'Was told it's my fault': Actor Celina Jaitly opens up about harassment, victim shaming during school
PTC News Desk: Actor Celina Jaitly has opened up about her experiences of being harassed in school, highlighting how people say that it is always the victim who is at fault. In a social media post, the actor recalled an incident from sixth grade in which boys from the university nearby harassed her. She claimed they would follow her school rickshaw every day, making catcalls and even throwing stones to get her attention.
The actor's remarks came amid ongoing protests over the alleged r@pe and murder of a woman doctor at Kolkata's R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
Celina claims that despite the upsetting actions, no bystanders acted. When she reached out to a teacher about the harassment, she was told that it was her fault for being "too westernised," not wearing loose clothes, and not using oil to tie her hair in braids.
In the post, Celina also shared a painful story from her 11th class year. The same group of boys began targeting her scooty, cutting off the brakes in retaliation for refusing to acknowledge their advances. Her class teacher, however, told her that the boys' behaviour was caused by her "forward" demeanour, which included riding a scooty, wearing jeans, and keeping her hair open.
It also resulted in an incident in which she had to jump off her scooty to prevent being hit due to tampered brakes. Despite the physical and psychological suffering, she was repeatedly told that it was her fault.
Celina Jaitly shared the pain of her grandfather, a retired Colonel who had to accompany her to and from school due to the continuous assault.
"I still remember those rude boys who chased me even damaging my scooty they also passed derogatory remarks on my retired colonel grandfather making fun of him. Nana stood and stared at them and then he turned away shook his head and I could read his face as he walked away with me. His disgust at the very people he laid his life on line for (sic)," she said.
Jaitly concluded the post by stressing the importance of standing up for one's rights and challenging the victim-blaming narrative. "It’s time to stand up and ask for our right to be protected. WE ARE NOT AT FAULT! (sic)" read Celina's post.
- PTC NEWS
