17,700,000. That’s a big number, right? Can you even picture that many people?
Sadly, that is the number of women who have recorded a sexual assault since 1998.
The #MeToo movement was created by social activist Tarana Burke in 2006. The phrase was part of a grassroots campaign to promote "empowerment through empathy" among women of color who have experienced sexual abuse, particularly within destitute communities. “The #metoo movement was ultimately created to ensure survivors know they're not alone in their journey.” Fast forward to late 2017, when actress Alyssa Milano used the phrase in a tweet to encourage women who have been sexually assaulted to post in order to see the magnitude of the problem.
#MeToo has reached millions and has grown not only to just include women of color but men and women of all colors and ages as well.
Recently, there has been an unmeasurable amount of sexual assault and abuse cases in several parts of American entertainment society. Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, and Kevin Spacey are only a few names we know that have been tied to abuse amongst the stars.
In sports, USA Gymnastics ex-team doctor, Larry Nassar has been cited in the sexual abuse of an abundance of USA Gymnastics athletes over the years.
Nassar, the previous team doctor for Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, was accused of molesting over 100 girls during his tenure. Of those, he admitted to abusing seven girls, three under the age of 13.
A number of gymnasts have come forward, including Olympians McKayla Maroney, Simone Biles, and Aly Raisman.
During an interview with Time, Raisman, the second-most decorated female Olympic gymnast, spoke about how the abuse could have derailed her career. Raisman was 16 when the abuse began, she was competing in her first year at the senior level. From this group, the national and Olympic teams were chosen. A USA Gymnastics official saw Raisman suffering from sore heels and backaches and suggested she see the team doctor for treatments.
Those treatments weren’t exactly remedies for her ailments. Nassar’s alleged treatments subsisted singularly of invasive massages. “Gymnasts were sent to Nassar for any pain — whether it was in the back, hip, or muscle — and he often suggested massage as the treatment, according to interviews with gymnasts.”
As previously stated, Raisman is one of the dozens of gymnasts suing Nassar and/or USA Gymnastics, “alleging that that organization was complicit in not addressing reports of sexual abuse adequately.”
In the interview with Time, Raisman said “I know people will say, Why didn’t she tell her mom? Why didn’t she say anything? But those questions are unfair.” “The fact is I didn’t really know it was happening to me. What people don’t get is that he was a doctor. I would never have imagined that a doctor would abuse me or manipulate me so badly,” she stated.
The 23-year-old Olympian aspires to make her third Olympic team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Along with the CEO and a majority of board members resigning, USA Gymnastics has made changes since the allegations, including implementing a Safe Sports Policy meant to prevent similar instances of abuse.
Raisman has other ideas as to how this can be avoided, including the birth of an independent body of USA Gymnastics that is solely responsible for handling matters of sexual abuse.
“One day when I have a daughter I want to put her in gymnastics,” she says. “I want to make the sports fun and make it safe. I love the sport, but winning doesn’t make the abuse OK.”