by Asha Varma ’20, Staff Writer

Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Each year on average, there are 321,500 rape or sexual assault victims ages twelve or older in the United States. In eight out of every ten cases, the victim knew the person who sexually assaulted them. Meanwhile, only 6 out of every 1,000 perpetrators will end up in prison.  These are just some of the statistics that showcase the alarming reality when it comes to sexual assault and harassment in the United States.

In October of 2017, New York Times published an article detailing allegations of sexual assault against movie mogul and film producer Harvey Weinstein, after actresses such as Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd finally came forward in sharing their personal experiences of harassment and rape by Weinstein. In light of these allegations, more female celebrities and even women who worked for Weinstein’s production companies came forward, exposing the harassment they had experienced by the co-founder of Miramax and The Weinstein Company. After the news broke about his actions of sexual assault, which had spanned undetected for almost over three decades, celebrities such as Meryl Streep and George Clooney publicly responded by releasing statements condemning Weinstein’s behavior. Weinstein was then fired by his own company after over 50 women came forward with allegations ranging from sexual harassment to rape. Eventually, a lawsuit was filed against the Weinstein Company in February of 2018, alleging that Weinstein sexually harassed and abused female employees for years, including making verbal threats against their lives and threatening to fire them from their jobs.

In response to the Weinstein effect and the #MeToo movement, a viral hashtag on social media that spread the message of intolerance for sexual harassment in the workplace, many Hollywood celebrities banded together and founded the Time’s Up Movement on January 1, 2018. The New York Times made the announcement about the movement, whose goal and desire is to not only support women, but also men, people of color, and the LGBT community to speak up about sexual harassment. Some initiatives that were set in place by the movement included:

• A $13 million fund, administered by the National Women’s Law Center, to support lower-income women seeking justice for sexual violence in the workplace
• Advocating for legislation that punishes companies that tolerate or do not report persistent sexual harassment
• Movement towards gender parity in studio and talent agencies
• Encouraging women on the red carpet to wear all black at the 75^th Golden Globe Awards, and speak out against sexual harassment and assault.

The Golden Globes took place on January 7, 2018, and was a moving night in Hollywood, as almost all celebrities who walked the red carpet, both men and women, dressed in all black as a sign of their support for the movement. Following the Golden Globes, celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Lana Del Ray, and Kesha wore a white rose to the Grammys in solidarity with the Time’s Up Movement. Many Hollywood celebrities have donated to the cause, such as Mark Wahlberg, who gave over $2 million to the movement in the name of his costar Michelle Williams, after finding out she only received $800 to redo scenes from their movie All the Money in the World while Wahlberg received $1.5 million for those same 10 days of work.  The Time’s Up Movement has raised an estimated $20 million as of February 2018, only two months after its founding. Since 1998, an estimated 17,700,000 women have been victims of rape, and 99 percent of perpetrators of sexual violence will walk free. These are both numbers that need to be lowered.

The bravery and courage of those women in Hollywood to use their voice and speak out against committers of sexual assault, especially those in power positions in the workplace, has raised awareness and made people all over the nation realize that sexual assault and harassment is a very prevalent problem in today’s society that can and must be tackled.