Around the world, women say #MeToo

Hashtag resonates with abuse victims

LONDON — The wave of revelations and revulsion over Harvey Weinstein continues to go global.

As A-list actresses level claims of sexual misconduct at the now-disgraced Hollywood mogul, ordinary women everywhere are engaging in a collective outpouring of their stories of assaults and sexual harassment, inspired by an online campaign made famous by Alyssa Milano.

And, as the #MeToo ranks swelled, there is also a sense of bitterness about how sexism remains rooted in many parts of the world — including places seen as progressive regarding women’s rights.

As stories of sexual abuse and harassment ramped up online, actress America Ferrera’s revelation was particularly heartbreaking.

The first time a man sexually assaulted her, she alleges, she was only 9 years old.

The Emmy-winning “Ugly Betty” alum, 33, shared her story on social media Monday, just as several high-profile stars including Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lawrence and singer Bjork publicly recounted their own in the wake of the Weinstein scandal.

Within hours of Ms. Milano’s #MeToo call, the hashtag was trending worldwide, with accounts pouring in from Calgary to Cairo and from Paris to Perth. The twoword hashtag has been tweeted more than half-amillion times and has been featured in over 12 million posts on Facebook. On Arab social media sites, women jumped into the conversation using the hashtag #AnaKaman, the Arabic translation of “me too.”

A 63-year-old Australian woman tweeted that harassment was present “all through my early working life in the 70s & 80s” while working at the Department of Defense in Sydney.

A parish priest in rural England tweeted where she faced harassment: “Paris when I was 16 heading to visit my pen friend. Norfolk when I was 22 being expected to ‘earn’ some bar work. Others I can’t say.”

“In Calgary traveling with a client on business … In Vancouver applying for one job, working at another … Amazingly #JustHowItWas #MeToo,” tweeted a Canadian author with her list.

“Tailors in Pakistan who always need to measure your chest and hips at least 7 times,” wrote a press officer in Lahore. “You always know when the hand lingers too long.”

“When I was in India, Egypt, Mexico, Belgium, and pretty much everywhere I’ve lived,” wrote a Mexican living in Brussels.