The official Twitter handle of the National Commission for Women (NCW) announced earlier today that a panel discussion titled ‘Her Story, Her Voice’ will take place in collaboration with OTT platform Netflix today at 11:30 AM (later changed to 11:45 AM). The discussion will focus on the role of media and the entertainment industry in empowering women and to celebrate inspiring women on and off screen.
However, soon after the announcement, both Netflix India and the NCW were on the receiving end of several remarks by some men’s rights advocates. The underlying contention was that it’s high time that the men’s side too should be heard and that in the name of gender equality, gender inequality is being promoted.
Under the guise of gender equality, gender inequality is released into the society. Women now have more protection than others and they abuse it massively. pic.twitter.com/rLu0TRnl5D
— Amith K (@AmithK71918969) March 3, 2023
One of the advocates for men’s rights even pointed out that it’s time for discussions to be held on the topic of ‘His Story His Voice’, that is, about the men’s side and from men’s perspective. Another one said that ‘His Story, His Voice’ has no value in this country.
It's time for #HisStoryHisVoice ✅
— Rakesh (@RakeshSons) March 3, 2023
One of them even accused Netflix India of being a man-hater by being associated with the aforementioned event ‘Her Voice Her Story’. While another one wrote about ‘Men Too’ instead of the much publicized ‘Me Too’ movement across the globe.
The fact that we read and hear about myriad cases pertaining to heinous crimes against women, so there is nothing wrong in conducting awareness sessions like ‘Her Voice Her Story’. However, on the same side, several instances also came to light where some of the laws which were formulated with the noble intention of protecting women, were being misused by some.
We are living in times when marital and rape laws have become stricter for men but that has created another problem of that of its their misuse and false accusations. So, it’s important to understand and hear out the male perspective and their side of the story.
And that’s where the potential role of OTT platforms like Netflix comes into play. It can be done by showcasing well researched documentary films or discussions which focus on the plight of the men and the reported misuse of Section 498A, in order to understand the other side of the coin – the men’s side (without undermining the crimes against women of course). Not just Netflix, other Indian OTT platforms like Disney+ Hotstar, SonyLIV, and Amazon Prime Video can take this initiative for the sake of gender equality in the true sense.
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