Despite being ubiquitous, sexual harassment returns behind the scenes – 06/26/2023 – Michael França

Born in the Bronx, New York, Tarana Burke was raped and sexually abused in her childhood and adolescence. Upon hearing an account of a 13-year-old girl who confided in him about having suffered sexual violence, Burke says she didn’t know how to respond, but felt like saying, “Me too.”

In 2006, on the social network Myspace, she began using this phrase, which in English means “Me Too”, as a way to empower sexually abused women. There germinated the seed of one of the most remarkable movements of the past decade. It erupted in 2017 when American actress Alyssa Milano made a Twitter post saying, “If you have been sexually harassed or assaulted, please write “MeToo” in response to this tweet.”

Within hours, engagement on social media had spread across the world. What at first was a denunciation of Hollywood backrooms quickly spread to other industrial sectors, universities, churches and politics.

The #MeToo hashtag appeared to be a movement that would usher in the dawn of a new era. However, the magnitude of the problem was greater than many realized. The movement showed that sexual harassment and assault is ubiquitous. As the movement advanced, it became evident that several friends, brothers, sons and husbands also commit this type of crime.

Months later, there was a negative wave of the revolution. Thousands of men were being destroyed. Many of them were powerful. Some were innocent. False reports exist, but there are studies that suggest that they are rare (“False reporting of sexual victimization: prevalence, definitions, and public perceptions”, 2020).

Others did not attack, but had “inappropriate conduct”. Several who flirted in or out of the workplace were being placed in the same group as rapists. However, these same flirts often constantly take away women’s freedoms. In part, this is because there is often considerable mismatch of perceptions. What may represent innocent flirting for one person may be seen as harassment and invasion of ungranted space for another.

In this context, the need to redefine behavioral lines became increasingly evident. Constant sexual harassment affects female progress in various dimensions of life. Gender roles and social norms would need to be better debated and rethought. Predatory behavior and sexual objectification should be fought.

While the #MeToo explosion has brought these important discussions to the forefront of public debate, in many places they have quickly moved back into the background. This occurred because intrinsic to such a debate is also the imbalance of power and privileges.

However, the movement left deep transformations in American society. Several changes took place. There was the creation of state laws, compensation for survivors and even funds to finance the expenses of lawyers for the most disadvantaged women. Many broke the silence and saw that they were not alone.

In the Brazilian case, little has been done. We are still a society that is too complacent to accept a pervasive culture of abuse.

The text is a tribute to the song “Til it Happens to You”, by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga, performed by Lady Gaga.

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