Founder of the MeToo movement Tarana Burke has said that her campaign that had initially served to fight against sexual violence has now become unrecognisable and misrepresented: “Suddenly, a movement to centre survivors of sexual violence is being talked about as a vindictive plot against men”.
Burke has warned that the MeToo campaign is at risk of losing its original purpose.
In 2006, the American civil rights activist had started a movement which was intended to support survivors and victims of sexual violence in her community. And last year, the #MeToo phrase had gained global attention due to the allegations against Hollywood former film producer Harvey Weinstein.
At the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference in Palm Springs, California, Burke has claimed that parts of the media have been portraying MeToo as a “witch hunt” that is turning women against men. She then explained: “My vision for the MeToo movement is part of a collective vision to see a world free of sexual violence”.
“This is a movement about the one in four girls and the one in six boys who are sexually abused every year, and who carry those wounds into adulthood”, Burke added.
She has also stated that she feels as though victims of sexual violence are being ignored and neglected: “This movement has been called a watershed moment, but some days I wake up feeling that all the evidence points to the contrary”.
The founder had then ended her talk with a powerful statement: “We have to re-educate ourselves and our children to understand that power and privilege doesn’t always have to destroy and take. It can be used to serve and build”.
#Peace.Love.MeToo
