#metoo
The last couple of months, the muggles has had this campaign named #metoo for waking awareness of sexual harassment. It began in Hollywood, a famous place in the muggle world, where there are many actress, musicians and other types of performers, and now the campaign has spared itself all over the world. They use something called "internet". It is kind of a library where everyone can contribute. In this library you can type whatever word you want, and then every article or book containing that word would show up. If you write that cross in front of a word you will narrow down your search. It is quite amazing if you ask me
The reason I tell you about this is because I think it is time for the #metoo campaign to reach our magical world. In our community, there is little awareness of harassment in general, and especially sexual harassment. Therefore, I will do something about it by telling my own story.
I was 16 years old when I first experienced sexual harassment. It was that year at Hogwarts. I was in detention for doing work for the DA. I got the choice between taking the cruciatus curse or pleasuring some of the boys in a other house. I choose the curse. There was no way I would do that, not then and not now. I will not go more into detail of what they tried to do, I can't. The memories are shoot down and looked in a box.
The next time I experienced sexual harassment, was two short years after the first one. I was fresh out of Hogwarts, and was the new recruit of Holyhead Harpies. I was away on my first match. My husband for only a couple of months were in the stands supporting me. I and my teammates were on the way to the changing rooms, when one of the players from the other team took me to the side. He waited for everyone else to pass by. He started congratulating me for the good match. He praised my flying skills. I thought it was perfectly normal, taking one of the players to the side and congratulate them. However, I understood something was up when he started praising my looks. He came closer and closer forcing himself on me. I did not have my wand at hand and he was stronger than me. I couldn't shake him of. What I took a cruciatus curse two years earlier to spare myself for, happened that day. He left me lying on the floor crying when he was finished with me. My husband found me an hour later. I hadn't moved an inch. He found me and picked up the pieces. He saved me just like he did when I was eleven years old. He pieced me back together and ensured me that it was not my fault. I came stronger out of that incident.
The sexual harassment continued all the way through my career as a professional quidditch player. I still receive unwanted attention, but the two first experiences are the worst. I do no longer feel shame that I got raped at the age of 18. It was not my fault, even though I felt it like that at that time.
All I want to say is;
You are not alone. It happened to #metoo
Ginny Potter