Learning that legendary Canadian writer Alice Munro was complicit in ignoring the sexual abuse of her daughter by her husband has shocked the country and forced us all to grapple with the progress we have—and haven’t—made since the #MeToo movement went viral in 2017.

In an essay for The Toronto Star, Andrea Robin Skinner detailed how her mother ignored her reports of abuse by her stepfather, even when he acknowledged it in writing. 

Julie Lalonde is a women’s rights advocate, and author of Resilience Is Futile.

“What surprised me was the depth of the complicity from those around her — including other people in Canadian media that there had been conversation about the story coming to light decades ago and that being squashed,” said Lalonde.

And it’s not the only high-profile literary sex abuse scandal of the past week, either. 

How has the public grappled with the news? And seven years on, are we getting better at believing victims, and understanding just how common this type of situation is?

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