Kollywood actress Nivetha Pethuraj opened up about being a victim of sexual harassment as a child on social media recently. The actress also spoke of how parents need to be aware and listen to what their children are trying to say when something untoward happens to them.
With the country currently reeling under the shock of Kathua, Unnao, and Surat rape cases, Nivetha’s video focuses on how one must get the dialogue going on safety of women.
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“I know there are many women and men watching it, of which I know a lot of them have been victims of harassment as a child. Including me. I, too, was a victim when I was five years old. How was I to tell my parents about it, because I didn’t know the difference between what’s good and not. The perpetrators are usually people we know, could be relatives, friends, anyone,” she says.
She further implores parents to talk to their children about ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’ from a young age.
“I request parents to take this seriously and be more responsible, sit your kids down and talk to him/her about it. Start at the age of two itself, about what touch is fine or not. This is my kind request.”
She also appealed to men to try and do more for women. “This is to my men friends out there. I know you do a lot for us, but it would be nice if you could form a community group of 8-10 people and take turns to observe what’s happening from morning to night in your streets. It’s easy for you to find out if anything shady is going on. You can question it easily.”
Watch the video here: