5 Short Films That Convey A Powerful Message: Women Are Not #AskingForIt

Posted: May 22, 2015

These 5 short films on sexual harassment of women in public spaces are great tools to create discussion on the topic. Watch and share!

#AskingForIt is an initiative by Breakthrough to mobilize communities and get every individual, both online and in the ‘real world’, to speak out and not treat sexual harassment as ‘normal’.

Have you ever reacted against sexual harassment when you faced it yourself, or saw another girl or woman facing it? Have a suggestion to share? Login to write if you have a contributor account at Women’s Web, or use this form to send us your post.

The number of cases we hear about harassment of women in recent times is alarming. However, the more disturbing fact is that the cases that do not get reported will definitely outnumber the former. To fight this menace, we need to reach as many people as we can and create awareness about what harassment is, how it impacts women and why we need to stand up to it.

The power of social media in our country has grown very quickly and today, it is one of the best tools to create awareness. Short films are one such great medium that are in vogue these days among young people in our country.

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Given the high impact of a video on audience, short films on such subjects as harassment are an exceptional way of communication, to reach millions via social media.

Do have a look at the following short movies on issues women in public spaces face and the change in attitude we need. To bring about this change, you can share such films on your social channels, or if you work in a position where you interact with young people, you could even screen it at a school or college, create a debate around it and get the conversation on gender, harassment and women’s safety going.

1.Going Home

As Gandhiji once said, “The day a woman can walk freely on the roads at midnight is when we have truly achieved Independence.” It has been 68 years since the official Independence of India but I really doubt if we have truly attained the same, given the series of issues Indian women face on roads and public spaces. This short film is one on those lines, where it asks citizens to let women live freely without worrying about stepping out every day – or night!

2. Dekh Le

The misconception most of us have is that women need to cover up more and without that they would be asking for it? Really?! The gaze of a perpetrator remains the same whether a girl is dressed in shorts or a saree or even in a burka! When men can decide what they want to wear, then why not give the same freedom to women? Women are not asking for it just because they chose to wear a particular dress. This is for all those narrow mindsets to show them how deplorable they look when they gawk!

3. U

How many of us would respond to a situation when someone is being harassed in public? It is time for us to stand up for ourselves and for others to confront the miscreants. Do not turn a blind eye to these kinds of incidents in public spaces and do your bit to help in whatever way you can.

4. Look Into The Eye

This is a motivating video for all girls who suffer harassment in silence. The first thing a woman needs to express is that she will not brush it off anymore and that she deserves respect as a human being. We need to show that we can stand up for ourselves in tough situations.

5. Why Rape Is A Joke In India

Yes, you read it right! The gender discrimination we show in upbringing kids, not giving enough importance to daughters and finally, treating women as mere objects than equal humans whether in the guise of tradition or in our current movies is all adding up to a culture of harassment. This hilarious take on the same issue will get people thinking and make at least a few harassers feel ashamed!