Sexual abuse in the American film industry
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There have been many reported cases and accusations of sexual abuse in the American film industry reported against people related to the medium of cinema of the United States.[1][2]
Accusations of sexual assault in the industry go back to 1921, and during the last decades they have gained strength due to the accusations against producers, directors, actors and related publicists. Speculation about sexual assault in the industry grew in 1977, when director Roman Polanski left the United States after being convicted on charges of drugging and raping a thirteen-year-old girl.[3]
In October 2017, the issue gained extensive media coverage after producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexually abusing more than 80 women. The accusations of Weinstein led to dozens of men and women to publicly begin to denounce sexual aggressions, in what became known as the Weinstein effect and the Me Too movement.[4][5] Some actors in the medium joined the protest and publicly supported the victims. The subject is of ongoing general interest to the public and continues to feed public opinion,[6][7][8] and moreover has served to heighten public awareness and interest in general industry trends that allow events such as these to happen. The public has begun to increasingly look at not only the constraints that women are placed in but also the way the legal system only strengthens these constraints through contracts and such in Hollywood.[9][10]