Exposing harassment a big step forward for women’s civil rights
Dr Cherrie Short examines a year w when a m monumental cultural shift exposed a deep-seated culture of sexual harassment both in the film industry and beyond...
IN EARLY October the New York Times published an article detailing decades of allegations of sexual harassment against film mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Three days later he was forced to resign as head of the Weinstein Company, and over the next few weeks 83 additional women came forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment, including numerous Hollywood and British film stars.
These shocking revelations precipitated a major social movement that has brought forth allegations against other powerful men in several industries seemingly almost every week.
It was as if a cultural dam had broken, and women and vulnerable men, some of whom had suffered in silence for a lifetime, were no longer willing to tolerate a prevalent culture of sexual harassment in the workplace or in society.
This fast-paced, developing social movement of exposing sexual misconduct has reached every corner of the States, and increasingly, other parts of the world.
Women and men have shared their stories in a social media campaign using the hashtag #MeToo to show the widespread prevalence of sexual harassment and assault across countries and continents
Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the US Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Sex Discriminatin Act of 1975 and the Protection from Harassment Act of 1997 in the UK. It includes any unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, or obscene remarks about someone’s appearance or body.
It’s also important to consider power and control on the part of the harasser, as it helps create conditions for sexual assaults.
In the States, the #MeToo movement has reached into the halls of Congress. Within the last month, in an emotional speech, Senator Al Franken of Minnesota announced his resignation from Congress, and Representative John Conyers of Michigan resigned his seat in the House.
They are among the most prominent political figures in a growing list of law-makers charged with sexual harassment or indiscretion. Their resignations are a small step to rec- ognising the need to protect women in the government workplace.
The #MeToo sexual harassment movement also focused on the White House this month, when three women who had previously accused President Trump of sexual misconduct began a renewed public effort to gain attention for their allegations.
The three women were among the 19 who came forward during the 2016 presidential campaign. They appeared on Megyn Kelly’s NBC show, followed by a news conference in Manhattan, in which they called on Congress to investigate.
However, despite some progress, America continues to suffer from a divided political culture over sexual harassment and abuse.
Despite his abusive behaviour, the Democratic Party rallied behind President Bill Clinton.
Today, the Republican Party continues support for President Trump even though 19 women have accused him of sexual harassment, with stories dating back to the early 1980s.
Even more disturbing, during his recent political campaign for the US Senate in Alabama, Judge Roy Moore faced numerous charges of sexual predation against teenage girls. He also publicly argued that Muslims shouldn’t be able to serve in Congress and promoted the conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama wasn’t born in the US.
In addition, he said in a 2005 CNN interview that “homosexual conduct” should be illegal. Yet the Republican Party leadership, including President Trump, supported his failed candidacy.
Of some comfort, Judge Moore lost the election, a rarity for a Republican candidate in the conservative state of Alabama. Voting records show that women in suburban counties surrounding the big cities, which are normally overwhelmingly Republican, barely supported his candidacy.
As a woman living in the US, I’m proud to see American women taking a stand against sexual harassment.
Holding men accountable for their sexual misconduct is a step forward in promoting civil rights during a time when most people seem to have forgotten that we had a civil rights movement in the first place. It’s refreshing to make some progress, and witness recognition and accountability in action.
Until now, equal employment opportunity and anti-harassment laws have been ineffective, as perpetrators have mostly avoided legal punishments through the use of monetary settlements that limit legal liability and public disclosure.
And while high-profile celebrity men have fallen, we need equal rights and security for working women in all workplaces and we need a government that is here to protect women’s rights and recognise sexual harassment as an issue bound up with gender, race and socio-economic inequalities.
President Trump and the conservative Republican leadership won’t be able to deter the #MeToo movement from dramatically changing our social and political culture to one of respect and equality for women, recognising that the safety and security of women is the next big human rights issue facing the United States and the world.