Some of the women victims have demonstrated to the world that we should not stop fighting for what’s right. However, many wonder why the victims did not complain against Harvey Weinstein for decades while they were shaping up their career under his tutelage
The judgment delivered by the Manhattan Criminal Court this week is absolutely historic. It is about sentencing Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein to 23 years of imprisonment for sexual assault and rape. The sentence was handed down by Justice James Burke who found Weinstein guilty of sexually assaulting a former production assistant and raping a former aspiring actress. His trial marked a major landmark for “Me Too” campaign as it highlighted the fact that finally a white, powerful and rich man can be prosecuted for sex crimes. Also it was critical because at last the accusers were heard by the judiciary. Though the charges first came to light in 2017, Weinstein was arrested in May 2018 and then the long legal battle began.
The Weinstein case saw twists and turns from the very beginning. Around two dozen women accusers who first raised their voices against him were known as “Silence Breakers”. They all joined hands to demand that Weinstein be held accountable for the egregious crimes he committed. It must be noted that less than one year after The New York Times and New Yorker published investigations detailing allegations of sexual abuse and assault against him that spanned decades, he was arrested in May 25, 2018. When he was remanded in police custody, he initially faced five counts for alleged nonconsensual encounters, including with former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and an undisclosed accuser. These counts include rape in the first degree, one count of rape in the third degree, one count of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and two counts of predatory sexual assault.
However, Weinstein had pleaded not guilty of any of these charges at the start. He had denied engaging in any nonconsensual encounters detailed in criminal and civil court proceedings so far. Weinstein and his attorney’s denial have brought to light the fact that characterised him as a victim. In an interview, he grumbled and said: “I feel like the forgotten man. I made more movies directed by women and about women than any other filmmaker, and I am talking about thirty years ago. I’m not talking about now, when it is vogue. I did it first! I pioneered it! It all got eviscerated because of what happened. My work has been forgotten.”
This clearly shows how much he has contributed to the growth and developed of cinema, professional careers of many and achieving new heights in that particular era. But then at what cost? He should have been checked earlier. Before he turned it into a complete mess and gory episode, many of those women and probably some man as well should have gathered courage to expose him. He has gone too far. In an advanced country like the US, supported by an extremely liberal environment and highly charged with sophisticated information technology, these women should have come forward much earlier. Nevertheless, he was exposed only for the betterment of the society and for the safety and security of women in high profile industries such as movie making.
When the case was making progress, many of his victims were not confident that they will see their perpetrators sent to jail for his crimes. Chiding the judicial system may not help the victims. It’s all about collating evidences and making it heard to the judges before it is too late. And that has happened and taken a new turn in this century only. Women of the world, you have won another battle against an animal like man, for sure.
Why such crimes go unreported? Why victims hesitate to come upfront? Are they scared of losing their career? Whether we love or hate those who stood up, plainly speaking, we have to admire their chutzpah. Such crimes go unreported because of fear or losing favour at times. The victims not really hesitate to come forward, but they simply can’t fight such elements as they are too tied to the system. Yes, it is true that once you point a finger at such biggies, you may lose big career opportunities or at times may be sidelined forever. This is all about a close-knit system where you can’t fight alone unless you are too powerful or ready to sacrifice your career.
The emergence of technological revolution, especially with the ultra-modern social media platforms, has changed the scenario. Women today can easily take up their grievances to Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Snap chat, Instagram, etc. These fora first help highlight the cases and then put extreme pressure on the culprits, leading to their public confessions at times. But dragging them to the courtroom and passing through agonising trials up to the conviction stage certainly demands both moral and material strength.
Weinstein’s conviction is a milestone in the Me Too campaign. Some of these women victims have demonstrated to the world that we should not stop fighting for what’s right. Many wonder why the victims did not complain about Weinstein till 2017. In a career spanning almost three decades in Hollywood, he had produced many more movies centring woman characters and helping many of them to launch to the heights of their maturity and popularity. During those days no one tried to bring to light anything against Weinstein. It simply gives an impression that either both sides were able to work out their plans and these matters once highlighted could have definitely jeopardised the projects. It was then just a matter of convenience! Sadly it shows the complicity of the other side too. That way many of the victims are also a party to the crimes committed by him. At any rate, he could not have done things alone. Some of the victims worked with him for years to advance their professional careers and now coming up with slew of accusations must be blamed equally.
Also some of them who had to undergo all sorts of harassments with the hope of making it big in their lives and eventually could not, also should not have accused him now. Again those who were lured and then exploited by Weinstein must have raised their voices even before. It is well understood that many of the women who had undergone such ordeals may not have the strength and material might to stand up against the Hollywood Moghul in their early careers. And now when they are financially secure and professionally matured, some of them are rising against him. Certainly, some of the women are gathering courage to just highlight what he did to them. In this entire saga of trials, it is only the judges who would be able to find the real culprits and accordingly punish them. While talking about the victims of Weinstein, and their genuineness, it’s not to justify what he did to them. He had simply taken the advantage of his power, position and wealth. Thus he was successful in silencing them for long. His punishment was long overdue. He could not stand the test of the legal trial as he had hardly anything to substantiate in proving him innocent.
(The writer teaches Sociology at OP Jindal Global University in Sonepat)
