#MeToo.

Sexual assault and violence has been an issue throughout history and today. For centuries and decades, society looked the other way and encouraged victims to stay quiet about their experiences. However, the #MeToo movement has been on the rise over the recent years, allowing survivors to speak out to highlight the severity of the issue. This site outlines the progress the movement had on a global scale, with events of public figures and civilians voicing their experiences, to encourage conversation for awareness and prevention.

Timeline

2006

Activist Tarana Burke creates the "Me Too" movement to help sexual assault victims in underprivileged communities in the United States. By sharing their own experiences, the movement’s proponents make clear just how common sexual harassment is. The hope is that, if people are more aware of sexual harassment and how casually it is sometimes treated, then tolerance for it will decrease and support for victims will rise.

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October 5-8, 2017

Hollywood film mogul Harvey Weinstein is fired from his production company after being accused of sexually harassment. Scores of women have since accused him of sexual misconduct dating back decades, allegations he denies. Weinstein faces trial for rape in January 2020.

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October 15, 2017

The actress Alyssa Milano encourages individuals to share their personal experiences using the hashtag #MeToo, a campaign originally started by activist Tarana Burke in 2006, rapidly flooding social media with stories of harassment and misconduct across an array of industries.

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October 31, 2017

The Labour Party launches an investigation after activist Bex Bailey claimed she was raped by a senior party member and was later discouraged from reporting it.

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December 6, 2017

Time magazine reveals it has awarded Person of the Year to the women who spoke up against sexual abuse, dubbing them “The silence breakers”. The cover features actress Ashley Judd, musician Taylor Swift, lobbyist Adama Iwu, former Uber engineer Susan Fowler and Isabel Pascual, a Mexican strawberry-picker whose name was changed. The elbow of a faceless woman is also included, to highlight the number of everyday “silence breakers”.

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January 1, 2018

More than 300 women in Hollywood band together to form the ‘Time’s Up’ coalition. It aims to support lower-income women seeking justice for sexual harassment and assault in the workplace, and advocates for legislation to punish companies that tolerate persistent harassment. As of February 2018, it has raised £14m for its legal defence fund and gathered more than 200 volunteer lawyers.

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January 20, 2018

The second annual Women’s March takes place around the US to mark the anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration, to express disapproval of his policies and encouraging people to vote. Hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets.

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January 24, 2018

USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar is sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for abusing young gymnasts. Top Olympic gymnast Simone Biles says she was among his victims.

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September 4, 2019

Chanel Miller, who stayed anonymous after being sexually assaulted by Brock Turner in 2015 at Stanford University, has revealed her name and written a memoir. Miller will appear on "60 Minutes" in her first on-air interview, and CBS released a minutelong clip in which she reads from the victim impact statement she wrote to address her attacker in court in 2016.

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October 2018

India's #MeToo movement gathers momentum with a wave of allegations levelled at media, sports, business and political figures.

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February 5, 2019

Pope Francis acknowledges that nuns have been sexually abused by priests and bishops, with some used as sex slaves. He abolishes secrecy policy in sexual abuse cases; church officials can now share information with secular law enforcement authorities.

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February to August 2019

Singer R. Kelly, who has faced sex abuse allegations for more than two decades, is charged in multiple cases in different states for crimes including sexual assault and sex trafficking. He faces trial in 2020.

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July 1, 2019

A rape accusation against a popular Nigerian pastor prompts women to share their own experiences of abuse. Nigerian actors have said abuse is also rife in Nollywood, the country's film industry.

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September 17, 2019

Iceland hosts the first international #MeToo conference to brainstorm ways to end sexism, harassment and violence against women. The Icelandic prime minister said she hoped it would contribute to "relegating sexual harassment to history".

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July 2, 2020

Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite accused of plying Jeffrey Epstein with underage sex trafficking victims, has been arrested in New Hampshire, a law enforcement source told the Daily News Thursday.

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August 10, 2020

McDonald's is suing Steve Easterbrook, the CEO it ousted last year over an inappropriate relationship with an employee, alleging Monday that he covered up sexual relationships with three other employees and destroyed evidence.

Conclusion

The #MeToo movement has sparked a drastic and empowering impact on those who have stayed silent and also those with recent experiences. Society all over the world, however, must continue to make progress as the social justice system remains broken for sexual assault survivors as well, with less than 1% of rapes leading to felony convictions, while at least 89% of victims face emtional and physical consequences. We must continue speaking out about this issue and keep fighting to create change, together, as allies and as survivors. Check out #MeToo's Take Action section to see how you can get involved.