Stars ‘not to blame’ for keeping silent in Catch 22 ordeal
HARVEY Weinstein’s alleged star victims should not be criticised for waiting to speak out against him, says a women’s rights campaigner.
Rachel Krys, co-director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said they had kept mum because they faced a ‘Catch 22’ dilemma.
“The reason these women haven’t spoken out for so long is because that’s the response they so often get when they do talk about this stuff,” said Rachel. “But at the same time we get all these men who say they knew – but they didn’t do anything about it. We’re blaming the victims for what was done to them.”
Rachel said the big question that needed to be asked was that if Weinstein did attack women, how did he get away with it for so long.
“Why could he act with impunity? I think it’s because we spend so much time analysing what she did, what she didn’t do, what she was wearing, what she has to gain by talking about it. Weinstein holds his hand up to the woman He hands cash to snapper It means women hear at best that they won’t be listened to, and at worst that they’ll be vilified.
“Sexual predators know this, and they use this. They target women who are vulnerable.
“The TUC found women with the least power in the workplace were the most vulnerable, and this is the same.”
“I’m not optimistic, but we should use this experience to say this is not going to happen to women again.”