The year is only a few months old, yet it has been a wild ride for anyone who cares about women’s rights and the ongoing sexual harassment scandals. International Women’s Day is coming up and we are taking a close look at all the good reasons to join forces and take to the streets.
2017 was a difficult and trying year for every woman (and many men). It started with Trump being elected president, then escalated in the efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, undermining women’s reproductive rights and health benefits. But the crisis is a global one!
The first two months of the New Year have given us more than enough reasons to rise and protest, especially on International Women’s Day, which is today—March 8. “Enough is enough” is the credo for 2018.
1.) Harvey Weinstein and The “Me Too” Movement
Photo by Nicole Adams on Unsplash
In the wake of the ongoing sexual harassment scandals uncovered by the “Me Too” movement, both men and women are taking a clear stand. The whole world was shocked as well-known celebrities and other public figures faced allegations of abusive behavior towards women (and some men) when the new year was only a few days old.
Amongst them, famous Hollywood filmmaker Harvey Weinstein, who was accused by several well-known female actresses to have sexuallyharassed them. After the first claims surfaced in fall 2017, the situation only escalated with the turn of the year. Women of all ages and backgrounds started to make their experiences with sexual harassment public, using the now widely known hashtag #MeToo (the Me Too campaign was actually founded in 2006 by long-time activist Tarana Burke).
Weinstein and nearly all of the other accused men swiftly lost their jobs and platforms. They are facing harsh public backlash and in some cases legal prosecution. The #MeToo movement has had a very positive effect. It turned into a widespread move to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace. One after another, corporations are now issuing strong statements and showing zero tolerance in regard to sexual misconduct.
Without a doubt, many more cases are still waiting to be revealed. Therefore we will have to keep taking action and take every opportunity to express our rage.
