Last Tuesday a report revealed the extent of sexual assault against female surgeons; on Wednesday a poll showed that sexual harassment was contributing to girls’ declining happiness; at the weekend the Russell Brand revelations dominated the news cycle. On Sunday we heard how students are now offered consent training alongside climbing and debating clubs at freshers’ weeks as universities grapple with a rise in sexual violence on campuses.
So passed the week: a barrage of headlines – followed by a social media chorus of defenders, conspiracy theorists and victim shamers – revealing, yet again, the depths of society’s misogyny. And that was just the UK. Worldwide, in virtually every profession you can think of, institutions are rushing to respond to allegations that – as the title of the Brand documentary references – happened “in plain sight”, in a culture that enabled offenders.
