming the trauma faced The graph depicts the responses of the responses on the manner of overcoming the trauma faced during the incident 71% of the respondents managed themselves on their own while 29% of the respondents took the help of others to recover from the trauma caused to them http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 70 editor@iaeme.com C A Annie Stephen and Nithya WHAT WAS THE ACTION TAKEN BY YOU? Silent Informed others Retaliated(hit him back) Started protect me Try to be bold and strong Blocked him 3% 3%3% 36% 22% 33% Figure 15 Study the action taken by the respondents on account An attempt was made to study the action taken by the respondents on account of the experiences encountered by them Some of the respondents remained silent while few others informed others Some of them retaliated and got back to avenge the act Majority of the respondents tried to remain strong and bold while another considerable number of respondents took the bold step of passing on the information to others to receive help DID IT OCCUR IN A PUBLIC PLACE OR PERSONAL PLACE Public place Private place 43% 57% Figure 16 The occurrence details of the me-too moments The graph shows the occurrence details of the me-too moments 57% of the respondents faced the abuse in public places in different forms such as inappropriate text, gestures, text etc while 43% of the respondents’ experienced tragic moments in private spaces by known persons http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 71 editor@iaeme.com A Study on the Impact of the Me-Too Movement with Special Reference to Bangalore City - The True Story Unveiled HAVE YOU SHARED YOUR STORY TILL DATE Yes No 46% 54% Figure 17 The respondents response on their ability to share the incident The graph shows the respondents response on their ability to share the incident or narrate the same in a public domain such as social media or voice it out on an open space 54% of the respondents stated to have shared their story while 46% of the respondents did not reveal the matter to anyone KEY FINDINGS The study measured sexual harassment along three dimensions: gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention, and sexual coercion Gender harassment involved negative treatment of women that is not necessarily sexual, but may include things like a person making sexist remarks, telling inappropriate stories, or displaying sexist material Unwanted sexual attention includes staring, leering, ogling, or unwanted touching Sexual coercion includes bribing or pressuring women to engage in sexual behavior Sexual harassment and assault pose a significant problem, especially for women Nationwide, 64% of women and 36% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual Harassment and/or assault in their lifetime Majority of them faced assaults around the age of 15-20 years 79% of the population has faced verbal assault 60% of the sample faced inappropriate touch 56% have faced textual content that was objectionable and inappropriate Majority of them experienced it at least – times during their lifetime In majority of the cases the perpetrator was unknown person Sexual harassment and assault cause people, especially women, to experience low selfesteem, anger, frustration and lonely Many of them have reported the assault cases and have tried to handle it themselves 10 Sexual harassment takes place across a range of locations, but the most frequently listed location is a public space 11 Women most frequently reported experiencing sexual harassment in a public space like a street, park or store at their workplace or school at a nightlife venue , and at their residence http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 72 editor@iaeme.com C A Annie Stephen and Nithya most frequently reported locations were a public space their school or own residence , or their workplace or someone else’s residence 12 Those who reported sexual harassment alone were most likely to report that a stranger committed it, while those reporting assault as well as harassment were most likely to say that someone close to them was involved in the abuse SUGGESTIONS Sexual abuse can occur at any age and does not occur on the basis of race, gender, religion, or relation However the abuse gives rise to long term consequences Quick intervention can prove helpful in working with victims as otherwise treatment can seem a daunting task Instant response to the situation may help the victim to recover at a faster pace and allow the victim the ability to discuss the abuse openly without fearing social stigma and an avenue open for challenging the perpetrator It is often noticed that the perpetrator goes unpunished and if the abuse is perpetrated by a known person to the victim who could be a member of the family or a close friend, the abuse may bring in a sense of betrayal There’s no surefire way to identify a rapist Many appear completely normal, friendly, charming, and non-threatening It is always better to be prepared in such unwarranted and uncalled for circumstances Pay attention to the danger signals Your body and emotions give you clues when you’re starting to feel unsafe These clues include feeling tense, holding your breath, racing thoughts, shortness of breath, hot flashes, dizziness, and nausea Even if you intellectually understand that you’re not to blame for the rape or sexual attack, one may still end up with a struggle Such feelings may surface immediately following the assault or arise years immediately after the attack Feelings of guilt and shame often creep in and it is important that the victim carries a balanced mind and does not become a victim of self pity Provide vulnerable women with financial support or vocational training and help them become financially and socially self-reliant There has been very little population-level research asking men about their perpetration of violence Attitudes that trivialize excuse or justify violence against women – as well as attitudes that minimize the impact or shift blame from the perpetrator to the victim cause more damage than expected There is a change required in the mindset of the people towards the victim and the blame game that follows makes it more difficult for sustenance Finally the government should take this issue on priority and ensure that the law takes its course and the mechanism of justice is hastened The persons involved in the act should be taken to task and speedy CONCLUSIONS The #MeToo Movement, while to a certain degree, has offered a number of women to muster the courage to open up and speak out about the experiences of sexual harassment or abuse, it feels like it has only extended that courage to women who form the elite group Attempts to take this movement to other sections of society remained limited Moreover mos of the women fail to open out still fearing social stigma and fear of losing reputation A movement which came with a big bang and is limited to a certain section of society cannot be effective and reach its objectives http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 73 editor@iaeme.com A Study on the Impact of the Me-Too Movement with Special Reference to Bangalore City - The True Story Unveiled REFERENCES [1] Brownmiller S, against our will: Men, women and rape Ballantine Books, New York, USA, 1975 [2] Zeitlin F, Configurations or rape in Greek Myth In: Tomaselli & Porter (Eds.), Rape: An historical and social enquiry, Basil Blackwell, New 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Deraman, Ahmad Irdha Mokhtar and Nurul Asmaa Ismail, Meaning in Life and Level of Well-Being among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Persons, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 9(8), pp 417–431 2018 http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 74 editor@iaeme.com ... buried In the context of India, Raya Sarkar, a Dalit Queer PhD Scholar, put together a List of Sexual Harassers in Academia (LoSHA) on Facebook in October 2017 Both the LoSHA and the responses to it... study the challenges faced by the victims of sexual harassment To study the effect of me-too moments to the victims To study the action taken by the victims To study the consequences of the me-too. .. Harassment and/or assault in their lifetime Majority of them faced assaults around the age of 15-20 years 79% of the population has faced verbal assault 60% of the sample faced inappropriate touch