#MeToo Report 2024 – Prevention is Essential

September 18, 2024 |
Valor

Almost 20 years after Tarana Burke founded the ‘Me Too’ movement and seven years after #MeToo became a viral hashtag, advocates continue to bring attention to and work to end the epidemic of sexual harassment and assault in the United States. 

Released earlier this month, the #MeToo 2024 survey follows up on the one completed in 2018. Published by the Newcomb Institute at Tulane University and supported by Stop Street Harassment, ValorUS®, and RALIANCE, the survey tracks changes in sexual harassment and assault since the movement became viral over six years ago. 

The report’s key findings reveal not much has changed in the 6 years between surveys and that our data is inadequate to understand the size of the problem in the United States that women, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and transgender people are disproportionately facing. The survey finds that,

“The vast majority of women and almost half of all men have experienced sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime. We see no reduction in the lifetime prevalence of sexual harassment and assault from our first study in 2018 to this 2024 study for women (from 81% to 82%) or men (from 43% to 42%). This is despite the visibility of the 2017 #MeToo movement on these issues and the resulting increase in awareness and politics to affect these issues.”

While these findings are disappointing, preventionists and advocates have a pathway forward by augmenting their efforts by gaining more data to understand sexual harassment and assault while working towards increasing education and awareness, providing safe healing places, and building legal protections and support. 

One of the main themes throughout the report’s recommendations for reaching these two goals is increasing youth education to prevent harassment and assault from happening while also giving school-aged children the ability to discuss any experiences they may have had with sexual violence or witnessed. Prevention can result in the largest and most widespread impact on decreasing the rates of sexual harassment and assault. However, the #MeToo movement needs to increase its focus on the vulnerability of the LGBTQIA+ population, as more than 80% of the community experienced sexual harassment and assault during their lifetimes. 

The #MeToo 2024 Survey helps illuminate our need for collective, collaborative work employing a holistic, intersectional approach across systems, industries, and communities to decrease the power imbalances that lead to sexual harassment and assault ubiquity in the United States.