Washington, D.C. — Today, Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty last year of a first-degree criminal sex act. Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and co-founder of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, released the following statement in response: 

“In light of today’s sentencing, I am thinking of the bravery of the Silence Breakers — the women who came forward at great personal risk to detail the sexual abuse they experienced at the hands of Harvey Weinstein for decades. Their courage and willingness to share their stories has played a vital role in the ongoing national reckoning of sexual violence in all facets of our society and the march toward justice.” 

“The journey to accountability is long, as we have seen in this trial, and even when sexual predators are convicted and sentenced, survivors are left to face the lasting impacts of retraumatizing public trials, destroyed careers, and more. Our country, its leaders and our judicial system must recognize sexual violence for what it is: an epidemic that impacts all of us.” 

Earlier this year, NWLC launched Silence Breakers, an interactive storytelling project featuring the stories of survivors of workplace sex harassment and the attorneys who help them seek justice through NWLC’S TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. 

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