Time magazine has named the social movement aimed at raising awareness about sexual harassment and assault, epitomised by the #MeToo social media hashtag, as the most influential “person” in 2017, the publication announced on Wednesday.

“This is the fastest moving social change we’ve seen in decades and it began with individual acts of courage by hundreds of women – and some men, too – who came forward to tell their own stories,”

Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal told NBC News, referring to them as “the silence breakers”.

The recognition comes amid a wave of public allegations of sexual misconduct that have targeted some of the most prominent men in US politics, media and entertainment, leading to multiple firings and investigations.

As more people made their accusations public, other individuals also shared their own stories of assault and harassment, often with posts on social media platforms using the hashtag #MeToo.

“I could never had envisioned something that would change the world. I was trying to change my community,” Tarana Burke, who created the hashtag, told NBC. “This is just the start. It’s not just a moment, it’s a movement. Now the work really begins.”