推特反性侵在保守的巴基斯坦能成功吗?

Can #MeToo Succeed in a Conservative Pakistan?

The Pakistani television and film industry was shocked last month by accusations¹ of sex abuse from a famous singer. Meesha Shafi used the Twitter #metoo to accuse a male co-worker of harassment².

“Sharing this because I believe that by speaking out about my own experience of sexual harassment, I will break the culture of silence,” she wrote. She added that such silence is found throughout Pakistani society.

Shafi was not the first woman in Pakistan to use the hashtag or share her story. The #MeToo movement that started in the United States had touched Pakistan already. However, most Pakistani women who have shared their experiences have hidden their identities.

Shafi’s act led to public dispute. Criticism of the singer became so severe that she suspended her Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Shafi told the English language newspaper Dawn, “The abuse(and) threats…that I have faced is the reason I felt the strong need to protect not just myself but my family.” She said she was worried for her two young children.

Frieha Altaf is a Pakistani businesswoman, social activist³ and media star. She says she remembers facing a lot of sexual harassment when she was young, such as men touching⁴ her and believing it was normal.

Women who protest sexual harassment in the office often are accused of dishonesty.

“I don’t think harassment is an issue anywhere. Women are lying when they say they are getting harassed,” said Tufail Akhtar, a long-time film industry reporter. He also said that working women often use sex as a tool to move ahead in the business. He said Shafi must be speaking out because of a business dispute or professional jealousy⁵.

Others share Akhtar’s opinion. Many social media users have accused Shafi online of trying to get publicity⁶. They have questioned the timing⁷ of her accusations.

“…Publicity, nothing more than that,” tweeted Invincible⁸ Aamir with the handle @m_mflyinghorse.

Pakistani rights activists⁹ say such accusations, as well as a fear of losing their jobs, keep most women from telling their stories.

That’s the biggest fear,” said Kashmala Tariq. She is the newly appointed Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplaces.

Reporter Tanzeela Mazhar experienced such a reaction when she accused her supervisor¹⁰ of harassment. She was working for Pakistan’s public television station PTV at the time.

She and another female employee resigned after Mazhar protested about her treatment. Mazhar says her former supervisor was dismissed but that she has not found a new job.

She says she has been suffering financially and emotionally from the harassment for years.

She suspects people see her as a trouble maker¹¹.

“They know I will raise hell any time I see sexual harassment not just with me but with others around me,” she said.

Meanwhile, her former supervisor is working on two legal actions against her. One includes a criminal charge.

“I am out on bail¹²,” she said.

Tariq says the law does not protect the women who raise their voices.

“We have proposed amendments¹³ and sent them to the law ministry,” she said, adding that a member of the senate stopped the amendments. She also said men and transgenders can also be victims.

Tariq said there is another side. She said she had seen cases in which women tried to misuse¹⁴ the harassment law.

Words in This Story

harassment – n. to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way

backlash – n. a strong public reaction against something

jealousy – n. an unhappy or angry feeling of wanting to have what someone else has

transgender - n. a person who feels that their true nature does not match their sex at birth

bail - n. an amount of money given to a court to allow a prisoner to leave jail and return later for a trial

1 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

2 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

5 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

6 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

7 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

8 invincible   

adj.不可征服的，难以制服的

参考例句：

• This football team was once reputed to be invincible.这支足球队曾被誉为无敌的劲旅。
• The workers are invincible as long as they hold together.只要工人团结一致，他们就是不可战胜的。

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

11 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

12 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

13 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

14 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。