Women in India are 40 times more likely to die after being a victim of sexual assault than female victims in the US!
If that fact doesn’t send a chill down your spine and make you incredibly afraid for the safety of women in our country, it’s time you burst your bubble of ignorance right away. Because the threat is real, and it continues to threaten women on a daily basis, not just in India, but around the world.
After the sexual allegations against Harvey Weinstein cracked open the Pandora’s box of horrific testimonies by women in Hollywood about sexual harassment, the #MeToo movement spread like wildfire. Women from across the world came together to relive and retell their painful encounters, bringing some of the most influential names in the industry, down to their knees.
Which brings us to 2018, and the wonderful start to the new year, in the form of an anti-sexual harassment plan called Time’s Up, that has been launched by over 300 women in film, television, and theatre, to combat systematic sexual harassment in workplaces.
According to the Time’s Up website “addresses the systemic inequality and injustice in the workplace that has kept underrepresented groups from reaching their full potential”.
“We partner with leading advocates for equality and safety to improve laws, employment agreements, and corporate policies; help change the face of corporate boardrooms and the C-suite; and enable more women and men to access our legal system to hold wrongdoers accountable,” is what the website says.
Donations to the TIME’s UP Legal Defense Fund are welcome, in support of those affected by sexual harassment, and by doing so, the donor’s name is added to the ‘Letter of Solidarity’ that stands up for giving a voice to ALL women that have encountered sexual harassment, of any kind, in their lives.
Reese Witherspoon, Amy Schumer, Shonda Rhimes, Meryl Streep, Rashida Jones, Blake Lively, Charlize Theron, Selena Gomez, and Steven Spielberg are some of the big names that have actively become a part of the cause, and as of Monday, the Legal Defense Fund has raised a whopping 13 million dollars!
Time’s up on silence. Time’s up on waiting. Time’s up on tolerating discrimination, harassment and abuse. #TimesUp Sign the solidarity letter & donate to the @TIMESUPNW Legal Defense Fund: https://t.co/eTwKtOboIl pic.twitter.com/q8aok1HTGg
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) January 1, 2018
To all the powerful women in Hollywood who have made it their mission to extend their unwavering support to people affected by sexual harassment – we salute you! Thank you for being the change we want to see in this world!
With a movement as large as this, it’s about time that a support system for victims of sexual harassment extends to victims around the world, and not just in the USA.
India, are you listening?
Feature Image: Biography, Billboard, Deadline
