I live on a busy high street and experience some level of sexual harassment pretty much everyday. Sometimes I find it so depressing it stops me from leaving the house. There is a butchers right next to my door, and the men who work there always like to leer and comment when I walk past.
One time I was walking on my own, in the day time, through a park nearby, and was confronted by one of these men who insisted that ‘he knew me’ and would not leave me alone. I responded, as I largely do, by ignoring him, which left me feeling frustrated and powerless. Luckily on this occassion he did not pursue me, but I still felt vulnerable and somewhat violated.
Sometimes I lose it, and have formerly told street harassers to ‘fuck off’, but that only seems to instigate some sort of self righteous or aggressive response where I get called a bitch or told that it was just a compliment.
To be honest I never really know what to do, and find myself walking on with my head down, humiliated. Recently at a party I was chatting to a man who found my stories of sexual street harassment completely incredulous, asking me in a bemused fashion ‘what? these can’t be English men…’.
I have experienced sexual harassment from every kind of man imaginable- of course including English men- alone and in groups. It is a male-wide epidemic. The lack of comprehension as to the daily experiences of so many women seems completely inaccusable to me, and I full heartedly support any endeavour that aims to not only stamp out street harassment, but educate men as to the full implications such behaviour have upon women.
– Anna
Location: London, UK
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Alan says
Anna, thanks for your comments. keep talking to us dense men about your experiences, we need to hear them, and hopefully they will lessen and stop altogether!