Any sort of violence, abuse or assault is not just limited to women. It transcends gender and affects all of us. If women are the victims on a larger scale, there are men out there too who have been through horrific experiences. And it has impacted their lives.
The #MeToo movement started originally as a women specific movement with women from all around the world sharing stories of harassment to point out how big this issue really is
Let's include men in the #metoo conversation, while 1 in 3 women will face sexual assault in their lifetime, 1 in 6 men will also
— Tamar Paoli (@TamarCharmaine) October 16, 2017
And now men have started chiming in with their own experience with harassment
#metoo is also gender neutral and not necessarily only for women. There are men who face it too!
— Mohammed Futurewala (@MFuturewala) October 16, 2017
I love the #MeToo movement, but I wish it encouraged men to speak out. Men often do not report sexual harassment/assault as a fear of being
— James (@JourneymanJr) October 17, 2017
Because it’s also important to promote an environment where men don’t hide behind a veil of shame if they’re harassed
Harassment is not a reflection of your lack of mardaangi, it’s a reflection of the sick mind of the one who harasses you.
#metoo doesn't just mean females… men get raped too. Men get sexually harassed too. I've known men who are still damaged by it.
— Genevie??? (@genlitvie) October 17, 2017
#MeToo
I was groped by a gay man once in a crowded train
Feels bad even today pic.twitter.com/coQD9HKLzY— Saket Chattopadhyay (@sakettheauthor) October 17, 2017
#MeToo I am a man and I too have faced sexual abuse from women, sick part is society tells me to enjoy it
— BoOm booM (@BoOmBhole) October 17, 2017
#metoo
Yes.. me a male has experienced it too.. bravo to the women for sharing this.. must have taken a lot of courage.. #speakup— Vinit Singh (@vinitcorleone) October 17, 2017
There are also men who’re using this platform to show support to everyone who has been through such an ordeal
They felt the need to highlight that these hashtags are not going unnoticed and people are actually realizing the magnitude of the problem.
Let's not look at the #MeToo statuses on our timelines with eyes wide shut. We need to collectively course correct.
— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) October 17, 2017
To the women & men posting #MeToo and those who have chosen not to share: I’m sorry. You deserve a better world. We (men) need to do better.
— mc4rl (@mtc4rl) October 17, 2017
#MeToo is a reflection of the social and cultural revolution that is sweeping the world. The victims are shedding the stigmatisation. We will not allow our children and women to be invalidated by societal constructs. I stand with you all til we end this.
— Kailash Satyarthi (@k_satyarthi) October 17, 2017
Of course, there were also tsome lowlifes tweeting absolute bullshit
If any female still not able to join#MeToo then contact me I will fullfill her wish.??
— Mohammad_Faheem (@Faheem_101) October 17, 2017
#metoo Sick of all the whining…
— C-had ?? (@SoFloOdle) October 17, 2017
Instead of making posts saying, me too go to the police about it if you haven't already to stop it happening to anyone else. #MeToo
— Elliot (@downbrown94) October 17, 2017
For all those who thought that the movement was a conspiracy among the feminists to seek attention, here’s what’s it’s about:
It was about highlighting a problem that we all go through. Just an effort to reinforce that we are all in this together despite our genders. Abuse or violence of any sort does not see gender. It sees a victim which can be exploited.
We need to stand together to support each other and create a better environment. There is a need to speak up about it, in order for people to know the severity of the problem. It is difficult for people to speak up, for men too, about the issue. Such movements are meant to encourage each other and make us realize that the whole world is there to make us feel like there is nothing wrong with us.
If you don’t agree with the idea, you have every right to mention an alternative way of creating awareness. But making fun of the victims is not the best way to do something like that.
Cover image via: ridgetimes.co.za