FOR weeks now, the dossier has been growing. Case after case. Hollywood producers, movie actors, presenters, television stars, and any number of politicians: men who have been accused of abusing their power to sexually harass and abuse women and thinking they can get away with it.

As for their victims, after years in which they felt they could not speak out, many of them have finally felt able to talk and, in response, it looks like some action is finally being taken at the top, at Westminster and Holyrood. Could it be, at last, that we have reached a tipping point: the moment when society finally starts to deal with sexual harassment?

There are some signs that we should be optimistic. One of the few positives to take from the last few weeks has been that more victims have finally felt able to speak out. Those guilty of harassment will often make victims complicit in the process – “don’t say anything or your reputation or career will suffer” – but there is safety in numbers and the more women have talked, the more others have also felt able to talk about their experiences too. It is the “me too” phenomenon that we have seen on Twitter and it has been very encouraging to witness.

The question now, though, is whether the growing testimony from victims can lead to real change and we should be hopeful here too. It is understandable why so many women, and some men, do not speak about their experiences, but in the last few days and weeks, there has been a dialogue among women and men that should lead more of us to question our behaviour and attitudes. The hope is that the more that shocking behaviour is exposed, the less likely it is to happen. It is also to be hoped people will be more likely to call out the behaviour.

But, hopeful as we should be that a cultural change is underway, we also need practical steps to make a difference. Every workplace in the land should be talking about this issue and looking at their policy on the matter and whether it is fit for purpose, which is why the moves by Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon to investigate any sexual harassment at Westminster and Holyrood are welcome as a first step and an example to others.

It is only a first step though. Any new procedures need to make it easier for victims to come forward, and the new hotline at Holyrood could do that. As Mrs May said, any disciplinary regime also needs teeth. For years, men have harassed women knowing nothing will happen – they need to know that those days are over.

The hope then is that, partly because of the ongoing national conversation, partly because of the action of the PM and FM, it will become increasingly hard for sexual harassment to happen without consequences. There is every chance that we have started on that process and that we can make it harder for power to be abused, but it will only happen by changing the attitudes of those who hold the power. If we have arrived at a cultural tipping point, the trick now is to ensure that it turns into an irreversible trend.