Hong Kong’s #MeToo movement needs men, say women, plus three ways to respond to sexual harassment
The second ‘#MeToo. Now What?’ workshop to find community-driven solutions to sexual harassment will invite men to the discussion, with organisers saying buy-in from both sexes is vital for real change
As the world continues to see tangible results from the #MeToo movement that has swiftly normalised advocacy against sexual harassment and abuse, Hong Kong is taking its own steps by holding a series of workshops under the banner “#MeToo. Now What?”
The first of these sessions was held early last month, and brought together women to help identify, respond to and end sexual harassment. A second workshop will be held at community space Metta in Central on January 15 – and this time men are invited.
“It was important for us from the outset to involve men in the discussion, because both women and men have a responsibility in finding the solution to these deeply entrenched social imbalances. It was just a case of timing,” the organisers of the workshops said.
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The organisers include Helen Lockey, director of educational and institutional intelligence in the president’s office at the University of Hong Kong (HKU); Karen See, of Embrace Worldwide, which offers personal and corporate behavioural coaching; Karina Calver, a trauma and relationships counsellor; Pascale Bertoli, a stress-management counsellor; and this writer, from Camel Assembly, a Hong Kong network for female leaders.
While much of the conversation around #MeToo revolves around what women can, and should, do to protect themselves against damaging experiences, there is only so much they can do given that men are usually the source of the problem. An approach that includes men ensures they are involved and held accountable in the quest for equality, something that can only happen with support from both genders.
“Replacement of the patriarchy with the matriarchy is useless and actually embodies the very systems we are now trying to undo,” says Yelda Ali, founder of Camel Assembly. “Excluding men from vital conversations absolves them of the responsibility needed to make any hashtag into a society-wide consciousness shift.