Practice of actually respecting women in India is very rare: PV Sindhu

The #MeToo movement in India raised plenty of questions about the sexual harassment women face in all walks of life and it also showed the mirror to ‘misogynistic’ and ‘sexist’ outlook of men. Bollywood and the media industry, in addition to other prominent fields, saw women calling out their sexual harassers and shaming them on social media. PV Sindhu, India’s ace badminton player, also said the #MeToo movement has educated men and women about their responsibilities in society but reiterated that the practice of actually respecting women in India is very rare. “Travelling abroad, I have seen there is a lot of respect for women, I am happy there is respect for women in other countries. In India, people say 'we should respect women' but those who actually practice this are very rare,” Sindhu said on the sidelines of the  SH(OUT) - Sexual Harassment Out, a first of its kind initiative by Hyderabad City Police along with Soroptimist International Organisation.

However, the Hyderabad badminton player stated that Indian society has changed in the last couple of years. “Earlier it was like women should not work and stay at home, but now the society has completely changed. It is said that men and women are equal. I think the women have to be strong and we have to believe in ourselves,” Sindhu added.

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Sindhu credited the #MeToo movement, saying it has raised awareness of sexual harassment for women. “Sexual harassment is a type of discrimination. It is an unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviour which makes a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated. It can be physical, verbal, non-verbal or written. The current #MeToo movement has brought in a lot of awareness recently about the sexual harassment of women at work place,” Sindhu added.

Sindhu made history by becoming the first Indian to win the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals tournament. Sindhu came up against a familiar foe in Nozomi Okuhara and defeated her 21-19, 21-17 win in the final for her first title of the year. She settled for silver after losing to Spain's Carolina Marin at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She suffered more heartbreaks at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games in 2018, and has also twice lost in the final of the World Championships and was runner-up in last year's season finale.

HIGHLIGHTS

• PV Sindhu won BWF World Tour Finals for first time
• Sindhu broke her final losing streak in 2018
• Sindhu is currently ranked No.3 in the world