What started as a simple statement has become a rally cry for women across the world.

Halfway through October, a simple tweet was sent out, asking women who have experienced sexual abuse or harassment to reply with the words 'me too'. That quickly turned into the hashtag #metoo and since then, it has been tweeted more than 1.7 million times in over 85 different countries.

Jaymie Friesen is the Abuse Response and Prevention Coordinator with Mennonite Central Committee Manitoba. They work with faith communities, churches and organizations, thinking of ways to respond to, acknowledge, and prevent abuse from happening in the first place. They also work with the groups on how to respond if it does.

"The idea behind it was that by hashtagging 'me too', a message would be sent to our society that [experiencing sexual abuse or violence] is way too common," Friesen explained.

The 'me too' hashtag has been used by Christians and non-Christians, proving that sexual abuse can happen anywhere. It's also shown that it can often go unnoticed, which Friesen is worried about.

"I think something that's so important for churches to think about is the ways in which our faith community normalize or accept sexual violence," Friesen stated. She specifically cited examples like blaming victims of assault or laughing at demeaning comments.

She says this specifically needs to be talked about and addressed by men.

"I think it's important that we engage boys and young men to look at the ways they can take a stand," Friesen continued. "This isn't a women's issue, it's an issue that's perpetuated by men."

While it may seem daunting, Friesen says boys and men can do a lot to help.

"It [starts with] recognizing how men and boys hold a different power and privilege and therefore it's important to think about how [they] can promote the safety of women," Friesen said. She also pointed to the simple act of standing up for women that are experiencing sexual assault or abuse.

Friesen declined to comment on whether the hashtag in itself was a good step in this fight. She did, however, note that it is definitely starting a conversation among men and women alike.

"People are obviously feeling empowered," Friesen responded. "My hope too is that those people would find the acknowledgement and support they need."

MCC Manitoba has more resources at http://mccmb.ca/abuse.