WASH: HOW WE WORK

Hello from WASH,

We are Women Against Sexual Harassment. WASH was founded by two survivors from two educational institutes in Kolkata, India. We intend to be a support system in ways we can to sexual harassment victims from places of learning and workplaces. In this post we are stating how we operate:

If you are a supporter

We are trying to be of whatever little help we can, to sexual harassment complainants across the country’s educational institutes. If you think you can be a supporter of this cause, you can join us as a supporter. We have nobody funding us so there is no payment involved. We are a small group of working women and students. So support is just being there. A lot of our work is done on social media. We also sometimes have protests in different cities where we turn up to make a statement or for a show of strength etc. You can help us in these. There is a lot of writing and getting in touch with people for support that we do. All these are divided among supporters. Eg: The picture you see above was made by one of us. It takes time. Such work is divided among the members.

You can support us as a complainant, victim, survivor etc and you shall be defined by the identity you choose.

If you are a complainant

If you are a complainant who needs help in any form you can contact us. To protect the identities if the complainants so decide, currently the system is to drop in a mail at kunjilamascillamani@gmail.com Once we receive a mail we will get back to you to tell you in what way we can help you and to what extent.

Can Complainants be Supporters?

Yes.

Can Sexual Harassment/ Rape Victims be Supporters?

Yes.

Can Men be Supporters?

Yes. (Rolls eyes)

Is there anybody who cannot be a supporter?

No.
However, if the members are involved in sexist or misogynistic practices we shall discuss it, take a decision about the situation and shall make a statement about it. We do not entertain irresponsible talk and especially not around sexual harassment and women.

We are all strangers to each other and are people who got together for a cause. So it is possible that we don’t know of what a person’s political history has been. I didn’t know that Irrfan Khan was embroiled in a sexual harassment case until recently. If similar things about gender issues are brought to our notice we shall look into it and shall state publicly what decision we take regarding it.

Suppose Irrfan Khan Seeks Help?

We will offer help in ways we can. The only problem here is that we are currently working with harassment to women alone. What we mean to say with the Irrfan Khan analogy is that, even if you are somebody who has taken problematic stance towards women in the past. Eg: if you have slut shamed women complainants in the past and today you face harassment and come to us, we will help you. No questions asked. Harassment is harassment. We don’t tolerate it.

However, if there are members who have been victims of your harassment in the past, there is an obvious conflict of interest. We will again have to discuss what is to be done and whatever it is, it shall be transparent. We will let the world know of our decision and the reasons behind it.

What happens next?

We are waiting to see what happens in the sexual harassment cases at Jadavpur University and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute. We are trying to reach out to women at various places where complaints of sexual harassment have already been made. We need to expand this network and the aim is to be the biggest support group and the strongest of its kind in the country.

Call for an Alliance

27th March

Ekabali Ghosh, student, Jadavpur University wrote to me about the sexual harassment case she was fighting at her university. An idea popped up and i invited women.Put up a Facebook status saying this:

Friends I have an idea. We need an alliance. Jadavpur University, I remember reading about the sexual harassment incidents there. I had even spoken at a seminar. Talked long about the need for a proper ICC-SH and how that is the first step towards justice. Don't know how many of you remember me. Anyway, let us form this alliance. Our cause is the same. Sexual harassment. Our enemy is the same. Powerful administration, sexist environment, hostile students. JU people in my list, tag people who can be part of this group. I shall do so with SRFTI. Now be prepared to receive personal messages advising you about my character, how most sexual harassment cases are untrue and all that. Also I am not in Kolkata and am operating from Bombay while working here. So like being a student and fighting like most of you, I have time issues. But I thought for long and I have come to the conclusion that this is the best way. I'll introduce myself in first comment. Love.

Guess Who Takes Decisions About Sexual Harassment in SRFTI

13th March 2017

Hi people, you know Madhur Bhandarkar, right? You know how he was accused of rape and how the girl told the court for 'mysterious reasons' that she didn't want to pursue the case, right? Now you know SRFTI right? That prestigious film institute in which sexual harassment cases including that of rape came up against three professors, last year? Against one more professor going on currently. Yeah, so guess what, when a new Governing Council [GC – the highest decision making body of the institute] had to be formed after all of this, SRFTI approached this man, Madhur Bhandarkar to be a member. They couldn’t think of any other person in the country, i guess.
While the institute maintained that they ABSOLUTELY needed a female for the post of the Director of the institute, because of the history of sexual harassment cases, people like Bhandarkar and Debamitra Mitra, the female director everyone was keen to appoint, made the decision of reconstituting the sexual harassment complaints committee. 

Oh, by the way another man who was approached to be member of the council was Irrfan Khan. Yes, he, another accused in a sexual harassment case is a member too. So tell you what, i’ll like to make a list of all such film people involved in sexual harassment in order to make it easy for SRFTI to choose its Governing Council members in future. Let's start with Shiney Ahuja who went to jail for raping his maid, was 'welcomed' back to the film world and was accused of harassing his co-actor. Dear Shiney Ahuja and others who like sexually harassing, raping women etc. Please approach SRFTI, they will welcome you with pleasure.
Meanwhile we will fight this predator institute with all the might we can gather.