Anti-sexual harassment message resounds in Africa
Like a baton pass in the world's most painful relay race, revelations that powerful men have - presuming a right to pleasure - sexually harassed their female colleagues have spread around the world. It started in the entertainment industry (the first allegations were against Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein ) and then moved to politics, the media and the not-for-profit sector. In the latter, the hashtag #AidToo has shown that despite its noble intentions, the development and humanitarian industry is as susceptible to abuses of power and the violence that most of its organisations campaign against. Despite this groundswell, many have remarked that the African continent seems largely silent on the topic of sexual harassment - and gender-based violence more broadly - pointing to respectability politics (the taboo of speaking out), cultural norms, shame and the digital barrier as explanations for this perceived silence. But, does that perception match reality?...