Richa Chadha Pens Down Her Views on Me Too Campaign, Says Its Enormity Shouldn't Be Surprising

After numerous Hollywood A-listers shared their sexual harassment incidents post-Harvey Weinstein row and Priyanka Chopra talked about similar scenarios existing in Hindi film industry as well, actress Richa Chadha has now penned down her thoughts. The actress is known for giving strong opinions and has now opened up about the trending hashtag Me Too and why the number of posts shouldn't be surprising.

In a long post written on her personal blog, Richa addressed the cause that took the social media by storm and wrote, "For a country where violence against the girl child starts in the womb, I am surprised at the number of people surprised at the enormity of the #MeToo campaign. Unless you have been in hibernation in the Himalayan caves for the past millennium, there’s no way you would not know that sexual assault- verbal or visual, and gender violence are the rites of passage for the average Indian girl."

The actress also talked about the 'rape-culture' in India and shed light on how a victim is blamed for the atrocities. "Rape is defined as ‘izzat lootna’ in Hindustani, or robbing one’s dignity. In whatever form one is assaulted, what do you think happens when prejudice like this exists in society - does it get easier or more difficult to report a gender crime?", she wrote.

Richa also shared her views on double standards practiced by the society and asked the 'moral police' to blame the culprit for the crime and not the victim. "When someone does live to tell the tale, its their image that’s blurred and identity protected. Not surprising, given the burden of shame society bestows.

Why not shame the oppressor? Should he be behind bars or ever get a job again? Should he be allowed to function normally in society after paying off settlements? And again how about the very investigation of rape? In this prevalent culture of victim shaming, does it get easy or more painful to report a gender crime?", she added.

'Me Too', a trending hashtag on social media saw the survivors of sexual harassment sharing their ordeal on social media and highlighting the prevalence and casualness of the ill-practice. Ending her blog on a skeptic note, Richa wrote, "If half of the population is hugely disadvantaged one way or another, how will India EVER be a superpower? Are you an #Indian? How are you not worried?"

"This is not a problem, it’s an unfolding tragedy and an everlasting nightmare," she added.