1/ Today, we published a story by @LamLe52 following up on the #MeToo movement a year after it first emerged in #Vietnam. Here’s a thread taking a look at conversations on sexual harassment and assault in Vietnam.
https://t.co/hW6Xd2R1o2
cc. @apwld @theasianfmnst @unwomenasia
2/ @LamLe52 wrote this last year: https://t.co/CgJI2ywovt In April 2018, rumours circulated that an intern at Tuoi Tre, a major newspaper in #Vietnam, had attempted suicide after her boss raped her. A small group of journalists began writing about the toxic media environment.
3/ Then, a dancer claimed on Facebook that a famous Vietnamese rock singer had sexually harassed her. After she broke her silence, two other women came forward too. The singer, Pham Anh Khoa, originally threatened to sue, but later apologised after facing public backlash. #MeToo
4/ Such incidents were seen as a hopeful start to the #MeToo movement in #Vietnam, where a 2014 study by @ActionAid found that a whopping 87% of women and girls in the country had experienced sexual harassment in public places (streets, parks, etc.) https://t.co/USNKyIoNOO
5/ Yet, after all that, the #MeToo movement didn’t actually take off. Instead, the furore eventually died off. Observers and commentators told @LamLe52 that the “confrontational nature” of #MeToo, which worked in the US, didn’t work for #Vietnam.
6/ But it doesn’t mean #MeToo was a waste of time in #Vietnam—it raised awareness of sexual harassment and assault. A year later, new cases involving ordinary people (rather than celebrities) have drawn attention to the issue once more: https://t.co/hW6Xd2R1o2