VAWnet News Blog

Organizers of the action say it will be the first multi-state strike in the US specifically targeting sexual harassment and that they have been emboldened by the #MeToo movement against harassment and sexual assault.

"As the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is set to expire at midnight, September 30, 2018 when we rally in New York City and march on the National Mall in Washington, DC September 29, 2018, our mass mobilization is a reminder that what matters to Black women must be spoken and prioritized."

No one knows precisely how many there are because some cases go unreported, others aren’t documented thoroughly and there isn’t a specific government database tracking these cases. Now, in the era of #MeToo, this issue is gaining political traction as an expanding activist movement focuses on Native women — a population known to experience some of the nation’s highest rates of murder, sexual violence and domestic abuse.

“We have to figure out how to bring their voices together and speak explicitly about the abuse of power … and how it plays out in the workplace,” said Lilia García-Brower, executive director of the Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund.

If nobody takes action, there is no movement. But action takes courage. How can we learn from those who do to inspire those who do not?

Last Tuesday, scientists published an open letter calling on the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest scientific community, to address sexual harassment within its ranks.