IMOW - Breaking the Silence

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Breaking the Silence
Assabah Khan

GALLERY

CONVERSATION

He thought that because I was young and seemingly inexperienced, I would be an easy target. He made sexual comments and demanded I...

My response shocked and embarrassed him and he avoided talking to me for almost two months. After a while, as if nothing had happened, he began harassing me again. He felt justified and unhampered because his wife had left Kashmir and returned to her home in Delhi. Wani, like many South Asian men in high positions, thought he was untouchable.

Because I am a journalist, I decided to find out how commonplace my experience was. I talked with many working women and discovered that harassment happened all too often. Many women had had to make themselves sexually available to their bosses in order to advance their careers.

Some women refused and suffered in more than one way. One woman told me, "When I refused to have sexual relations with my boss, he began humiliating me all the time." Another said, "I am not ready to compromise my integrity, so my salary has remained the same for the last 18 years.

When I asked why they didn't complain to a higher authority, one of the women said, "Everyone knows very well what is going on, but they always blame the women who speak up. Why should I complain and become a scapegoat? These men are incredibly powerful.
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