Society cannot claim to be civilised if women and children are unsafe, says Kamal Haasan

Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan on Thursday said a society that cannot protect its women and children cannot claim to be civilised.

In a post on social media, Mr. Haasan said discussions about development or progress lose meaning when women and children continue to live under threat.

According to Mr. Haasan, social decay continues because many people choose not to react strongly to injustice. When good people remain silent, he said, wrongdoing gradually becomes normalised.

The actor-politician recalled a sentiment he had expressed 32 years ago through his film Mahanadhi, when he was deeply troubled by the social injustices he witnessed, and said the situation has still not changed and the anger he felt then continues to remain within him.

Mr. Haasan’s comments come against the backdrop of a couple of recent cases where girl children became victims of serious crimes in Tamil Nadu.