Archives for September 2014

Diana Hinova, Sofia, Bulgaria, SSH Blog Correspondent

Lately I’ve been thinking, there does not seem to be as much street harassment in Sofia as there used to be – and when I asked my peers, women in their mid-twenties and thirties, they agree. Still, all of us recall those times when a stranger aggressively introduced himself and followed us down the street; when a car pulled up and offered unceremoniously offered to f*ck us; when an unidentified man shouted obscenities our way and we grit our teeth, stayed calm and kept walking. And when I leave to walk a couple of kilometers home after a dinner party, my friend still asks me to call when I reach home safely, as do most good female friends.

‘Street harassment’ translates poorly into Bulgarian. So do many terms related to gender equality and anything with even a hint of feminism, themes that instantly make many Bulgarians wary. Street harassment seems to have declined in the space we, the women age twenties-to-thirties, inhabit in Sofia. But whether it’s based on changes in our appearance and the attitude we present on the street, or a cathartic improvement in men’s behavior, or both, is an open question. Street harassment still happens regularly here, as several teenagers I asked confirmed last week.

It should concern us that street harassment in Bulgaria more often happens to younger women, in rougher neighborhoods, and in smaller towns. It is in these places, and near construction sites and other places where men from these places cross paths with strangers, that street harassment most often happens in Bulgaria.

This divide teaches girls and women in the most vulnerable spheres of our society that public spaces are not theirs, not safe for them, more than others. It normalizes men objectifying girls’ bodies and consolidates the harmful norms of patriarchy that make feminism a frightening, repulsive term for the populations that arguably need to reconsider their take on gender equality the most.

The same divide leaves some parts of society to stew in their prejudices – racism, xenophobia, homophobia – while others self-righteously insulate their evolved European principles from discussion with opponents. For some reason, it is simply not accepted in Bulgaria to discuss these issues widely and openly (for fear to ‘be a feminist’ and be ostracized as such).  The topics are seen as fit only for experts to have opinions on and express them. Grassroots initiatives against street harassment and gender based violence, like Hollaback and One Billion Rising, do not get nearly as much traction in Bulgaria as they do in other countries in the Balkans (Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia). And while some would argue that the problems may not be as serious in Bulgaria, there are in fact no reliable figures at the national level* to make such comparisons.

But guess what: they do affect all of us, #YesAllWomen and all men as well. If not us, they will affect our sons and daughters. The Violence Against Women Survey (2014, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights; explore findings here) indicates that a quarter of all incidents of physical, sexual and psychological violence against women by people other than their partner happens in public spaces: streets, parks, and shops. Bystander intervention in these instances can be effective in deterring the harasser or attacker. Let’s reach out to those parts of our society that still accept street harassment and keep quiet about gender based violence, to show them that it’s so not okay.

Diana has a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University and works as a consultant to INGOs. Follow her on Twitter @dialeidoscope or letnimletni.blogspot.com.