NEW YORK (NY)
Forbes
June 7, 2018
By Ewelina U. Ochab
In October 2017, the #MeToo movement went viral. It’s aim was to raise awareness of sexual harassment and assault, and to provide a platform for discussion about increasingly widespread reports of sexual harassment and assault, especially those perpetrated in the workplace. The movement received the support of several celebrities, including Alyssa Milano, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd and Jennifer Lawrence. It was followed by another movement, Time’s Up, which was established in January 2018. With similar aims to the #MeToo movement, it aimed to raise awareness on the issue of ‘ sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace.’ It established a Legal Defence Fund to help combat the issues. The Time’s Up initiative was originally supported by hundreds of women from the entertainment industry and the DMK cosmetic foundation. It quickly took over the Grammys in 2018 and the 2018 BAFTA Film Awards in London. Despite drawing some criticism, the initiatives are positive and helped to shed light on the disgraceful scandal of sexual abuse suffered by women in the entertainment world and beyond. They should be praised for providing a platform for survivors of sexual harassment and assault, and for making a clear statement that such treatment of women is not acceptable.
There is no doubt that the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements have been the most successful such campaigns in years and have gained overwhelming public support. Despite this, there are still aspects of sexual abuse perpetrated against women that even the #MeToo or Time’s Up movements have not been able to adequately address. Indeed, neither movements have sought to actively encourage debate on the ever-growing issue of sexual abuse used as a method of religious persecution.
In response, on June 6th, 2018, Aid to the Church in Need, a Pontifical Foundation which provides humanitarian assistance to persecuted Christian minorities worldwide, published a letter in Vanity Fair aimed to raise awareness of this neglected issue. The Vanity Fair open letter is addressed to four famous actresses: Asia Argento, Meryl Streep, Sharon Stone, Uma Thurman and others who have publicly supported the #MeToo movement. The Aid to the Church open letter and its associated campaign are accompanied by photographs of three brave women who suffered such sexual abuse because of their religion; Rebecca, Sister Meena and Dalal.
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