#MeToo Campaign Strikes Chord Among Balkan Women

After many allegations emerged that Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein had assaulted vulnerable women, more and more women from around the world have felt emboldened to open up about their own experiences of harassment and discrimination.

Under the social media hashtag #MeToo, victims of sexual assault have shared their experiences in a show of solidarity meant to expose the magnitude of the problem in their societies.

The campaign did not gain traction in all Balkan countries, but in Romania and Albania it has generated an intense debates on violence against women at home, on the street and at work.

Romania has one of the highest rates of violence against women in Europe. Nine out of ten people there believe violence against women is a serious problem in society, according to a poll released in May by the country's Agency for Equality of Chances.

Hundreds of Romanian women, but also men, have joined the online Metoo campaign sharing their stories and solidarity.

Fashion designer Catinca Zilahy was among the first to post about sexual harassment on Facebook.

"I don't even know where to start: the school teacher who used to touch me during tutoring, the workers on the street with their obscene gestures, the weird guy from the bus who takes advantage of the crowd and sticks to your body so you'd feel his disgusting protuberances or the boss who suggested himself as a lover during meetings and then undermined me in front of the team? There is much to tell… We live in a society with a medieval mentality, which is difficult to change. That's why we shouldn't be quiet anymore!" she wrote.

Romanian MP Florina Presada also shared a long post. "I was subjected to all kinds of sexual harassment in so many contexts, professional and...