Article posted on: https://regional.pinkvilla.com/tamil/news/actor-nivetha-pethuraj-talks-sexual-abuse-get-scared-go/Nivetha Pethuraj expresses her views on sexual abuse and says that it is imperative that we stop the menace.

The recent horrific rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua has left everyone-right from stars to the common man—in a state of shock. Recently, actor Varu Sarathkumar had condemned the act and demanded death penalty for such crimes. Now, Tamil star Nivetha Pethuraj has commented on the topic of sexual harassment. In her hard-hitting video, she said that children are often subjected to sexual abuse without even knowing about it. She added that many times the perpetrators of such abuse are people who know the kids personally.

"Why I post this video is because I am pretty sure that a lot of males and females who will watch this video would have been victims of sexual harassment. That includes me too. At five years of age, how do I go tell my parents about what happened? How do I explain? I did not even know what anything meant at the age. Such crimes are more often than not perpetrated by people around us – like relatives, friends, neighbours etc., who we know, rather than strangers. I am requesting all parents to be more responsible. I know it will be very uncomfortable, but sit your kids down and talk to them about it. Start from when they are 2. Teach them what wrongful talk is, what wrongful touch is. You never know when they will go through pain and all these things. We don't know what happens at school, tuition or at a neighbouring house," she said.

She also asked men to form small groups to monitor things on the street and report elements that are shady. She concluded by saying that, given the circumstances, she feels uneasy every time she goes out and begins suspecting people

"Inform the people on your street that you are watching out for them. Whatever you think you can do to help us, please do it. This is because we cannot depend on the police all the time. They do help us, but we have to believe in ourselves and the people around us as well, to keep us safe. I get scared when I go out and I suspect everyone I see. This is wrong, we can avoid it. This is a small thing, you can easily give this to us. This is my request to all the men out there," added the actor.

These are strong words and are bound to give us food for thought.

Below video is in Tamil and partial English. Above is the translation.

https://youtu.be/TBfQkOX--2s