Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar recently opened up about being sexually abused as a child and revealed that the trauma of the incident still haunts him.
According to Mumbai Mirror, the Rustom actor surprised everyone at a women's safety seminar when he shared 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 behaviour, I was asked to come home and talk frankly," he said.
The actor added," When I was six, I was on my way to a neighbour’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."
Akshay then explained why it's important to cultivate an environment where children can speak up about such atrocities.
"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."
He is not the first Bollywood actor to speak up about sexual abuse. A few years ago, Kalki Koechlin also addressed the topic and opened up about being abused at the age of nine.
