Story 154

I was terminated for speaking up about sexual harassment in Asia. I just completed my interview with one of the big global MNC banks, and the questions I was asked by the talent acquisition manager, a woman, even after I disclosed the reason for my departure from my last organisation, were appalling and deeply unsettling.

It is truly harrowing for victims to relive their trauma while facing such entitled individuals occupying positions of authority in large organisations that often seem wired to be inhuman and insensitive. Instead of empathy or professionalism, there is scrutiny that feels accusatory, as though speaking up was the wrongdoing.

It is for this very reason that many women who endure such unpleasant and humiliating experiences choose to walk away rather than continue fighting systems that fail to protect them. The emotional toll of being questioned, doubted, and subtly judged only adds to the injustice. In moments like these, the saying that women are women’s worst enemies feels painfully true.

Will anything ever change?

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