'WOMEN LACK FAITH IN LEGAL SYSTEM'
Why are female actors in Bollywood not naming and shaming their sexual assaulters and harassers as openly as their Hollywood counterparts? When this pertinent question was asked to actor Nimrat Kaur, she said that before women are questioned, the legal system of India has to be “watertight”, giving support and confidence to victims.
“In order for women to come out about harassment in work environment in India, the legal system has to be watertight. It should be able to give victims an absolute sense of fearlessness,” she says.
According to the 35-year-old actor, sexual harassment needs to be looked into at a “deeper level” before women are questioned about it. “We, as a society, need to be stronger and solid,” she adds.
Sexual abuse has been at the centre of attention in Hollywood as prominent names from the industry have come out and spoken against how men in power take advantage of women. It all began when several women accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Nimrat, who has featured in films like The Lunchbox (2013) and Airlift (2016) wonders why actors and the film industry are in focus. She says, “One sees this at a basic level anywhere. Any woman, who goes through any kind of trauma or any kind of sexual abuse, her first instinct is to let it go. It’s because of the embarrassment that the victim shies away from speaking. The embarrassment this can bring to a family and how your name might be maligned... There is so much taboo around sexual offence that the person who has been offended, more than half the time, shies away from coming out. Because they don’t have faith in the legal system.”
Nimrat, who has worked in American showbiz via series like Wayward Pines and Homeland, stressed that for women to come out strongly about facing abuse, the mentality has to change at the grassroot level. “Women have to know that they are not at (a) disadvantage and there is no shame in coming out and calling someone out for an offence. A confidence has to be brought out within.”