In the EP in Brussels, MEPs and national MPs join forces for a conference on "Empowering women and girls in media and ICTs: key for the future". Ambiance shots and statements Asia ARGENTO, actress and film director.

Brussels

conference

keynote speech

International Women's Day (T)

Women's Day 2018 - Empowering Women and Girls in media and ICT: ambiance shots and statements by Asia ARGENTO, actress and film director

Ambiance shots from the opening of the interparliamentary committee meeting, ''Empowering women and girls in media and ICT'' (11 shots)

SOUNDBITE (English), Asia ARGENTO, Actress and director, As a young woman in Italy, whenever I turned up at a photo shoot to promote the movies I was in, I only ever found a rack of sexy dresses and lingerie, never the fancy gown I dreamt of wearing as a teenager. And so, in the public eye, I became defined solely and entirely as a sexual persona.

<p>SOUNDBITE (English), Asia ARGENTO, Actress and director, At 21, I was raped by Harvey Weinstein. He claims it was consensual. His lawyer claims that Weinstein is not to blame because he didn&rsquo;t invent the casting couch and also because, and this is a direct quote, ''If a woman has sex to help her Hollywood career, that is not rape.'' This is his defence strategy. Well I am here to tell you there was nothing consensual about what happened to me, nothing at all.</p>

SOUNDBITE (English), Asia ARGENTO, Actress and director, They shamed me in front of the whole country, on every channel during prime time. And the conclusion they came to, these great detectives, was that not only I was asking for it, that I wanted it, in their eye I was not even worthy of being a victim of this monster, in their eyes I was not even good enough to be raped.

SOUNDBITE (English), Asia ARGENTO, Actress and director, And out of this ordeal I was transformed, I was given a role I had never once considered for myself, the one I felt I had no choice but to take, that of an activist. Now, I hope and I believe that because of "Me Too", because of this worldwide phenomenon on social media everywhere, that every woman has a voice, every woman has a chance to speak out. And we can stand stronger together, our voices raised together become a roar, a howl, an enduring shout of pain and rage and righteous indignation; we are finally being heard and believed at last.

Ambiance shots from the last part of the interparliamentary committee meeting, ''Empowering women and girls in media and ICT'' (14 shots)