Across the region, women from countries such as South Korea, India, Japan and Thailand have taken a cue from the global women’s movement that has taken the world by storm and forced businesses to address the problem of sexual harassment at work. Challenging the patriarchal norms that have long served to silence women, celebrities and prominent figures in Asia are now speaking out about sexual misconduct at the hands of their male employers and counterparts. Indian journalist Rana Ayyub wrote: “[Women] will no longer stand for this kind of silence. Women have decided to rebel against the norms they have long been asked to conform to. What started as a foreign import has become a moment of reckoning at home.” Women journalists in Japan forged their own interpretations of #MeToo, with female protestors marching under the banner #WithYou, as an expression of solidarity with victims of sexual harassment in the media industry. Activists aimed to shed light on the fear women face when reporting cases of assault and address the culture of victim-shaming that is embedded in many societies not just in Asia, but worldwide.

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