How #Metoo is helping women beat sex pests
THE #Metoo movement is a huge global campaign against sexual harassment and assault.
It went viral after revelations of sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein were made public.
On May 25 he was arrested in New York, charged with rape and other offences, and released on bail.
He is accused of sexual assault by more than 80 women, and scores of alleged victims posted their stories online using the powerful hashtag.
Weinstein, 66, denies all claims of non-consensual sex.
Star Alyssa Milano encouraged regular women to tweet about their own experiences using the hashtag to “give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem”.
Those taking to Twitter included high-profile posts from several celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lawrence and Uma Thurman.
By the end of the day on October 15, 2017, #Metoo had been used 200,000 times on Twitter. On Facebook, it was used in 12 million posts in 24 hours.
The flood of reports of unwanted sexual attention from sleazy bosses came from women all over the globe and #Metoo has trended in at least 85 countries, including the UK.
The growing movement has spread outside of Hollywood to sport, religious institutions and politics.