Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar just recently opened up about his encounter with sexual abuse as a child and revealed that the trauma of the incident still haunts him to this day.
According to Mumbai Mirror, the Rustom actor took everyone by surprise at a women’s safety seminar while sharing his own experience.
“When I was a child, my parents always encouraged me to speak to them frankly about everything. Whether it was discussing a sexual issue or inappropriate behavior, I was asked to come home and talk frankly,” he shared.
The actor went on to add, “When I was six, I was on my way to a neighbor’s house when the lift man touched my butt. I was really agitated and told my father about it. He filed a police complaint. Investigations revealed that the lift-man was a history-sheeter. The cops took action and the man was arrested.“
This was followed by an explanation from Akshay on why it’s important to cultivate an environment where children can speak up about atrocities as such.
“I was a shy kid and was relieved that I could speak about this to my parents. But even today, I find it difficult to say the word ‘bum’. We must encourage women and children to speak up and tell their families if they encounter anything strange so that they can be protected and empowered.“
Kumar is not the first Bollywood actor to speak up about sexual abuse; a few years ago, Kalki Koechlin also addressed the very same topic and opened up about being abused at the young age of nine.
