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Women from all over the world have taken to social media using the hashtag #MeToo to break the culture of silence around sexual harassment.
The hashtag started trending after Charmed actress Alyssa Milano asked her followers on Sunday to reply “me too” if they have ever been sexually harassed or assaulted.
Her tweet has since had over 57 000 comments and more than 20 000 retweets.
The massive global response was triggered by the sexual abuse allegations lobbied against film mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has since denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.
Celebrities also speak out
Celebrities have also come out in support of the hashtag with Lady Gaga and Gabriela Union simply tweeting “#metoo”.
Even Monica Lowinsky - who was at the centre of the White House sex scandal in the 1990s with former US President Bill Clinton - tweeted the hashtag #MeToo without further comment.
Actress Evan Rachel Wood described being raped by an unnamed individual: “I instinctually shut down. My body remembered, so it protected me. I disappeared. #metoo."
Another Twitter user took the time to point out that the social media movement was not just about rape but also the unsolicited remarks made by men at times.
Thousands of others have also posted the words on their Facebook and Instagram profiles.
A number of women have said Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them in incidents dating back to the 1980s. According to The Sun, among the women who spoke out are actresses Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow
Weinstein, who insists all sexual encounters were consensual, was expelled last week from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
