This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/14/world/americas/argentina-metoo-thelma-fardin.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Argentina’s #MeToo Moment: Actress Shares Account of Assault | Argentina’s #MeToo Moment: Actress Shares Account of Assault |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| BUENOS AIRES — Accusations of rape made by an actress against a fellow actor have gripped Argentina and started a broader conversation about violence against women in the country. | BUENOS AIRES — Accusations of rape made by an actress against a fellow actor have gripped Argentina and started a broader conversation about violence against women in the country. |
| Thelma Fardin, an Argentine actress, accused Juan Darthés, an older male colleague, of raping her in 2009. She was 16 and he was 45. | Thelma Fardin, an Argentine actress, accused Juan Darthés, an older male colleague, of raping her in 2009. She was 16 and he was 45. |
| The accusations drew outrage on social media where tens of thousands have used the hashtag #MiraComoNosPonemos — which can be loosely translated as, “look at what you do to us,” and is a variant of a phrase Ms. Fardin said her attacker had used — to share their own experiences and express solidarity with sexual assault survivors. The movement is seen as the country’s answer to the global #MeToo reckoning. | The accusations drew outrage on social media where tens of thousands have used the hashtag #MiraComoNosPonemos — which can be loosely translated as, “look at what you do to us,” and is a variant of a phrase Ms. Fardin said her attacker had used — to share their own experiences and express solidarity with sexual assault survivors. The movement is seen as the country’s answer to the global #MeToo reckoning. |
| “I’m truly overwhelmed,” Ms. Fardin said Thursday. | “I’m truly overwhelmed,” Ms. Fardin said Thursday. |
| Making her story public was very difficult, she said, but she hoped that it might help others. | Making her story public was very difficult, she said, but she hoped that it might help others. |
| “If it inspired five people to come forward, it would have been worth it. Now look at what’s happened,” Ms. Fardin said. “My story has now become secondary. This was clearly an issue that needed to be talked about. People yearned to discuss it, they just needed a trigger.” | “If it inspired five people to come forward, it would have been worth it. Now look at what’s happened,” Ms. Fardin said. “My story has now become secondary. This was clearly an issue that needed to be talked about. People yearned to discuss it, they just needed a trigger.” |
| She first spoke publicly on Tuesday, at a news conference surrounded by dozens of fellow actresses on a stage in downtown Buenos Aires. In an emotional video, shown during the news conference and later shared on social media, Ms. Fardin described how Mr. Darthés had lured her into his hotel room when they were touring with the theater version of the hit musical soap opera “Patito Feo” — “Ugly Duckling” — and, she said, had raped her. | She first spoke publicly on Tuesday, at a news conference surrounded by dozens of fellow actresses on a stage in downtown Buenos Aires. In an emotional video, shown during the news conference and later shared on social media, Ms. Fardin described how Mr. Darthés had lured her into his hotel room when they were touring with the theater version of the hit musical soap opera “Patito Feo” — “Ugly Duckling” — and, she said, had raped her. |
| During the encounter, Ms. Fardin said, Mr. Darthés forced her to touch his erection and said: “Look at what you do to me.” | During the encounter, Ms. Fardin said, Mr. Darthés forced her to touch his erection and said: “Look at what you do to me.” |
| The phrase seemed to place the blame on Ms. Fardin. | The phrase seemed to place the blame on Ms. Fardin. |
| Before Ms. Fardin went public, three other women had accused Mr. Darthés of sexual abuse that did not involve rape, and two said he had used that same phrase. Their accusations received little attention. | Before Ms. Fardin went public, three other women had accused Mr. Darthés of sexual abuse that did not involve rape, and two said he had used that same phrase. Their accusations received little attention. |
| One of them, Calu Rivero, an actress and model, was the first to come forward late last year. Ms. Rivero said she felt abused when the two had to share intimate scenes in a soap opera. | One of them, Calu Rivero, an actress and model, was the first to come forward late last year. Ms. Rivero said she felt abused when the two had to share intimate scenes in a soap opera. |
| “Thelma’s story, told in the first person, was devastating,” Ms. Rivero said. “It really showed how a woman has to expose herself completely in order to be believed. What she had to live through was truly horrifying.” | “Thelma’s story, told in the first person, was devastating,” Ms. Rivero said. “It really showed how a woman has to expose herself completely in order to be believed. What she had to live through was truly horrifying.” |
| After Ms. Fardin posted the video of her account on Instagram with the hashtag #MiraComoNosPonemos, it was seen more than 1 million times and garnered tens of thousands of responses. The hashtag is meant as a message of solidarity among women and a rejection of the idea that they are somehow responsible for sexual assaults on them. | After Ms. Fardin posted the video of her account on Instagram with the hashtag #MiraComoNosPonemos, it was seen more than 1 million times and garnered tens of thousands of responses. The hashtag is meant as a message of solidarity among women and a rejection of the idea that they are somehow responsible for sexual assaults on them. |
| Thousands of women shared their own stories using the hashtag and expressed support for Ms. Fardin. The organizers of a sexual abuse hotline say calls have soared. | Thousands of women shared their own stories using the hashtag and expressed support for Ms. Fardin. The organizers of a sexual abuse hotline say calls have soared. |
| Many in the country were outraged by Mr. Darthés’s appearance in a government-funded public service video advertisement against gender violence. President Mauricio Macri of Argentina said in a Twitter posting on Wednesday that the video ad had been pulled, “out of respect” for Ms. Fardin. | Many in the country were outraged by Mr. Darthés’s appearance in a government-funded public service video advertisement against gender violence. President Mauricio Macri of Argentina said in a Twitter posting on Wednesday that the video ad had been pulled, “out of respect” for Ms. Fardin. |
| Mr. Darthés has denied all of the accusations, and said in a Twitter posting on Thursday that he had been “deeply hurt” by them. In a brief televised interview, Mr. Darthés said his recollection of the encounter with Ms. Fardin was the opposite of her account. He asserted that she was the one who had tried to kiss him and that he had kicked her out of his bedroom. | Mr. Darthés has denied all of the accusations, and said in a Twitter posting on Thursday that he had been “deeply hurt” by them. In a brief televised interview, Mr. Darthés said his recollection of the encounter with Ms. Fardin was the opposite of her account. He asserted that she was the one who had tried to kiss him and that he had kicked her out of his bedroom. |
| A lawyer for Ms. Fardin, Sabrina Cartabia, said a criminal complaint against Mr. Darthés had been filed in Nicaragua where the alleged rape took place. | A lawyer for Ms. Fardin, Sabrina Cartabia, said a criminal complaint against Mr. Darthés had been filed in Nicaragua where the alleged rape took place. |
| Ms. Fardin has provided a prominent face for the #MeToo movement in Argentina, said Alison Brysk, a professor at the University of California and an expert in human rights in the country. But a broader women’s rights movement has been active in Argentina for years, inciting public debate on topics like reproductive rights and violence against women. | Ms. Fardin has provided a prominent face for the #MeToo movement in Argentina, said Alison Brysk, a professor at the University of California and an expert in human rights in the country. But a broader women’s rights movement has been active in Argentina for years, inciting public debate on topics like reproductive rights and violence against women. |
| “They have the public presence and the respectability to fill that space that the average woman can’t,” Ms. Brysk said of the actresses speaking out. “But it’s coming a little bit in reverse order in Latin America. The grass-roots organizing has been around for awhile, and the sort of ‘Me Too’ movement is just arriving.” | “They have the public presence and the respectability to fill that space that the average woman can’t,” Ms. Brysk said of the actresses speaking out. “But it’s coming a little bit in reverse order in Latin America. The grass-roots organizing has been around for awhile, and the sort of ‘Me Too’ movement is just arriving.” |
| The actresses who backed Ms. Fardin — a collective of women who joined together to lobby for the legalization of abortion, around 100 of whom were at the news conference on Tuesday — are conscious of this dynamic. | The actresses who backed Ms. Fardin — a collective of women who joined together to lobby for the legalization of abortion, around 100 of whom were at the news conference on Tuesday — are conscious of this dynamic. |
| “We want this case to be the tip of the spear,” said Jazmín Stuart, one of the actresses who helped Ms. Fardin publicize her accusation. | “We want this case to be the tip of the spear,” said Jazmín Stuart, one of the actresses who helped Ms. Fardin publicize her accusation. |
| Women are speaking out in front of the cameras and in the courts. On Thursday night, María Del Cerro, a contestant in “Bailando por un Sueño” (“Dancing for a Dream”), a dance competition show that is part of the television program “Showmatch,” said she had been abused when she was 11. | Women are speaking out in front of the cameras and in the courts. On Thursday night, María Del Cerro, a contestant in “Bailando por un Sueño” (“Dancing for a Dream”), a dance competition show that is part of the television program “Showmatch,” said she had been abused when she was 11. |
| And in a move that shows how Ms. Fardin’s accusation could reverberate politically, Claudia Guebel, a former aide to Senator Juan Carlos Marino, of La Pampa Province, filed a judicial complaint against him, claiming he had sexually assaulted her earlier this year. In an interview with local radio station Continental, Ms. Guebel said she had been inspired to come forward by Ms. Fardin. | And in a move that shows how Ms. Fardin’s accusation could reverberate politically, Claudia Guebel, a former aide to Senator Juan Carlos Marino, of La Pampa Province, filed a judicial complaint against him, claiming he had sexually assaulted her earlier this year. In an interview with local radio station Continental, Ms. Guebel said she had been inspired to come forward by Ms. Fardin. |
| Violence against women has long been an issue in Argentina, and the reckoning that appears to be emerging from Ms. Fardin's accusation comes after years in which women’s rights have been on the public agenda — first evident in mass protests against femicides and later in demonstrations demanding the legalization of abortion. | Violence against women has long been an issue in Argentina, and the reckoning that appears to be emerging from Ms. Fardin's accusation comes after years in which women’s rights have been on the public agenda — first evident in mass protests against femicides and later in demonstrations demanding the legalization of abortion. |
| “It all has to do with sovereignty over our own bodies,” Ms. Stuart said. | “It all has to do with sovereignty over our own bodies,” Ms. Stuart said. |
| Argentina passed its first domestic violence law in 1994. After a 2016 visit to the country, the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women, Dubravka Simonovic, said violence was sometimes still tolerated in the country because of a “machismo culture.” Systems to prevent these types of attacks or to hold attackers accountable were not fully in place, she said at the time. | Argentina passed its first domestic violence law in 1994. After a 2016 visit to the country, the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women, Dubravka Simonovic, said violence was sometimes still tolerated in the country because of a “machismo culture.” Systems to prevent these types of attacks or to hold attackers accountable were not fully in place, she said at the time. |
| “Latin America as a region is growing rapidly, but with a lot of inequality and crime and conflict,” Ms. Brysk said. “It’s a recipe for gender violence, unfortunately.” | “Latin America as a region is growing rapidly, but with a lot of inequality and crime and conflict,” Ms. Brysk said. “It’s a recipe for gender violence, unfortunately.” |
| Reports of domestic violence have risen in recent years as the country’s economy has struggled. Last year, at least 273 women were killed in gender-based violence across the country, according to statistics published by the Supreme Court. | Reports of domestic violence have risen in recent years as the country’s economy has struggled. Last year, at least 273 women were killed in gender-based violence across the country, according to statistics published by the Supreme Court. |
| Hundreds of thousands of Argentines rallied on the streets as part of a national strike in 2016, following the rape and murder of 16-year-old Lucía Pérez, which sparked the #NiUnaMenos (Not one less) movement demanding an end to violence against women. This month, thousands took to the streets again to protest a court ruling acquitting those accused of having killed Ms. Pérez. | Hundreds of thousands of Argentines rallied on the streets as part of a national strike in 2016, following the rape and murder of 16-year-old Lucía Pérez, which sparked the #NiUnaMenos (Not one less) movement demanding an end to violence against women. This month, thousands took to the streets again to protest a court ruling acquitting those accused of having killed Ms. Pérez. |
| Earlier this year, women’s rights advocates came out in force to support a bill to legalize abortion, and used the same slogan: #NiUnaMenos. | Earlier this year, women’s rights advocates came out in force to support a bill to legalize abortion, and used the same slogan: #NiUnaMenos. |
| While the bill eventually failed, the weeks preceding the vote were punctuated by large demonstrations that paralyzed Buenos Aires and inspired women in other Latin American countries. The movement led to broader calls throughout the continent for abortion legislation that takes women’s health into account. | While the bill eventually failed, the weeks preceding the vote were punctuated by large demonstrations that paralyzed Buenos Aires and inspired women in other Latin American countries. The movement led to broader calls throughout the continent for abortion legislation that takes women’s health into account. |
| It is unclear whether calls in Argentina for an end to sexual violence against women will have the same resonance, but there is little doubt the region is watching. The show in which Ms. Fardin and Mr. Darthés shared screen time years ago was popular across Latin America. | It is unclear whether calls in Argentina for an end to sexual violence against women will have the same resonance, but there is little doubt the region is watching. The show in which Ms. Fardin and Mr. Darthés shared screen time years ago was popular across Latin America. |
| For Ms. Fardin, the link with the #NiUnaMenos movement was clear: it had pushed her to think about what she had lived through while a child star. | For Ms. Fardin, the link with the #NiUnaMenos movement was clear: it had pushed her to think about what she had lived through while a child star. |
| “I’ve said what I needed to say,” Ms. Fardin said. “Now the space is open for other people to come forward.” | “I’ve said what I needed to say,” Ms. Fardin said. “Now the space is open for other people to come forward.” |
| Daniel Politi reported from Buenos Aires, and Megan Specia from New York. |