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By APD writer Rishika Chauhan
**NEW DELHI, October 12: **The movement famously called #MeToo, which entails survivors of sexual harassment calling out to their harassers and share their story through social media is picking pace in India.
The #MeToo movement started earlier in Hollywood when a number of actresses named their harassers, however it reached India recently when a former actress Tanushree Dutta, recounted her ten year old ordeal when a veteran, Nana Patekar harassed her.
Her action encouraged other women to do the same and the movement spread.
The world of media was the second industry after films where this movement spread. Many senior journalists, including a former senior journalist who is a minister now, were called out on social media forums.
Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, the Women and Child Development Minister, Maneka Gandhi recently informed that the government would constitute a committee of judges to advise on the cases of sexual assault which are being shared.
Through a statement she said, "I believe in the pain and trauma behind every single complaint. Cases of sexual harassment at work must be dealt with a policy of zero tolerance."
"We have formed a group of judges that will examine some of the cases in a free and independent style and advise them and us where to go from here," her statement read.
She further shared her opinion that the cases, even if they were ten or fifteen years old should be allowed to open as victims find it hard to speak.
She is the first minister from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to talk about the topic.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
