By: Adriana Pérez-Rodríguez, SSH Correspondent

2012 ended with shouts and protests around the world due to the rape and death of Jagruti (“awakening,” one of the many names given to her) in Delhi, India. Soon after the crime happened everyone in the world was upset about her fate and value judgements were fired with heavy hectoring moralism, condemning the Indian society of barbarism and atrocities based on statistics about sexual abuse. People, from different countries rapidly started to look for someone or something to blame, while people in India protested bravely in the streets of Delhi and other Indian cities against police brutality in order to raise their voice. Yet in the media, their culture and the fact that they are not “civilised westerners” were used against them.

These arguments are incredibly dangerous, problematic, and tainted with cultural ignorance because they demonise the Indian society, labelling it as “the den of rapists,” feeding western audiences with cultural superiority and they ignore the fact that sexual abuse is systematic in western countries, too: the character of this crime is endemic and indiscriminate.

In the UK, every 34 minutes a rape allegation is reported, but of those only 7% end up in conviction. In the USA, while Congressmen debate the “legitimacy” of rape, a woman is sexually assaulted every 2 minutes. Based just on reported numbers, it is estimated that in Colombia a woman is raped every 2 hours, 140 are assaulted daily and every 3 days one woman is killed. We must add to these numbers all the cases that haven’t been reported because the victims suffer in silence for fear and embarrassment or because they think what has been done to them is not worthy of mentioning.

Let’s not forget that in Colombia last year, a woman was raped, tortured and killed. Her name was Rosa Elvira Cely and her case mobilised the Colombian society to the streets demanding justice. That horrible crime happened at early hours in the morning on the 24^th of May, 2012, when she left a karaoke place with two men she knew, she was then taken to a park where she was raped, stabbed, strangled, impaled and left to die. She was so badly assaulted and tortured that despite the several surgeries done to her, she didn’t survive.

Due to the particular nature of the crime, the Colombian society was so horrified that on the 3^rd of June, in the same park, they protested against what was done to her, demanding justice and against gender violence in general, raising concerns about how women are treated in the country. For instance, for some it may be surprising to know that domestic violence is higher in Colombia and Peru than in India itself and that’s what many Colombians started questioning after that incident: the gender violence Colombian women face daily and which materialises on rape, physical and psychological abuse, sexual harassment and domestic violence.

Sadly, the sexual harassment, abuse and assault that women encounter every day is endemic worldwide.  In every country, it’s also common to blame the victim and excuse the offender, accusing her of provoking them. Such rape culture is systematic and it does not discriminate countries, religions or skin colour; it happens in our houses, buses, streets and parties.

Thus, the danger of culturally arrogant arguments is that they distort the real picture about how unequal power relations continue objectifying women around the globe, denying the endemic character of the problem, while reducing it to a cultural attribute of certain societies, dividing our global map between civilised and uncivilised societies and filling our understanding of and relation with others with prejudice.

The truth is that, India, together with the rest of the world, urgently need a revolution. Only together, with a strong collective conscience, can we ensure that there won’t be any more Jagrutis or Rosas Elviras in the future.

Adriana is a Colombian national who’s passionate about all topics concerning social justice, especially gender-based justice.

en Español

El 2012 terminó con los gritos y protestas alrededor del mundo por la violación y muerte de Jagruti (“despertar,” uno de los tantos nombres que se le ha dado). Las noticias no se hicieron esperar, poco después de lo ocurrido todo el mundo se alarmó con su destino y las audiencias globales lanzaron sus juicios de valor, condenando a la sociedad india de atrocidades apoyados en estadísticas sobre el asalto sexual, pero más que todo, apoyados en prejuicios. Gente de otros países empezaron rápidamente a buscar culpables, mientras que en las calles de Delhi y otras ciudades indias mujeres y hombres protestan valientemente en contra de la brutalidad policiaca con el fin de levantar su voz. Se culpó su cultura y el hecho de que no son “civilizados occidentales”.

Estos argumentos son increíblemente peligrosos debido a que demonizan la sociedad india, etiquetándola como “guarida de violadores,” alimentando con superioridad cultural audiencias occidentales e ignorando el hecho de que también en estos países el abuso sexual es sistemático: el carácter de este crimen es endémico e indiscriminado.

En el Reino Unido se reportan casos de violación cada 34 minutos, de los cuales sólo el 7% resultan en condenas  y en Estados Unidos, mientras congresistas se debaten sobre el carácter “legítimo” de las violaciones, cada dos minutos una mujer es asaltada sexualmente.  Basados sólo en los casos reportados, se estima que en Colombia una mujer es violada cada dos horas, 140 mujeres son agredidas diariamente y una es asesinada cada tres días. A estas cifras se les tiene que adicionar todos los casos que no fueron reportados, en los que las víctimas sufrieron en silencio por miedo y vergüenza, o por el hecho de que creen que lo que les hicieron no es merecedor de ser mencionado.

No olvidemos que el año pasado en Colombia se violó, torturó y asesinó a Rosa Elvira Cely, un caso que movilizó a la sociedad colombiana a salir a las calles y demandar justicia. Ese crimen tan atroz ocurrió a tempranas horas de la madrugada el 24 de mayo del 2012 cuando se fue de un lugar de karaoke, con dos hombres que ella conocía, que la llevaron a un parque donde fue violada, apuñalada, estrangulada, empalada y abandonada agonizando. Las heridas fueron tan graves que, aunque se le hicieron varias cirugías, ella no sobrevivió.

Debido a las particularidades, la sociedad colombiana quedó horrorizada que protestó, el 3 de junio en el mismo parque, en contra de lo que le fue hecho, pidiendo justicia y en contra de la violencia de género en general, expresando sus preocupaciones sobre cómo las mujeres son tratadas en el país. Por ejemplo, a unos les sorprenderá saber que las tasas de violencia doméstica son más altas en Colombia y Perú que en India y eso fue lo que muchos colombianos se empezaron a cuestionar: la violencia de género que las colombianas enfrentan diariamente y que se puede materializar en casos de violación, abuso físico y psicológico, acoso sexual y violencia doméstica.

Lamentablemente, el acoso, abuso y asalto sexual del que son víctimas las mujeres es endémico, ocurre en países tan “bárbaros” como India y tan “civilizados” como el Reino Unido o Estados Unidos. En todos estos, además, es común culpar a la víctima y eximir al victimario, acusándola de provocar el crimen. Esta cultura sistemática no discrimina países, credos o color de piel, sucede en nuestras casas, buses, calles y fiestas.

Por lo tanto, el peligro de estos argumentos basados en arrogancia culturales es que distorsionan la verdadera imagen sobre cómo las relaciones desiguales de poder continúan objetivizando las mujeres alrededor del mundo, negando el carácter endémico del problema, reduciéndolo como atributo de ciertas culturas, dividiendo nuestro mapa mundial entre sociedades civilizadas e incivilizadas y llenando de prejuicios nuestras relaciones con y conocimientos de otros.

Seguramente el trasfondo de todo esto no es afirmar que India necesita urgentemente una revolución cultural, sino que tanto India como todas las sociedades la necesitan con la misma urgencia. Sólo así lograremos, con una fuerte consciencia colectiva, que en un futuro no haya más Jagrutis y Rosas Elviras.

Soy una colombiana apasionada por todos asuntos relacionados con la justicia social, especialmente justicia de género.

By: Erin McKelle, SSH Correspondent

Once when I was at the mall with a friend, a random guy approached her and slapped her butt. She was a little shocked and so I said (loudly), “What’s your problem!? That’s so disgusting!” and he immediately walked away in the other direction.

Street harassment happens every single day in every single city. It’s one of the most common sources of personal violation that anyone (but women especially) have to deal with. A phone survey conducted by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates concluded that “almost all women had experienced street harassment.” Because of this then, it is important that we stop harassment when we see it happening and let the harasser know that what they are doing is not okay. Taking action and empowering women in the street by confronting street harassment head on is essential to ending it.

This also means taking action and standing up for yourself as well. If you find yourself in a situation in which you are being harassed, take action and let the harasser know that their harassment will not be tolerated. A great example of this can be seen in the viral YouTube videotaped by a bystander when a woman being harassed on the NYC subway in 2010 humiliated her harasser. She refused to let it slide off her back and caused street harassment to be brought into the light by the media, as the story was featured by many popular news websites. Her courage and strength probably caused that man to never “take out his penis” ever again.

Now, sometimes taking action is easier said than done. We don’t intervene (especially if the situation isn’t happening to us and we are a bystander) because we don’t know how or we don’t think it’s our place. That is why having a plan of action already thought out is the key to taking that action. Don’t let the situation happen and then kick yourself for not doing anything. Think about what you will do to take action NOW instead of later. Then, you will be prepared and ready when it does happen.

I’ve composed a list of five actions that you can take to end street harassment as you see it happening to you or someone else. This list is by no means complete and is meant to get your mind churning to think about what else you could do or what actions feel most comfortable to you. Feel free to add in, throw out or modify these actions as needed!

And always remember to put your safety first! If you don’t feel safe taking action then by all means, don’t (but also note, fear of making a spectacle doesn’t count as putting your safety first. That’s just part of the equation).

1. Intervene: Tell the harasser exactly what they are doing is harassment. Try to separate the harasser from the victim (and try to separate yourself from said harasser if that person is you) and make sure everyone around knows exactly what is going on. Also, perhaps try to get police or law enforcement involved, if possible. Don’t use violence, but make your point in a firm, direct but respectful way.

2. Get the Victim Out of the Situation: If you feel less comfortable speaking outright, then try to engage the victim in some way that will distract from the harasser. Ask them for a pen, directions or pretend to even be with them (example: “hey, this is our stop.” And walk off the subway with them). Get said person out of the situation as quickly as possible. Then, ask them if they are okay, need help from the police or support in any way. Direct them to organizations like Stop Street Harassment and Hollaback! so they can share their story. Make sure they know there are outlets and options if they wish to take further action.

3. Take Picture/Video of the Harasser on your Cell Phone: This is one of the best ways to identify a harasser and document the incident, especially if you wish to take legal action or even create awareness! Especially if you are the one being harassed, this could be an option for you if you don’t feel safe speaking out (just pretend to be texting or making a call).

4. Draw Attention: If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to the actual harasser, you can still draw attention to the incident. Say something like, “Hey, do you see what is going on here? I am calling the police!” or something that will get people to notice. Make sure to express your anger and disgust with the situation. Or, if police are around, bring their attention to the scene. Make sure you act fast and empower fellow bystanders to act with you. There is power in numbers.

5. Distract: Try to draw the attention of the harasser away from their harassment. Even act oblivious; ask them an unrelated question or make some kind of statement such as, “Do you know where the nearest grocery store is?” or “Who makes your shoes? I’m looking to buy a birthday present for someone and I really like them.” Anything that will take their attention away from the situation. It may seem silly, but doing this can defuse the situation very quickly.

Make eye-contact with the harasser and engage them to where it would be uncomfortable for them to brush you off. Also, after you have distracted them, take the harassed person aside and make sure they are okay, ask if they need support, etc. Also, see if while you complete this step you can take picture or video as it happens, that way you can also have documented evidence.

Remember, you DO have the power to act! You can liberate those being harassed and give power back to them. You can be responsible for putting a stop to a situation that could cause great distress to a person’s life or well being. You can also make others more aware of street harassment that happens and empower them to take action! Create a chain reaction of empowerment by taking action!

Erin is an e-activist and blogger based in Ohio. You can find more of her work here and here.