The #MeToo Movement
The #MeToo movement was founded in 2006 by Tarana Burke, an American activist. Over a decade later, in 2017, the movement went viral due to a surge of allegations against Harvey Weinstein, a famous Hollywood filmmaker. 50 allegations were made against Weinstein within weeks of this viral hashtag. In 2017, actress Alyssa Milano urged other women to speak up and join the movement. Sexual assault survivors not only saw this as an opportunity to share their personal stories but also denounce the perpetrators of these crimes. This movement provides a voice for victims of sexual assault and allows for a community amongst sexual assault survivors. From this movement there has been an increase in the reporting of sexual abuse cases in Canada, indicating the positive impact this movement has caused as more victims are coming forward.
Government Response to #MeToo
- The #MeToo movement even caught the attention of the Canadian government, prompting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call it an “awakening”.
- To prevent further gender-based violence the government has invested over a $100 million in resources over five years.
Social Media
Due to increased social media outreach and platforms, movements like #MeToo have had widespread popularity and have been able to reach those all over the world. Social media is an excellent form of modern social activism as it allows for rapid transmission of information, increases visibility and reaches global audiences.
On Twitter, the #MeToo hashtag has been used over 19 million times
Global Impact
#MeToo quickly became globally known and was adopted in different variations by other countries. This ignited sexual assault victims to speak up about their experiences and even caused legislative change.
France
Marlene Schiappa, the Minister for Gender Equality, developed #BalanceTonPorc meaning “Expose Your Pig”. This hashtag has encouraged women across the country to name their sexual assault perpetrators and speak on their experiences openly. Schiappa also passed a bill in 2018 that involves fining street harassment and has extended the statute of limitations for sexual crimes.
China
This movement also played a role in China adopting legislation that was not previously in place. Their proposed legislation involves legally prohibiting sexual harassment of any kind and provides support by banning the offence. China also employed an initiative for safe work environments.
Senegal
Likewise, in Senegal the hashtag #Nopiwouma meaning “I Will Not Shut Up” in Wolof, was started by two women in Dakar as a means of encouraging sexual assault victims to share their stories of assault and harassment. Unfortunately, due to poor social media outreach this has not gained widespread support in Senegal. However, there was a 90% response rate to an anonymous survey created by the founders of the hashtag in which women spoke about their experiences for the first time.
Contributed By: Aida Mansour and Lina Nasir Kadir
References
Header Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Closeup_of_protesters_at_Ginowan_protests_2009-11-08.jpg
Image 4: https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/425053-the-next-steps-for-the-metoo-movement