For a while it seemed like COVID-19 had taken all the O(xygen) out of the #MeToo movement.
In fact, social isolation and job uncertainty has made victims more vulnerable to sexual harassment. Domestic abuse has soared. Crisis shelters are overflowing with women fleeing threats of violence.
And equity in pay, together with equality of opportunity, still elude the grasp of women in the workplace from the factory floor to the boardroom door.
As an advocate for victims of gender-based violence and sexual harassment, and as a victim still struggling to recover myself, I know this:
We may not be able to rid the world of all the men — and usually they are men — who rob us of our dignity, our careers, our health, our homes and sometimes even our lives.
But we can work to build a zero tolerance culture where society will deprive them of their protection, their privilege, their power and, where appropriate, their freedom.
And we can call out the institutions that betray our trust, attempt to shame and silence victims and use their power and legal resources to give shelter to the bad actors in their ranks.
The bullies, the abusers, the harassers, and, yes, the monsters, and the institutions that protect them are still out there.
Let’s get back to work, #MeToo.