We Fight: MeToo’s Global Impact

By Siyona Bordia

Time magazine cover featuring women who are a part of #MeToo.

Image courtesy of Bill Chappell/Time Magazine in 2017.

Every country we look at—the United States, Qatar, Venezuela, Sweden—struggles with women’s rights. Yet, some countries are more progressive than others and make constant efforts to improve women’s lives. #MeToo is a movement in the United States that strives to work against harassment and abuse in daily life. This MeToo hashtag, however, has struggled to attain a global impact due to its focus and advocacy in first-world countries, explaining just how much understanding we as a society need to have for the developing countries that are facing much higher rates of violence and abuse. This initiative has attracted the attention of highly influential figures and has progressed enormously since its commencement, and it has the ability to make even more of an impact as it gains more recognition and support.

#MeToo began in 2006 through American activist Tarana Burke and was promoted on various social media outlets. The movement was eventually popularized in 2017 when high-profile actresses such as Jennifer Lawrence and Reese Witherspoon discussed their experiences with harassment in the film industry. The lowered rate of gender-based violence (dropping by six percent since 2018) was credited to those who shared their experiences; their stories inspired action. In the February 2018 issue of The Nation, journalist Katha Pollitt wrote, "The core of #MeToo has been people coming forward whose accounts were then investigated by journalists in publications…That is how we know about Harvey Weinstein and Matt Lauer, etc." Because of #MeToo, men and women who were suspected to be predators were investigated and punished/exposed if found guilty. But current events prove that this movement has to do so much more.

Iran’s citizens are revolting against the government and police. After the disappearance of two girls who allegedly broke one of Iran’s most prominent rules—a rule making it compulsory for women to wear a hijab—the public began to fight incessantly for the rights their women deserve. Social media posts and protests are blowing up all over the world in support of women in Iran. #MeToo is a movement that allows freedom of expression in regard to sexual harassment and abuse, all of which the protests in Iran apply. The United States should have the resources and responsibility to provide countries like Iran with the support they need to continue their battles.

Another example of MeToo inspiring women in the US and developing nations with strict policies on women’s rights is that thousands of women are fleeing Afghanistan, for example, with or without male partners. These unprotected women are more susceptible to rape, abuse, and deprivation of rights throughout their journey and at the refugee camps they are fleeing to. Afghan women live in a patriarchal society and are often too frightened to report any abuse for the fear of angering their partners. However, just in early 2021, #MeToo sparked a twenty percent increase in reporting cases of harassment and gender-based violence in Afghanistan. In countries such as Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya, and Pakistan, the movement led to a fifteen percent increase in sex-crime reporting with an additional twelve thousand reported cases. More reporting means more awareness.

It is also crucial to acknowledge that harassment and violence can impact anyone. Thousands of men are also victims and speak about their experiences. In fact, one in six men have been sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Male survivors of sexual assault, violence, or abuse (some famous: Chris Brown, Kyle Beach), face a myriad of stigmas and misconceptions, ranging from the misguided belief that men can’t be sexually assaulted to the notion that male survivors are less traumatized than women. Several male survivors also express that they are averse to telling their stories “in fear of being taunted or shut down,” The New York Times explains. #MeToo does not conform to these traditional gender stereotypes but acknowledges that anyone can be faced with these issues.

Abuse and violence impact society globally—meaning that women in Iran and other conservative countries face the same issues as women in the United States on a much larger scale. Therefore, any victims of this violence are unsafe until the government and community work together to implement protective policies. #MeToo is a way to spread awareness about harassment, to discipline the perpetrators justly, and to attain tangible results. It sends the message that harassment or restriction of rights will not be tolerated and certainly not accepted in society. A coalition of women in the entertainment industry, going by the name of “Time’s Up,” published a letter in which they wrote, “to every person employed in agriculture who has had to fend off unwanted sexual advances from their boss, to every person who has felt restricted or dehumanized…to people in every industry who are subjected to indignities and offensive behavior that they are expected to tolerate to make a living: We stand with you. We support you.” The world can change for the better, but it has to be a collective effort.

Citations

“#MeToo Movement Raises Awareness on Sexual Assault and Harassment.” Feminist Majority Foundation, October 17, 2017. https://feminist.org/news/metoo-movement-raises-awareness-on-sexual-assault-and-harassment/.   

Cummings, Mike. “#MeToo Makes a Difference in Sex-Crime Reporting, Study Shows.” YaleNews, January 27, 2020. https://news.yale.edu/2020/01/27/metoo-makes-difference-sex-crime-reporting-study-shows.   

Filipovic, Jill. “The #MeToo Movement's Bad Men Don't Deserve Comebacks.” Time. Time, May 10, 2018. https://time.com/5272331/let-us-now-punish-famous-men/.  

Grady, Constance. “Some Say the Me Too Movement Has Gone Too Far. The Harvey Weinstein Verdict Proves That's False.” Vox. Vox, February 24, 2020. https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/2/24/21150966/harvey-weinstein-rape-conviction-sexual-predatory-assault-me-too-too-far.  

"Hollywood Coalition Launches Time's Up." Issues & Controversies, December 17, 2017. Accessed May 28, 2021. https://icof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?ID=18326

Johnson, Stephanie K., Ksenia Keplinger, Jessica K. Firk, and Lisa Barnes. “Has Sexual Harassment at Work Decreased Since #MeToo?” Harvard Business Review. hbr, July 18, 2019. https://hbr.org/2019/07/has-sexual-harassment-at-work-decreased-since-metoo.  

 "MeToo: Is the #MeToo Movement an Appropriate Response to Sexual Assault and Harassment?" Issues & Controversies, May 1, 2020. Accessed May 28, 2021. https://icof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?ID=18316

“Me Too: Sexual Harassment Awareness & Prevention.” Maryville Online, September 16, 2020. https://online.maryville.edu/blog/understanding-the-me-too-movement-a-sexual-harassment-awareness-guide/.