THREAD
This conviction marks a significant milestone for the #MeToo movement. We must honour the tireless campaigning & extraordinary bravery of the women who spoke out against Weinstein. His monstrous abuse of power spanned decades and wrecked lives. 1/6
bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-…
This conviction marks a significant milestone for the #MeToo movement. We must honour the tireless campaigning & extraordinary bravery of the women who spoke out against Weinstein. His monstrous abuse of power spanned decades and wrecked lives. 1/6
bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-…
The #MeToo movement was vitally important. It created a feeling of solidarity among women, and when it went viral the awareness and outrage it generated massively raised the profile of the appalling prevalence of rape and sexual harassment worldwide. 2/6
BUT we are still at base camp on the mountain we have to climb. Rape and sexual harassment is as widespread as justice for women is elusive. In the UK ~85,000 women are raped every year, reporting is up, but convictions are at the lowest levels (1.5 %) since records began. 3/6
The justice system is failing women. In London alone, a review of rape cases found that a shocking 58% of victims withdrew from pursuing their case with the Met Police. Women deserve better. 4/6
In addition, women are struggling to access the vital services they need. In London, all four rape crisis centres closed their waiting lists last year because they couldn't keep up with demand. In the face of this dire situation, where is the political response? 5/6
The Women's Equality Party is the only party to see violence against women and girls for what it is, a state of emergency. @WEP_UK is calling for an end-to-end review of how the criminal justice system handles rape and sexual violence - starting with police & CPS procedures. 6/6
