# ME TOO MOVEMENT
Me-Too Movement History
# Me Too is a social movement and awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture at work place and in the society.
The people publicize at social media and other platform about their experiences of sexual abuse and sexual harassment.
Tarana Burke, a sexual assault survivor, later become a social activist and community organizer used the phrase “Me Too” first time in 2006 on the Myspace social network to promote “empowerment through empathy” among women who have sexually harassed and abused.
Burke made a documentary titled Me Too which depicted about the
Burke was born in Bronx, New York on September, 1973.
Tarana Burke earned several distinctions. She was named a 2017 “TIME Person of the Year” and received the 2019 “Sydney Peace Prize”. In 2021 she published her memoir, Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me-Too Movement.
In the late 1980s she joined the 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement, an organization dedicated to youth development.
After graduating from Alabama State University, Burke moved to Selma, Alabama, where she continued to work for 21st Century. While with that organization, she came into contact with African American female survivors of sexual abuse.
Burke, also a survivor of sexual violence, began to provide information and counselling for these young women.
In 2003 Burke cofounded “Jendayi Aza”, an African-centred program to assist African American girls in their journey to adulthood. By 2006 that program grew into the nonprofit organization “Just Be, Inc”.
It provides workshops and training dedicated to the health and well-being of young women of colour. During this time Burke first used the phrase “me too” while talking with a survivor of sexual assault. To further the Me-Too movement, she created a safe place for survivors to gather and share their stories while promoting “empowerment through empathy.” The movement expanded to include leadership training for survivors to bring programs and healing to their communities.
The Me Too campaign gained widespread attention beginning in 2017.
At that time, it was revealed that film mogul Harvey Weinstein had for years sexually harassed and assaulted women in the industry.
Victims of sexual harassment or assault around the world—and of all races and ethnicities—began sharing their experiences on social media, using the hashtag #MeToo. The movement grew over the following months to bring condemnation to dozens of powerful men in politics, business, entertainment, and the news media. Although Burke was encouraged that the topic of sexual abuse was receiving widespread attention, she felt that the emphasis of the Me-Too movement should be on the survivors and their path to healing.
As per Burke this Movement is not about retribution or revenge and it is certainly not about violence. It is about HEALING and ACTION.
She became the managing director of Art Sanctuary, an arts organization in Philadelphia.
She also served as an executive director of the Black Belt Arts and Cultural Center. There she oversaw programs for underserved youth.
In addition, Burke served as special projects director at the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma. She helped organize the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee celebrating the 1965 Selma March for voting rights, and she later was a consultant on Ava DuVernay’s film Selma (2014).
Later Burke served as director of the Brooklyn, New York, organization Girls for Gender Equality. The organization assists African American girls in building personal development skills.
Burke also taught empowerment workshops, and she edited (with Brené Brown) the essay collection You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience (2021). Her memoir, unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me-Too Movement, was published in 2021.
A website https://metoomvmt.org/ developed to help and guide the harassed and deceased one, also anyone who can join the Me-Too movement can register for getting updates about how to stay involved in support of survivors of sexual violence, with upcoming events and actions.
#Me-Too movement spread all over the world and many hidden stories unearthed by the harassed and sexually abused women through various platforms after kept mum for a long time and exposed the high-profile people.
In India it started in year 2017 when a law student Raya Sarkar released a list the contained more than 70 cases of harassment and sexual abuse. The list he circulated on the social media which generated a lot of controversy and debate.
The list contained the names of several renowned academics across reputed institutions who were accused of sexual harassment of multiple women.
In year 2018, renowned actress Tanushree Dutta accuses actor Nana patekar of sexual harassment on the set of a film in 2008, after a decade. This incident sparked a wave of accusations against prominent figures in the Indian entertainment industry on social media.
In the same year, journalist Priya Ramani accused former Union minister MJ Akbar of sexual harassment while she was working under him at an Asian Age newspaper in the late 1990s. Akbar denied the allegations and sued Ramani for defamation.
Following the #MeToo movement backlash, the Indian government introduced several amendments to the POSH Act in 2018 including expanding the definition of sexual harassment to include incidents outside of the workplace.
It also allowed for extending the time limit for filing complaints from three to six months and allowing complainants to file complaints electronically.
The POSH Act is further amended to include provisions for the protection of complainants and witnesses, including providing anonymity and protection against victimization.