Monica Lewinsky speaks out on Clinton episode; to campaign against cyber-bullying

Washington, Oct 22: Monica Lewinsky is in news again, however not for a wrong reason this time.

In her first public address, Lewinsky, known for her much-talked about past affair with former US president Bill Clinton, sought to launch a "Cultural Revolution" against online harassment. The former US White House intern Monica Lewinsky recounted how she was publicly shamed for falling in love with her boss, said a Zee News report.

Speaking at Forbes' Under-30 Summit in Philadelphia in connection with cyberbullying, Lewinsky said she was one of the first persons who was humiliated globally on Internet as overnight she went from being a "completely private figure to a publicly humiliated one".

The much-hyped 1998 sex scandal involving Lewinsky and Bill Clinton had created much controversy. The scandal was broke by a website. After the scandal was reported, the pre-dominant thought in her mind was "I want to die", she said.

"There was no Facebook, Twitter or Instagram back then..But there were gossip, news and entertainment websites replete with comment sections and emails which could be forwarded," Forbes quoted her as saying.

Cyber-bullying can lead to suicides

Lewinsky mentioned the case of Tyler Clementi, the 18-year-old Rutgers University student, who ended his life after his video of kissing another man went viral on internet.

She said empathised with such victims and that she wanted to put "her suffering to good use and give purpose to her past."

"That tragedy is one of the principal reasons I am standing up here today," said Lewinsky, as quoted by the Forbes report.

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