Women worldwide are being encouraged to speak up about sexual harassment incidents they might have faced. Thanks to the ‘MeToo’ hashtag that has been sweeping the world since October 2017. Along with the other victims, Ayesha Omar also opens up about the time she was harassed.
The MeToo movement is also famous in Pakistan and we have seen several courageous women and men coming forward with their harassment stories. From singer Meesha Shafi to filmmaker Jami, every Pakistani has his or her own story.
Ayesha Omar was harassed by a powerful man for 15 years
Many of you won’t believe it but this is what the reality is. Ugly and beyond one’s understanding. Yes, the bold and confident actress and host like Ayesha Omar was also harassed not once but on several occasions for years.
Pakistan’s noted star Omar recently spoke to the flag-bearer of the #MeToo movement, Hollywood actress Rose McGowan. They both shared their harrowing past encounters in detail live in front of their fans on Instagram.
Image: Instagram
“A huge powerful man, twice my age. I had just entered the industry, I was this young 23-year-old, fresh out of college, and bam, this started happening. And it went on for years. It wasn’t a one-off incident, and I just didn’t want to process it. I put in a box and said okay, this is happening in my life. I have to deal with it,” Omar told McGowan while sharing her assault story of being harassed.
According to Omar, she didn’t want to share it with anybody. “For 15 years I let it stay there, and I finally spoke about it to someone two years ago,” she added.
“A friend of mine from the industry also came out with her story, and TV channels started calling me up and asking, Do you think she’s telling the truth?”
Image: Instagram
“They asked me if sexual harassment happens in the industry and that’s the first time I said yes. They asked if it happened to you, and I said yes. I will talk about it someday, but not today. I still haven’t named my monster but I’ve started talking about it,” she said.
McGowan was assaulted at the hands of convicted rapist and fallen Hollywood mogul, Harvey Weinstein. During Instagram Live, the two women shared their stories of abuse.
What does ‘Me Too’ hashtag mean?
Women from all over the world have come forward to share their stories of being sexually harassed. They have done it on social media and other platforms using the hashtag ‘MeToo’, which aims to show the magnitude of sexual assault. So far over half a million women have tweeted MeToo.
Meesha Shafi also lauded LGS girls for coming out with their harassment stories. Last year, many women came out shaming cricketer Imam-Ul-Haq.
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