Time honours women for breaking silence on sexual harassment
US magazine’s Person of the Year title awarded to victims of predatory behaviour across the world
BRITISH women who spoke out against sexual harassment and abuse in Parliament have been honoured for their campaign by Time magazine, which named “the silence breakers” as its Person of the Year.
In an announcement on US television yesterday, the international group of women who initiated the Me Too hashtag were declared as the most influential people of 2017, based on the editors’ reckoning of who had led the news in the past year, for good or ill.
Last year’s winner was Donald Trump, then president-elect. This year he was second, with Ji Xinping, China’s president, in third place.
The magazine’s cover features Taylor Swift, who claimed and then won a symbolic $1 in damages against a DJ who groped her at a meet-and-greet, and Ashley Judd, one of the first to speak out against Harvey Weinstein. Alyssa Milano, an actress, was one of the first to tweet the Me Too phrase.
She said the basis of her hashtag was to create a platform where women had an “opportunity without having to go into detail about their stories if they did not want to”.
The cover also features Susan Fowler, Adama Iwu and Isabel Pascual.
Inside, the magazine profiles Jane Merrick, the journalist who spoke out about Sir Michael Fallon allegedly “lunging” at her early in her career, and Bex Bailey, a Labour campaigner who said she was raped by a senior member of her party.
Ms Merrick tweeted: “Very proud to play a small part in this – but also to honour the women who are unable to speak out.”
The former political editor of the Independent on Sunday spoke of her encounter with Sir Michael.
“He had violated what should have been a healthy working relationship, turning it into something seedy and unpleasant,” she wrote.
He resigned on Nov
1, becoming the highest-ranking politician in the UK or the US to resign in the aftermath of the #Metoo floodgates opening, following the publication of allegations against Weinstein on Oct 5.
Ms Bailey, 25, claimed she was raped by a senior member of the Labour Party when she was 19 – and when she reported it, she was told not to pursue her complaint. Labour launched an investigation into the allegations, and has since updated its harassment and assault complaints policy. Ms Bailey tweeted: “Proud to feature alongside these brave women for Time Person of the Year. Many more deserve recognition. Those unable to speak out yet are no less brave. Real change still needed.” MPS congratulated the women for their involvement in the movement. Liz Kendall tweeted: “Incredible news: Time magazine picks women who’ve spoken out against sexual harassment as Person of Year incl the amazing @bexbailey & @janemerrick23. BRAVO.”
Mary Creagh wrote: “Great to see @janemerrick23 & @ bexbailey honoured by Time magazine as silence breakers.”
Time said the actions of women who had spoken out against men who allegedly harassed and abused them had caused the “biggest cultural reckoning” seen in decades.
The 10-person shortlist for the award included Kim Jong-un, Jeff Bezos, the Amazon CEO, and Robert Mueller, the former FBI director leading the investigation into Russian hacking of the US election.