Are we normalising sexual abuse?
In the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct against women levelled at Harvey Weinstein, the world has come together to share its abuse stories in a new Twitter trend called #MeToo.
In the wake of the allegations of sexual misconduct against women recently levelled at Harvey Weinstein, the world has united to share its abuse stories in a new Twitter trend, called #MeToo.
The hashtag, started by actress Alyssa Milano, was created to get women to share their experiences of sexual assault and to raise awareness of how common it is for females to experience violations at the hands of a man. Most women activists hope that the airing of these stories will force the conversation about sexual harassment into the open, in the hopes of change occurring.
A study conducted by Clare Kapp in 2006, under the title “Rape on trial in South Africa” stated that only 14% of perpetrators of rape are convicted in South Africa, and this while the country has one of the highest rape statistics in the world. Powerful men such Roger Ailes, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Cosby, Donald Trump, and President Jacob Zuma have all had sexual harassment and rape charges filed against them, raising awareness that rape does not only occur at home – it happens in the workplace too. Most recently, South African rapper Brickz was sentenced to 15 years in jail for raping his niece – and yet, the statistics do not decrease, leading one to ask why. Are we as a society normalising the act of violating women? Is it because offenders receive a slap on the wrist for their actions?
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