Dr. Ann Olivarius featured in Ms. Magazine as part of its “War on Women Report”
Extract:
More than two years since his conviction for rape and criminal sexual assault in New York, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein faces his second trial on 11 new charges stemming from five women for rape and assault. The trial comes on the five-year anniversay of the exposé into Weinstein that kicked off the #MeToo movement.
Five years later, 22 states have passed more than 70 anti-harassment bills including:
- California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois enacted new laws that expand liability for sexual harassment and enable workers to speak out about sexual harassment and discrimination even if they’ve signed nondisclosure.
- The federal government passed a bill that bans companies from forcing sexual harassment and discrimination claims into arbitration.
- Congress is also considering the Speak Out Act, which bans the silencing of sexual harassment victims.
Dr. Ann Olivarius, founder of McAllister Olivarius, says while there have been crucial developments to combat sexual assault, harassment and discrimination, more needs to be done to open up the civil court system for survivors. She argues that the most effective way to make abusers and institutions that protect them accountable is to make them pay civil lawsuits.