Time Magazine's 2017 Person of the Year is…. “The Silence Breakers” and #MeToo

Nisaa FM: - Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 2017 isn't a singular individual, but the ever-increasing collective voice belonging to what the publication dubbed "The Silence Breakers," the anti-harassment movement that has risen up in the wake of a tide of sexual assault and sexual harassment claims against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and a growing list of other prominent men in business, politics and entertainment. 

"The galvanizing actions of the women on our cover…along with those of hundreds of others, and of many men as well, have unleashed one of the highest-velocity shifts in our culture since the 1960s," editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal said in a statement announcing this year's honorees on Wednesday December 6.

"The idea that influential, inspirational individuals shape the world could not be more apt this year. For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing us all to stop accepting the unacceptable, The Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year.”

The story recognizes the power of the #MeToo movement, the hashtag that galvanized thousands of (mostly) women to expose sexual assault and harassment.

Despite his overwhelming stranglehold on the news cycle in his first year in office, President Trump, who recently said he would reject the honor if presented -- and who has himself was accused of sexual assault or harassment by nearly a dozen women during the presidential campaign -- was the runner-up for Person of the Year, with Chinese President Xi Jinping coming in third.

The #MeToo campaign also spread to the Middle East. Also Arab women opened up about experiences with sexual harassment. Particular attention was paid to the epidemic in Egypt as the #MeToo campaign came as Cairo was named the world's most dangerous city for women.

Sources: www.time.com and www.alaraby.co.uk