Renowned actor Hamza Ali Abbasi believes men should take the lead in controlling and speaking up against sexual harassment. He said that men should take charge and lead against harassment.
In a recent interview with Samaa TV, Hamza Ali Abbasi said that men should condemn and criminalize harassment of all forms. He boasted about belonging to a family with strong females.
“I’m very proud of them and grateful. It’s a fact that when women in your family are independent and powerful, they can support you and become your strength. But it is unfortunate that even today, women have to face harassment in all professional fields, whether it’s the corporate [world] or the showbiz,” said Hamza Ali Abbasi.
He said that men are responsible for creating a supportive and safe environment for women. They are the ones to be blamed for perpetuating a culture of silence and complicity.
“We [men] should play a leading role in this situation. We have to make sure that wherever we see harassment, we don’t accept it. We demonize it. We don’t encourage or normalize it. Because unfortunately, we, men, have normalized and celebrated such behavior. We didn’t scrutinize it the way it should have been scrutinized. So we need to call out and criminalize such behavior in our circles,” he added.
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He appreciated the women who have spoken about harassment and encouraged the discussion on this topic. . “It gives me great optimism that in today’s day and age, women are very forthcoming and are calling out harassment, whether it’s online or at the workplace. The times when women would face harassment and stay mum about it are thankfully behind us.”
“The culture of speaking up also needs to be encouraged. Women should be able to make noise wherever they are if ever they face harassment of any kind. Without any fear or hesitation, women should be encouraged to raise hell. We need to eradicate the element of fear and shame among women.”