BBC journalist reveals how married colleague told her he was addicted to pleasuring himself
Rajini Vaidyanathan says she was 'horrified' at married man's explicit messages
A BBC journalist has described how a married colleague talked to her about 'pleasuring himself' as she joined thousands of women using the hashtag #MeToo.
North America correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan recalled her first exposure to the "overt" workplace sexism at a dinner in New York when she was about 25.
She revealed she was left with a male colleague who told her he was sexually attracted to her and couldn't stop thinking about her despite being twice her age, "well respected" and having a girlfriend.
, she recalled : "I dropped my fork and it bounced on the plate, the spaghetti still woven around it.
"I can't even remember what I said - but it was something all too polite, as I tried to change the conversation. He continued talking about how beautiful I was, as I ate the pasta as fast I could.
"I now know it was utterly unacceptable, and is just another reminder of how some men in the workplace use their power to manipulate, harass and even abuse women."
She also revealed it wasn't the last time she was harassed saying she was left "horrified" by explicit messages from a married former colleague just a few years ago.
She claims the man wrote: "I have become obsessed with pleasuring myself. I just can't control myself."
Unsure at how to respond Rajini said she sent a reassuring message describing his thoughts as "pretty normal" but it made his behaviour became "more creepy".
"He said he'd fantasised about sex with powerful women, and how he wanted to cheat on his wife," she said. "I told him to talk to someone else - not me - and to get help."
Despite feeling disgusted, the journalist kept silent about the exchange until a female colleague told her she had received dirty messages from the same man.
Rajini said: "I let out a sigh of relief, as I realised I could finally share my story. Soon after I heard he'd been fired. Another colleague had filed a complaint against him."
The #MetToo hashtag started trending worldwide after a call to action from actress Alyssa Milano in the wake of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's downfall over of allegations of sexual misconduct spanning decades.
The campaign quickly trended on Twitter and Facebook, with notable names like Lady Gaga, Monica Lewinsky and Rosario Dawson identifying themselves as victims.
Rajini is also encouraging others to speak out about harassment and abuse adding: "No matter what the degree of abuse is, knowing someone else has gone through it too makes it easier to speak out. Just look at the Bill Cosby case.
"I have interviewed a number of survivors of sexual assault on college campuses in the US, who didn't come forward because they didn't think they'd be believed.
"A lot of the time, men don't understand how to deal with it, because - to put it simply - they don't have to deal with it.
"They don't get the same comments or asides, the same blame or judgement as women face on a regular basis."
