Musician Sadie Jemmett wrote the anthem for friend Mhairi Morrisson when she found out her friend had been assaulted but not spoken up until now. She quickly realised that she had to do something about it – and so she wrote Don’t Silence Me, a gutsy and dynamic anthem for the #MeToo movement. Jemmett told Express Online: “I felt that my friend needed help to find her voice again so that she could come through this and tell her story, and so I wrote the song, Don’t Silence Me, to remind her that she had a voice and that she was in control of it.” The song comes accompanied by a music video featuring over 40 women who are survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assaults relating to allegations against Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, James Toback, and Donald Trump.
The women featured include Lili Bernard, Louise Godbold, and Tasha Dixon, who have all bravely gone public with their stories of abuse.
Morrisson said; “The goal for this anthem is to elevate the women empowerment movement and to inspire community – ongoing supportive change and dialogue for any and all women who navigate sexual harassment and survive sexual assaulted.”
TimesUp are now involved in the project, and the producers of the video are planning an international rollout focusing on sexual assaults survivors around the globe.
In Paris, they will be focusing on the story of Sand Van Roy, Karine Isambert, and the other women who have brought allegations against famous director Luc Besson.
Last week the French courts dropped the sexual assault allegations against Besson, following nine women coming forward to testify against him.
However, the Parisian prosecution office has confirmed that an initial investigation has been launched regarding the claims of a separate instance of sexual assault.
Despite a sex attack being reported every 40 minutes in France, many campaigners believe there is still a widespread issue with victim blaming in their criminal justice system.
Mhairi Morrison explains this is why she does not feel comfortable revealing the identity of her high-profile abuser, who she says sexually assaulted her when she was a student at a Drama School in Paris.
In London, Lysette Anthony, who went public with her allegations of rape against Harvey Weinstein in 2017, will be speaking about her experience for the first time ever during a panel discussion.
261 new bills relating to sexual assaults have been passed by the American Congress since Rose McGowan and Ashely Judd initially went public with their sexual assault allegations against Weinstein in October 2017, which shows the systematic changes that have occurred in light of the #MeToo movement.
‘Don’t Silence Me’ is being released today to coincide with International Women’s Day.