#MeToo. (Pixabay photo)
Ever since its start in October, the #MeToo campaign has been at the forefront of international news, but the effects have also become local.
Desert Sun Counselling and Resource Centre, based in Oliver and Osoyoos, has seen a spike in local women coming forward to discuss sexual assault and harassment after the movement garnered public interest.
The campaign started in October of 2017 when the hashtag #MeToo became viral on social media following sexual harassment allegations against U.S. film producer Harvey Weinstein.
After being popularized by celebrities, the hashtag has been used millions of times, usually shared with a personal anecdote about sexual violence or harassment.
One of Desert Sun’s counsellors, who asked not to be named, credited the increase to women feeling more comfortable speaking about harassment.
“MeToo definitely brought more awareness about sexual assault and gave people permission to share their stories, so this made more people comfortable seeking help to deal with their own past and present experiences,” she said.
“Well-known women who are leaders in their field have spoken up and so other women feel that they can too.”
It’s these well-known women who are credited with paving the way for others to share their stories as well. Known as “The Silence Breakers,” the women, including actress Ashley Judd, who was the first to share her incident with Weinstein, were even named Time magazine’s person of the year for 2017.
Unlike most social media trends, the hashtag #MeToo is still regularly used and Desert Sun’s counsellor doesn’t see that slowing down any time soon.
She says the campaign spreads “continued awareness and permission that it is OK to talk about sexual violence, that it is not the woman’s fault,” which in turn keeps it going.
“I think that this is an issue that will continue to be in the forefront of news stories and [as] more and more women will continue to speak up with continued awareness this will become more of an accepted issue to talk about.”
Desert Sun Counselling and Resource Centre offers counselling free of charge at both of their locations, open Monday to Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The centre also operates the South Okanagan Women’s Crisis Line, which is available 24 hours a day, every day, and can be reached at 250-485-7777 or 1-877-723-3911.
VANESSA BROADBENT
Special to the Times
