Judgement Day: Weinstein expected to turn himself in

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Disgraced super-producer Harvey Weinstein is expected to surrender to police in New York City on Friday to face sexual assault charges.

The imminent criminal charging of Weinstein, which was first reported by the New York Daily News, follows a months-long investigation, including by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

Weinstein’s attorney, Ben Brafman, declined to comment.

CGTN Digital has put together a timeline of events detailing Weinstein's fall and the rise of a global phenomenon.

Harvey Weinstein, Co-Chairman of The Weinstein Company, speaks at the UBS 40th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference in New York, December 5, 2012. / Reuters

Story broke

On October 5, 2017, the New York Times investigation exposed allegations of sexual harassment against Weinstein dating back to 1990. Multiple women including actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan went on record with specific allegations against Weinstein. Five days later actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie told the newspaper they too had been harassed by him.

Avalanche of allegations

This eventually lead to more than 70 women coming forward accusing the co-founder of the Miramax studio and The Weinstein Company of sexual misconduct spanning decades that includes rape.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at the 89th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California. February 26, 2017. / Reuters

Consequences for Weinstein actions

Within days of the article being published, Harvey Weinstein was placed on leave from The Weinstein Company before mounting allegations forced his resignation from the company that bears his name.

The fallout from allegations led the company to file bankruptcy and be put up for sale.

#MeToo movement

The avalanche of allegations led to women around the world, famous and not so famous, breaking their silence and speaking out about being sexually assaulted and harassed by powerful men.

/ Twitter/@TaranaBurke

This battle cry gave rise to the #MeToo movement in which hundreds of women have boldly made public declarations accusing prominent men in business, government, and entertainment of abuse.

While the #MeToo movement founded by Tarana Burke had been around for years, it did not gain widespread attention until the allegations against Weinstein ignited a crusade within the entertainment and media industry to speak out against the sexual assault and harassment of women.

At the time, Burke sent out a tweet wanting people to know what the MeToo movement is all about.

“It’s beyond a hashtag. It’s the start of a larger conversation and a movement for radical community healing.”

It took off on social media and became a global sensation on October 15, 2017 thanks to actress Alyssa Milano. Milano was unaware of the origins of #MeToo when she told her followers: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” Using the #MeToo hashtag more than 66,000 users replied and the tweet kicked off a massive online tidal wave overnight as women flooded social media with their stories of being harassed and abused.

From this, the #MeToo movement flourished globally.

Sharing a similar vision as #MeToo, the Time’s Up movement was founded by over 300 women in Hollywood including superstars Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman and Shonda Rhimes.

/ Twitter/@Alyssa_Milano

Time’s Up movement

Time’s Up, is an organization whose aim is to create concrete change, leading to safety and equity in the workplace.

“Time’s Up is an organization that insists on safe, fair and dignified work for women of all kinds,” the organization's mission statement says. “We want women from the factory floor to the floor of the Stock Exchange to feel linked as sisters as we shift the paradigm of workplace culture.”

The shift in hashtag from #MeToo to #TimesUp is telling: the former was personal all about me while the later collectively changes 'me' to 'we.'

These groundbreaking anti-sexual assault and women’s empowerment movements have changed the public conversation and perception about women’s issues around the world and have elevated the global consciousness surrounding the obstacles women face in their daily lives, both personally and professionally.

What lies ahead for Harvey Weinstein remains a mystery, but one thing is for sure: the backlash from his allegations has created a culture where women can safely say ‘MeToo’ when it comes to sexual assault, confidently knowing that the ‘Time’s Up’ on such abuse.

“The clock has run out on sexual assault, harassment, and inequality in the workplace. It's time to do something about it,” says Time’s Up website statement.

(with inputs from news agencies)

(Cover Photo: Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of the Weinstein Company, kicks off the Film Finance Circle conference with an informal discussion at the inaugural Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi, October 15, 2007. /Reuters)