Opening Remarks at #ThatsHarassment Panel Discussion
Vilnius University, Faculty of Communications, Gender Studies Centre
December 7, 2017
Dear students, faculty, and experts, thank you for joining us this afternoon to discuss such an important topic.
Every year at this time, the United States, Lithuania, and the rest of the world commemorate 16 Days of Activism to address the issue of violence against women. For too long, this subject was rarely discussed in public. Fortunately, that has changed. There has been so much progress in talking about domestic violence and providing necessary services for victims.
However, there is still one topic that makes people especially uncomfortable to talk about – sexual harassment and sexual violence.
Right now in the United States, and around the world, we’re seeing an awakening of women – and men – speaking out against sexual harassment. I admire the victims of sexual aggression who have bravely stepped forward to share their stories. Hopefully their bravery will inspire other victims to speak out and seek help.
It is important to know what sexual harassment looks like, and I think these videos will spark a good conversation on how to identify these crimes.
As the 16 Days of Activism event comes to a close next week, I encourage everyone to continue the spirit of activism beyond these 16 days. There is no time limit to fighting injustice, so let’s always ask ourselves, “What more can I do?”
Lastly, thank you to Ilona for moderating today, and thank you to all our excellent panelists. We are so fortunate to have such a great group of experts and leading voices gathered in one place!
Thank you everyone for coming, and now I invite you to watch the “That’s Harassment” videos.
