BREAKING: Harvey Weinstein is Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Criminal Sexual Assault, Rape; Women’s Group Reacts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 11, 2020
CONTACT: Brett Abrams | brett@unbendablemedia.com
BREAKING: Harvey Weinstein is Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Criminal Sexual Assault, Rape; Women’s Group Reacts
UltraViolet Says Sentencing is a Win for Sexual Abuse Survivors, But We Must Continue to Pave the Way Toward a Justice System, Policy & Culture Shift to End Sexual Abuse
NEW YORK— Moments ago, Harvey Weinstein was sentenced in Manhattan to 23 years in prison for raping one woman and sexually assaulting another.
In reaction to the announcement, Shaunna Thomas, co-founder and executive director of UltraViolet, a leading national women’s group that was the first to suggest to the The New York Times’ Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey that Harvey Weinstein be investigated and has been a leading voice in the accountability movement for powerful abusers, including Weinstein, issued the following statement:
“Jessica Mann, Miriam Haley, Annabella Sciorra, Dawn Dunning, Taralae Wulff and Lauren Young showed tremendous courage in testifying against Weinstein and sharing their stories. We owe them a debt of gratitude.
“President Trump has said himself that he and others in significant positions of power can assault women and no one would care, because they’re celebrities. For a long time that was true. Weinstein’s sentencing sends a clear signal that sexual abusers everywhere can and will be held accountable for their crimes—no matter who they are.
“We must do better to ensure that survivors are not only protected under the law, but empowered to pursue a path toward justice inside and outside the criminal justice system. When sexual abuse does go to trial, less than one percent of cases actually result in a conviction.
“Our focus must also be on preventing sexual assault and harassment in the first place and that’s why legislation designed to protect women at work is so important, like the Be Heard in the Workplace Act. Congress should pass this legislation immediately. We need to do better for all survivors, and hopefully, this is the start of a path toward justice, policy and culture change to end sexual abuse.
“Paradigms aren’t shifting fast enough for survivors, but this sentencing is an important step. While the fight to stop the pervasive effects of rape culture is far from over, today is a good day.”
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