It is time to make sexual harassers pay

Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar has denied allegations of sexual harassment and refused to step down. This after 14 journalists, including a Carl Zeiss award-winning environmentalist, accused him of sexual harassment at work.

Independent journalist Sandhya Menon, whose tweet on October 5 about KR Sreenivas of Times Of India placing his hand on her thigh on the drop back from work, led to an avalanche of complaints from other women, told mid-day that she wants to see those accused lose their jobs.

"Rehabilitating perpetrators is easy," she said, referring to the age-old practice of handing an alleged accused a lustre-less posting, and gradually allowing them leeway to make inroads into marquee slots. On Saturday, Sreenivas lost his position as resident editor of TOI Hyderabad. Menon argues that most cases reported had unfolded at the workplace, with men in powerful positions using their clout to influence and intimidate women or promise them a better chance at their careers. Or simply justify it with 'I thought it was consensual'.

What's consent and how does a woman make its definition fool-proof? Mid-day columnist Rahul daCunha wrote yesterday, "do we need a #MeToo glossary of terms? Can we clearly define when no means no... Messages get misunderstood. Clarity is everything, ladies, everything.'

When a woman agrees to attend a party Suhel Seth is hosting for 10 others, is that a 'yes'? When she follows him to a room to receive a signed copy of his book, does it mean it's a 'yes' for him to clutch her nape and thrust her to his crotch? Or must we say, serves her right for trusting a notorious name with helping her make career contacts?

Sandhya told mid-day, "They [women] need that job or the growth in their career...We [women] go to college with dreams. Our jobs are an integral part of our identity." It's only fair then that the legitimate creeps also see their careers dented. Sajid Khan has lost Housefull 4, Tanmay Bhatt, the CEO-ship of AIB. Subhash Kapoor won't direct Mogul. Vikas Bahl may not get credit for Hrithik Roshan's Super 30. Luv Ranjan may lose a film with Ranbir.

Will television channels no longer call Suhel Seth for panel discussions? Will society columnists refuse to print his mug with the latest goss? Will Jaipur Lit Fest relook at its guest list to weed out the dubious? Will film award functions resolve not to award harassers or call them on their jury? Will Bahl never again land a Netflix show? Will newspapers not waste column space on interviews with perpetrators?

What we continue to need is a collective call that no man accused of sexual harassment will enjoy social sanction. Strip them of what they've used to exploit - their position, their halo. Sounds like feminist harangue? We call it equal rights and justice these days.

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