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Time for a sexual harassment reckoning

The #MeToo movement has increased pressure on men in power to acknowledge the obstacles women face — but that is not enough

Like Britains suffragettes, those calling for action will be satisfied only when their reasonable demands are met with concrete action
Like Britains suffragettes, those calling for action will be satisfied only when their reasonable demands are met with concrete action Photo: Hulton-Deutsch/Corbis/Getty Images

“Deeds, not words!” Britain’s suffragettes shouted, as they fought for — and won — the right to vote 100 years ago. Today, that call to arms seems more apt than ever. For all the advances that women have made in the last century, the tendency to pay lip service to women’s rights and dignity, without doing what is necessary truly to protect them, is more obvious than ever.

In recent months, high-profile movements like #MeToo have amplified women’s voices and catalysed others to come forward with harrowing stories of abuse, coercion, and harassment. They have publicly exposed those — from former Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein and casino mogul Steve Wynn to Oxfam employees who reportedly traded sex for aid — in positions of power who have abused, mistreated and otherwise victimised women and girls.

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