Last week, a man told me he was going to rape me. Queuing at a bar after a girly catch-up dinner, a perfectly innocuous looking middle-aged man approached my friend and I. After hitting on my friend with a cheeky, but ultimately harmless, chat-up line, he turned his attentions to me with one that was even more corny. I rolled my eyes, chuckled, and turned away. Not one to take rejection well, his tone instantly became aggressive. "Fuck it," he snarled. "What I’ll do with you is take you to a woods, fucking chase you through it and fucking rape you." London on a Friday night, it was a busy pub. People stopped and stared. Even his friend looked horrified. Now, anyone who knows me well will tell you I'll be the first to fight my own corner. I've grown up surrounded by some terrifyingly feisty women, so I always kind of imagined that if anything like this happened I'd come out swinging. But I didn't. Instead of getting angry, I froze; I didn’t hit him, I didn’t tell him to go and die in hole. I just took a deep breath, nodded and moved away. And just like that, life carried on. Whether from pure shock, fear or even just having become desensitised to disrespectful comments, I got angry about the incident about 20 minutes later than I should have done. By that time, he was gone. However, I’m not alone in my inaction; a 2015 poll showed that 71 per cent of women report having let sexual harassment - which the Citizens Advice Bureau defines as "unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature that violates your dignity, makes you feel intimidated, degraded or humiliated, or creates a hostile or offensive environment" - go unchallenged. Just 24 hours later, actress Scarlett Archer attracted support when she took to Twitter to share her own experience. [[twitterwidget||[https://twitter.com/ScarlettArcher/status/929489367005106176]] In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal and ongoing revelations about the conduct of many other public figures, male and female, more people than ever are willing to speak up about their own experiences. With the hashtags #MeToo and #EverydaySexism being used widely across social media to show how widespread this issue is, it is easy to think the tide is turning. Yet the horrifying responses to Archer’s tweet exemplified the very reasons so many women do still say nothing: the disbelief of the victims, the assumption that people were “asking for it” somehow, the blaming of the victims for not doing more. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/sweettweet991/status/929810800683945991]] It literally baffles me that the argument about clothing is still being made. But for the record, @Franklythis, when it happened to me, I was wearing a bobble hat, a long coat and more layers than a Russian doll - yeah, it was real sexy. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Franklythis/status/929807564304502784]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/kgwill2012/status/929777378557136897]] It would be only too easy to assume that these kind of opinions were the preserve of online trolls, but a quick look through the internet will show you that when women do speak out it is all too often ill-received. The fact that in the wake of the Weinstein scandal so much of the discussion was focused on the idea that women were somehow responsible for other women’s experiences by not speaking up sooner highlights this. Even prominent public figures, such as British businessman Arron Banks and White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway expressed these kind of attitudes. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Arron_banks/status/918604908009590784]] Your keyboard is one thing, but say that to her face Arron, I dare you.  Somehow, I've got a funny feeling he's never been in that position. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/918650735830667265]] It is this kind of "victim blaming" that is so central to stopping people speaking out about sexual abuse, assault or harassment. It takes guts to speak about something intrusive or distressing that has happened to you, even more so when you don’t know what kind of reaction you’re going to get. It’s easier, emotionally and socially, to say nothing and move on rather than to draw that kind of attention to yourself. Even in the workplace, where sexual harassment is specifically prohibited under the Equality Act 2010, the situation is no better. A September 2017 Opinium poll showed that over half of the women who considered themselves to have been sexually harassed by a colleague did not tell their employer. So here’s a revolutionary idea that I shouldn't have to type: how about we all put the blame at the feet of the person being sexually aggressive, rather than the person having to put up with it? A lack of clarity around sexual harassment in law - the very thing we use to judge “OK” and “not OK” - doesn't help either. In both the UK and the US, there is no specific law against harassing someone in the street, as exists in other countries such as Belgium and Portugal. This is despite the fact that 90 per cent of British women and up to 85 per cent of American women say that by the time they are aged 17, they have experienced some kind of unwanted sexual attention in public. I'm not saying that anyone who wolf whistles or tries to chat someone up at a bus stop should be rounded up and arrested, but by refusing to set, acknowledge and enforce boundaries we refuse to address the issue directly. Although I know that it’s morally abhorrent to threaten to rape someone, the fact that I had to Google whether it is legally a crime to do so (it is) speaks volumes about how accustomed women are to just accepting this kind of thing. I like to think that if I’d already had a pint in my hand, I would have chucked it over that guy. But the truth is, I probably wouldn’t have; I already had a voice, but in this case, for whatever reason, I didn’t use it. Being surrounded by people doesn’t stop the flight or fight response from kicking in and my refusal to draw attention to myself is probably indicative of having grown up against the backdrop of a society that expects women to just brush this kind of thing off. In a September 2017 poll by Drinkaware, almost 80 per cent of women between 18 and 24 said they considered sexual harassment to be part and parcel of a night out. If that stat doesn't suggest a normalisation of this kind of behaviour, I don't know what does. As much as I hate to admit it, I can also understand that the silence of the other people around me in that bar was, in part, a result of my own inaction. I am sure, in hindsight, that had I kicked up a fuss then any of the people around me would have taken my side. But by being "OK" with it, they felt that they had to be OK with it too. The fact is though, I wasn't OK with it, not at all. So the next time you see someone looking uncomfortable at whatever comment has just been made to them, feel free to step in and speak out, because the chances are, you'll give them the confidence and reassurance to do so too.

In the wake of various sexual harassment scandals coming to light in Hollywood, many people have been asking why incidents aren't reported more often. The answer to that question is obviously very complex, and will vary from case to case. However, in a vast majority of incidents, people tend to stay quiet about cases of abuse or sexual assault because they feel powerless against the perpetrator, and the trend of victim-blaming further deters individuals from coming forward with their stories. That being said, sometimes people to find the courage to stand up against their attackers - as demonstrated by one bizarre incident in Brazil. Footage of the incident, which shows a young woman pinning down a man who had been harassing her, first garnered a lot of attention when it was posted online last year. Due to the somewhat explicit nature of the video, it had to be taken down, but - because of the recent interest in sexual harassment cases and how common they can be - the clip has re-emerged. During the minute-long video, the woman can be seen hurling abuse at a man on the floor. Allegedly, she had been handing out flyers, and the man had continued to harass her while she was trying to do her job. After becoming impatient with the harasser, she pushed him to the ground and pinned him with her foot, saying, she had been "touched and sexually harassed while just doing her job." But that was only the start of it. While on the ground, the alleged assailant claims that he did nothing wrong, and tells her he was simply out shopping with his wife. However, the woman is having none of it, and shouts: "I'm fed up being treated like a sex object. Is it boobs you want?" Then, in front of a fair-sized crowd, she suddenly whips off her shirt and pulls down the top that was underneath it, exposing herself not only to the man, but also to everyone who had gathered to witness the scene. That alone would have been a statement enough, but she wasn't done quite yet. In a surprisingly intimidating fashion, the woman then clambers on top of the man and begins whacking him around the face with her bare chest - an ordeal which he obviously does not enjoy at all. People who observed the bizarre interaction had mixed opinions on the woman's choice to strip down and literally smack the guy in the face with her breasts, with some thinking that her actions were courageous, and others believing that they were downright inconsiderate to everybody else present. One woman can even be heard shouting from the crowd: "This is absurd, there is no justification for doing this. How can you do this in front of children in the city centre? You're disrespecting women with your actions." Ironically, her words are arguably more befitting of the assailant than the woman - but that was the whole point of the scene: to show how women are held to different standards to men, and to educate people on the importance of respecting women and their space. Yes, unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately) the whole incident was staged by a theatre company to highlight how inappropriate it is to make sexual advances to somebody who clearly does not want them.

Fausto Ribeiro, the director of the group who created the performance, said:

"We wanted to expose and address something that happens every day to our sisters and female friends.This was meant to challenge people's perceptions and empower women with the shock tactic of retaliation. We wanted to force men to think more responsibly about their actions and the consequences."

Well, I think it worked.

The allegations of sexual harassment and abuse aimed at Harvey Weinstein have opened up a can of worms regarding misogyny and sexual assault in the film industry, and since the New Yorker's damning exposé, numerous Hollywood actresses and other important figures have spoken about their traumatising experiences. The #metoo hashtag has served to address social justice issues which have never been more pressing in moviemaking. But that doesn't mean that we should focus on cinema exclusively. There are many other industries in which the powerful are capable of silencing and exploiting the vulnerable. Even the typically-cheerful world of video games has suffered its fair share of scandal. A sexual harassment allegation every bit as indicting as Weinsteingate has threatened to bury one of the internet's popular video game forums. NeoGAF, which has been running successfully for the last 18 years, went offline last week, after the owner and founder Tyler Malka was accused of sexual harassment. The chaos began after film director Ima Leupp was inspired by the #metoo hashtag to make a post on Facebook, alleging that a former male acquaintance sexually harassed her in 2015 by climbing into her shower in her hotel room. Leupp apparently refused Malka's advances, since she was in a relationship at the time, and stated that Malka became extremely hostile towards her as a result of her rebuff. She wrote "I couldn't come out about this situation because the perpetrator is a semi famous man who would have retaliated and I couldn't afford to defend myself. There are websites devoted to this person's sexual assault history." After concerned friends asked her to name name and shame the man in question, she told them to "Google Evilore" - the online handle of Tyler Malka. Not long after this, screenshots of the Facebook post began showing up on the NeoGAF forums, only for the moderators to delete them and ban users posting them. According to one moderator on the site, Malka told the NeoGAF staff that the rumour "will be a never-ending clusterfu*k on [NeoGAF] now until the end of time, which inevitably involves you guys and gals on the mod team in some way, so I'm an open book here." In light of this incident however, a number of mods and admins decided to leave the site in protest against Malka's behaviour. Meanwhile, many NeoGAF users posted "suicide threads" in which they disparaged Malka so they could get themselves banned from the forum. As a result of these factors, as well as the increased traffic in the wake of Leupp's allegations, the site shut down for maintenance over the weekend of 20 to 22 October. Malka later released a statement in his own defence once NeoGAF was back online, writing: "An allegation of sexual misconduct has been made against me by an ex. It's not true, the individual making the accusation isn't credible, the story doesn't reconcile logically with the facts, and there's plenty of evidence and witnesses to corroborate that. It'll be a process. All allegations of this nature are serious, of course. I immediately talked with my mod team about the contents of the screenshot and clarified that it was baseless and explained some of the details concerning my former associations with her, and tried to ensure any concerns from the team were addressed fully and transparently to everyone's satisfaction." He added: "On Thursday I heard that she had deleted the accusation from Facebook, and wasn't entirely sure how to proceed from there or how this would all play out in the public space at that point. Then, Friday morning, the screenshot made its way to NeoGAF and chaos ensued." Malka also stated that he would be trying ensure that discussion on the forum remained relevant to video games only, and that users should avoid discussing political subjects which would prove to be divisive. Many NeoGAF users found this apolitical pledge to be suspicious and hypocritical considering the allegations. Malka has previously been vocal about his own purportedly progressive politics, advocating support for the Paris Agreement and gay marriage, and has also donated thousands to the American Civil Liberties Union and expressed support for woman affected by GamerGate - a previous scandal which involved allegations of misogyny and sexist hate speech in the video games industry. Yet despite this, a number of users have claimed that they have been banned from the site for making progressive arguments. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/NeoGAF/status/712456742488006656/]]   NeoGAF began as "The Gaming-Age Forums" for gaming website Gaming Age. As Gaming-Age outgrew its hosting, IGN took over hosting of Gaming-Age's forums in the interim, until the Gaming Age Forums were able to host themselves independently in 2006. Since then, it's been one of the most popular places to discuss video games on the internet. Yet after the sexual harassment accusations surfaced, a number of users have decided to migrate from the NeoGAF forum to a new Discord server. The future of the site and its founder remains uncertain.

A recent YouGov poll found that 97% of women in the UK between the ages of 18-24 have experienced sexual harassment.

With the tragic death of Sarah Everard sending shockwaves throughout the UK and beyond, people are now speaking out about the importance of the '#NotAllMenButAllWomen' movement on social media.

While many men rightfully point out that they are not all guilty of predatory behavior, as the YouGov poll shows, the overwhelming evidence is that almost all women are victims.

Credit: PA Images

Over the last week, women have taken to social media to reveal how they have been conditioned to text friends and family that they have arrived home safe; to cross the street when they sense the slightest bit of danger, and to outright ignore it when strange men tell us to smile or become aggressive when we reject their advances.

And now, many social media users are speaking out and sharing their personal experiences using the hashtag '#NotAllMenButAllWomen' to communicate the message that women do not feel they are safe on our streets.

This comes just hours after the human remains found in a Kent woodland were confirmed to be that of Everard by Metropolitan Police.

Credit: PA Images

The hashtag was a direct response to a '#NotAllMen' hashtag that started trending on Twitter earlier this week.

However, as one social media user explains, "All that the #Notallmen hashtag does it to dismiss the experiences of women and girls who have faced sexual violence or harassment."

They continue: "Of course we know that not every man is responsible but it is important to discuss misogyny and to amplify women's voices. #notallmenbutallwomen"

This is something I can also attest to as a woman in my twenties; I don't know a single other female who has not been sexually harassed or assaulted.

Actor Simon Pegg took to Twitter this morning to share a short video in which he says: "It seems to me that women are constantly given the sort of guidelines to avoid being sexually harassed that families are given when they drive into a safari park.

"Except the difference is, the world is a safari park where you could actually tell the monkeys to stop being f*****g a***holes."

And one Twitter user shared a predatory message she received from a man after she simply ordered a pizza:

A second wrote: "16. Sexually assaulted on the sofa in my own living room. Are you saying I shouldn't have [fallen] asleep in the safety of my own home? #notallmenbutallwomen"

A third added: "18: intoxicated/passed out. Boy from school climbs into bed with me. Spread I 'wanted it'. I was asleep.

"19: grabbed in the street, man fondled my parts. I stood frozen.

"22: attacked in my home. He had to be pinned down to get off me. I am 1 of many.#notallmenbutallwomen"

A fourth wrote: "It might not be all men, but it is all women. Every single [woman] can tell you of a time they have felt uneasy, they have held their bag a little closer, have gripped their keys a little bit tighter and have felt that racing heart. #notallmenbutallwomen I just want to walk home."

The importance of the hashtag was summed up by author Julie Cohen who wrote: "I will say it is extraordinary how many men think that they will convince women that men aren't dangerous by disbelieving them and yelling abuse at them. #notallmenbutallwomen"

Cohen continued: "I've blocked over 100 people in the past few hours and will keep on blocking anyone who not-all-mens me. Trying to force women to justify their experiences to you is yet another form of male violence."

The death of Sarah at just 33 has been an unwelcome reminder of the fact that women are not safe, regardless of whether they are outside or in their homes.

Every day, millions of women around the world deal with sexual harassment. I've experienced it, all my female friends have experienced it, and I'm willing to bet that the majority of women reading this right now have had to deal with at least one instance of verbal or physical sexual harassment during their lifetime.

Needless to say, it's not exactly a rare occurrence. So, when it does happen, it's important to report it - otherwise, it's likely to keep on happening forever. And that's exactly what Mariah Nonnemacher did. Or, at least, what she tried to do.

Nonnemacher, a 26-year-old actor and director from Arkansas, visited Paris recently to catch up with a friend. Unfortunately, her trip was ruined somewhat by sexual harassment from a member of staff at the hostel she was staying at.

On the very first morning of her trip, Nonnemacher, her friend, and several other women accompanying them were made to feel uncomfortable by a man who served them breakfast at the hostel. According to her, he kept staring at them, quizzing them about whether or not they had boyfriends, and even asking them to give him their phone numbers.

And, if that wasn't bad enough, when they rejected his advances, he took their drinks away from them and poured them down the sink.

Not wanting to cause too much of a fuss, the group of women ignored the hostel worker's behavior, and decided to simply avoid him by eating breakfast elsewhere for the remainder of their trip.

However, when it was time to check out of the hostel, Nonnemacher says she was accosted by the same male member of staff, who then proceeded to ridicule her in front of other guests.

"He said 'you're showing too much cleavage, it's not appropriate'," she told BuzzFeed News. "There were people in the landing and the lobby around to hear – it's embarrassing for one, and not that I should have to explain it, but I wasn't wearing anything provocative. Even if it was, it was very much victim-blaming – a ridiculous, misogynistic view."

This was a step too far for the 26-year-old, who decided to complain about the man to the hostel. However, the manager of the facility, Paul Benichou, wasn't particularly understanding in his response.

This was the email she received after voicing her complaint:

"After investigation, I am really sorry to tell you that ... it turns out that you were dressed provocatively with a plunging neckline. This is a mistake, because when traveling and frequenting a hotel where there are many many men, it is more prudent, to avoid any harassment to dress as well."

Nonnemacher then responded to this, saying his comments were inappropriate. But what she received after that was even worse.

"What kind of girl are you? You don’t recognize all what I said?! I am sorry, I can do nothing for you," the second email said. "You do what you want at your home, but not in a public area! My hostel is not a club to date and/or to have an affair!"

The tourist later posted the correspondence between herself and the hostel on social media in the hopes that it would warn other young women about the sort of people that worked there.

"I just wanted to warn other girls who may want to stay there", she said. "If anything were to happen with one of their staff members, they don't respect personal boundaries – if you were dressed 'risqué' it's your fault. Stay away from this place – it's bad."

The hotel manager has since stated that he stands by his claims, and essentially blames Nonnemacher for the abuse she received because her top was apparently low-cut. This sort of attitude just goes to demonstrate exactly why sexual harassment is still such a widespread issue, and how so much more needs to be done in order to stop it.