DLF sheds light on the Me Too movement

Recently at a session, moderated by Bonna Mirza, journalists Rita Das Roy, Munni Saha, and Zyma Islam talked about the possibility of #MeToo movement happening in Bangladesh, in Dhaka Lit Fest (DLF).

The #MeToo movement started in social media against sexual harassment last year. However, very recently the Indian media reinforced the movement when both young promising and prominent media personalities shared their stories of sexual harassment.

The session in Dhaka Lit Fest mainly focused on whether our country is ready to bring the movement here. Even though, people, especially the youth, are speaking up on social media using #MeToo, the movement is yet to arrive properly in our society.

"The #MeToo movement is a safe platform that gives women assurance that they are going to be heard," said Zyma Islam. "We might not get legal assistance through this platform, but people's voices will be heard."

Rita Das Roy, on the other hand, did not want the movement to be limited within the screens of technology. "I want a safe environment in schools for students to speak up about harassment," said Rita Das. "Such trauma stays with people for a long time. I know a 25-year-old girl, who was harassed when she was a child. She still cannot face her harasser till today." Rita Das believes every school should have an education system that will teach young people to address this issue more seriously.

"If we want a safe work environment for the future generation, we need to think of a safe way to facilitate the movement here," said Munni Saha. "Every country is different and in our country we might benefit from taking the time, before we bring the movement here properly."