Sarath Kumar has spoken out in support of the #MeToo movement. The actor told Silverscreen that women must be supported when they share their experiences of sexual harassment and that the victims must not be unnecessarily questioned, as they are already under a lot of stress.
“A few years back, a young woman was fleeing some men who tried to harass her. She was on a two wheeler and she just lost control and fell down. She died. Incidents like this really make men understand the consequences of their actions. Nowadays you see men instinctively shying away from women in bus stands. This is because that incident with that young woman is seared into their brains. They know what their actions cause. They know the consequences.”
Preventive measures are necessary, Sarath Kumar said. “Young men must be taught to respect women. That is the only way. We need more awareness on the issue because if if such kinds of harassment still continues, it is because men don’t know what their actions can lead to.”
Sexual predators are not defined by their physiology but rather their beliefs and mental outlook, Sarath Kumar said. “This kind of behaviour stems from a mental issue in people. Only corrective action we can take is to teach them how their ways are wrong. We must also teach our children about their place in society.”
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Sarath said that people must not use the #MeToo movement to settle personal scores. “There are two sides to a coin. There is a person who has the right to accuse. Similarly, the accused has the right to defend himself or herself. We must take this into account. Every victim has a family. Every accused person has a family. Throwing accusations at a person doesn’t affect them alone. It affects the family, young children who are completely innocent. They must not be put through a scarring experience. That is something everybody should think about.”
Sarath also said that he is relieved that women have finally come out and named their harassers in public. “There’s a lot of debate about the time taken by victims to share their stories. I don’t want to get into that. I am just glad that they have talked about it at least now. That should be the focus.”