Let’s stop making victims pay the price for speaking up

Taking a macro view, this is the all too familiar situation with people taking on the powerful and connected. If not an immediate shutdown, there is ‘pressure’ and ‘threats’ in the interim period while an investigation or inquiry is on

The wrestlers have put their agitation on hold, following reassurances that there is a deadline to the investigation, which is June 15 and one will definitely see some movement after that. It was important to have a time based inquiry or investigation, as without that, this seemed to be in the air and there would be no definite outcome.

It is unfortunate though, that even with this deadline, there are reports about wrestlers being pressurised.

Taking a macro view, this is the all too familiar situation with people taking on the powerful and connected. If not an immediate shutdown, there is ‘pressure’ and ‘threats’ in the interim period while an investigation or inquiry is on. 

These can escalate if the victims remain obdurate. At times, even the victim’s family is the target. Out of fear, friends and acquaintances tend to keep their distance, so there is loneliness and isolation to contend with, too.

Even after having ‘won’ or been proved right in a case, there is always the chance that threats may continue. This can come from cronies or some other powerful people, whose interests lie in seeing that the accused is absolved or goes free.

Life itself can turn into a hide ’n’ seek game for those who dare to speak out. We do not necessarily mean this particular case, but simply any, and they turn out to be the target even if their claims had merit and were valid. The accused may be punished, action may be taken, but often, it is the victims whose fight now moves out of the limelight who live in fear.

Let us break this vicious pattern and see that those doing the accusing and proved right live with freedom and dignity from then on. It is not they who need to pay any price, not ‘during’ any period of their protest or after, too.

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