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In wake of the dozens of damning allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Alyssa Milano's #MeToo hashtag has encouraged thousands of people to share their stories of sexual harassment and assault over the past few days. 。
Now, actress America Ferrera is taking part in the effort to raise awareness. 。
Ferrera shared an emotional Instagram post on Monday night about her first memory of sexual assault, which she says took place when she was just nine years old. 。
SEE ALSO:Jennifer Lawrence shares her own account of sexual harassment faced in Hollywood 。"I told no one and lived with the shame and guilt thinking all along that I, a 9 year old child, was somehow responsible for the actions of a grown man," Ferrera wrote.。
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Ferrera — an activist who spoke for the rights and equality of women at the Women's March in Washington, D.C. earlier this year — went on to explain that she had to see the man who sexually assaulted her "on a daily basis for years," which made things even more difficult. 。
"He would smile at me and wave, and I would hurry past him, my blood running cold, my guts carrying the burden of what only he and I knew," she wrote. "That he expected me to shut my mouth and smile back." 。
Ferrara joins prominent actors and actresses — like Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Rosanna Arquette, Katherine Kendall, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lawrence, and more — who've publicly shared their stories of sexual harassment and assault. 。
Like many others who have spoken up since the allegations against Weinstein, Ferrera hopes her bravery will inspire others to speak out as well. 。
She ended her Instagram post with the following call to action: "Ladies, let's break the silence so the next generation of girls won't have to live with this bullshit." 。
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