Expo 2020 Dubai: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Mona Zaki, Aja Naomi King, and Aseel Omran step up for women

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan brought glitz and glamour to the global event as she threw her weight behind women safety and spoke passionately about how women need to stand tall in the face of harassment. She was a part of an initiative for a beauty brand that she endorses and rattled off grim statistics about the widespread issue of harassment of women in public spaces.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was joined by Hollywood actress Aja Naomi King from 'How To Gety Away With Murder' fame, and Saudi Arabian actress and singer Aseel Omran.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who was dressed in an austere Sabyasachi ensemble, urged women and men around her to stand tall in the face of street harassment in public spaces. Rai Bachchan, who was welcomed with thunderous applause, spoke about how bystanders mutely watching as a woman being harassed as ‘unacceptable behaviour’. Their apathy and insensitivity to a crime was disturbing. “We simply cannot accept raising our daughters in a world where people witness this absolutely unacceptable behaviour and look away because they do not know what to do,” said Bachchan. The face of cosmetic company L’Oreal Paris also presented grim statistics about how the issue of harassment against women is a widespread problem. Her speech was followed by a training programme at the grounds directed at educating women on how to handle such nasty episodes.

She wasn't alone. Mona Zaki and Aseel Omran joined hands to throw their weight behind this cause. She reminded all women not to allow perpetrators fill you with a sense of shame. “Let’s not give those perpetrators a chance to survive. As women, let’s all stand together,” said Omran.

Rai Bachchan, who was welcomed with thunderous applause, spoke about bystanders mutely watching as a woman is harassed as ‘unacceptable’. Their lack of reaction to a crime was disturbing. “We simply cannot accept raising our daughters in a world where people witness the absolutely unacceptable behaviour and look away because they do not know what to do,” said Bachchan. The face of cosmetic company L’Oreal Paris also presented grim statistics about how widespread issue of harassment. She was at the Expo 2020 to kickstart a training programme at the grounds directed at educating women on how to handle such nasty episodes.

Mona Zaki, Egyptian powerhouse, also took to her social media to spread awareness about harassment of women in public spaces. "“I have never met a woman or a girl who hasn’t been harassed on the streets … As a woman remember never to doubt your self-worth or take the blame,” said Zaki.

King, who is known for her role in ‘How To Get Away With Murder’, also spoke about how women are stereotyped. “When I started to work in my industry I was told women are so catty … But I just feel lucky because I have witnessed so much sisterhood. Today, we stand alongside each other,” said King. All the women also reminded their fans to be authentic and never to feel apologetic about their dignity being trodden upon.

Before her visit to the Expo 2020 Dubai, Aishwarya Rai was spotted at the Paris Fashion Week walking down the ramp in an all-white ensemble.