Shocking! Twinkle Khanna on being sexually abused at work!
Twinkle Khanna opens up about how she was once subjected to sexual abuse at work, despite being the wife of one of India's biggest superstars.
Like it or not, sexual abuse at work is a reality and many working women have in fact often come out in the open and spoken how they have been targetted at work and often faced the brunt of being vocal about it. However, seldom do we see celebs talking about any personal incidents that happened with them and it does come as a shock when they do.
In her recent column, Twinkle Khanna, aka Mrs Funnybones, opened up about how she was once subjected to sexual abuse at work and how she was almost reduced to tears one day, despite being the wife of one of India's biggest superstars and someone who is an onscreen superhero.
"A few years ago, a message on my phone reduced me to tears in the car. I had reached the breaking point after months of suggestive messages from a wealthy, powerful client that I had been pretending not to understand because all I wanted to do was to complete the project in a professional manner, "she said in a recent interview.
Twinkle also said that despite being married to a man who is an onscreen hero, she was not spared and she can't even imagine what other common women go through in real-life situations.
"And so I ended up as a statistic — the 38% of women who faced sexual harassment at work, according to a survey done by the Indian National Bar association. I am a fairly assertive woman, and married to a man who onscreen punches holes in walls with his bare fists and yet I haven’t been spared, so I shudder to think about what happens to the vast majority of working women," she added.
Twinkle went on to call these molesters at the "the Frogs Forever Franchise" and said that even bigwigs like Phaneesh Murthy, Rakesh Pachauri, Tarun Tejpal and the recent TVF founder Arunabh Kumar have been one of these frogs.
She also had a message to these molesters who feel that women are their property.
"Respectfully ask her out for a drink, and if she refuses your polite offer then go and drown your sorrows in that very drink and leave her alone. Do not stalk her, touch her, send her lewd messages and emails. And as far as compliments go, try telling her about her great presentation skills, her way with numbers, her astute negotiations. Telling a woman she is sexy in the bedroom is fine, telling her the same thing in the boardroom is simply deplorable. So think before you croak or it may just be your turn to be doused in formaldehyde and dissected next," she wrote.
If you are being sexually abused at work
All we can say that Twinkle has never been the kinds to keep quiet about issues and has always done a decent job by shutting everyone up. But, she has also an important message for other women that they should never keep quiet and speak up.
Here are a few things you should keep in mind if you're a victim of sexual abuse at work.
1. First of all, document everything. While you must speak up about how you're being targetted, it would be of no use if you don't have proofs to show the HR or the concerned authorities. Gather all the evidence that you have and also make sure that you keep a backup.
2. Secondly, don't just talk about it in hushed tones to your best friend at work. Report it to the concerned authorities at work and if nothing happens seek legal action after thoughtful consideration. Also, remember to report everything in writing so that you again have proof that you had taken the first step.
3. Don't just quit your job until and unless you find that no action is being taken and it is being increasingly difficult for you to go to work every day. Keeping quiet would only encourage them to harass other women after you leave.
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