HARVEY Weinstein’s conviction “marks a new era of justice” for victims of sexual misconduct, the chairwoman of Time’s Up UK has said.
Dame Heather Rabbatts, who leads the UK branch of the gender equality group, said that all people owe “a debt of gratitude” to the women who faced the Hollywood mogul in court.
Weinstein, 67, was found guilty of a criminal sex act for assaulting production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his apartment in 2006, and third-degree rape of a woman in 2013.
The jury found him not guilty on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, which could have resulted in a life sentence. He will be sentenced on March 11.
The verdict in his New York trial followed weeks of often harrowing and excruciatingly graphic testimony from a string of accusers.
Rabbatts said: “This trial, and the jury’s decision today, marks a new era of justice, not just for the Silence Breakers, who spoke out at great personal risk, but for all survivors of harassment, abuse and assault at work. We owe a debt of gratitude to the survivors for their bravery and resolve as they faced Harvey Weinstein in court. We continue to believe them, all of them, and continue to be in solidarity with them. The jury’s verdict sends a powerful message to the world of just how much progress has been made since the Weinstein Silence Breakers ignited an unstoppable movement.
READ MORE: Harvey Weinstein: Producer found guilty at New York trial
“In two short years, Time’s Up helped pass new laws to help survivors achieve justice, helped thousands of individuals take on harassers and abusers in court.”
Rabbatts said the trial was a “salient reminder of the extent to which survivors are forced to relive their trauma if they are brave enough to take their attackers to court”.
However, she urged people to be mindful of the fact that many UK rape cases do not reach trial.
Following the news of his conviction, actress Rosanna Arquette, one of Weinstein’s high-profile accusers, tweeted: “Gratitude to the brave women who’ve testified and to the jury for seeing through the dirty tactics of the defence. We will change the laws in the future so that rape victims are heard and not discredited, and so that it’s easier for people to report their rapes.”
Actress Ashley Judd, one of Weinstein’s earliest accusers, tweeted: “For the women who testified in this case, and walked through traumatic hell, you did a public service to girls and women everywhere, thank you.”
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