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“Why should any outfit be considered as an invitation?”

June 27, 2012 By HKearl

Women Protesters, Via Tea Leaf Nation

A subway company in Shanghai, China, thinks it is okay to blame women for “causing” sexual harassment.

Last week the Shanghai No. 2 Subway Company posted an image of a woman standing on a subway platform in a semi-transparent dress to the company’s official Sina Weibo account with this caption:

“If that’s what you wear on a subway, then no wonder you will be sexually harassed! There are too many perverts riding the subway every day, and we can’t catch them all. Girl, you’ve got to respect yourself!”

Wow.

No matter how people dress, they should not be touched or spoken to disrespectfully. Sure, some outfits will catch the eye more than others, but looking (and not leering) is where the interaction should stop. The fault for harassment lies with the harasser, not the target of the harassment.

CNN.com reports that “sexual harassment claims on the Shanghai subway rose in the month of June. Reports included instances of indecent exposure, lewd acts and attempts at taking pictures up women’s skirts.”

While I haven’t seen a study about sexual harassment on their transportation system, a 2002 survey of 200 citizens in Beijing, China, showed that 70 percent had been subjected to a form of sexual harassment. Most people said it occurred on public transportation.

So, Shanghai No. 2 Subway Company, don’t shrug your shoulders in the face of known sexual harassment on your train and tell “girls” to respect themselves. Instead, tell harassers to respect women.

Given the prevalence of sexual harassment on the subway, many people who saw the post were outraged. Via Tea Leaf Nation:

“@贺瑜-小鱼儿 exclaimed, “Even if she’s wearing a bikini, she should still be free from harassment! What is wrong with this subway line?” @指间_谁de旋律 blames the subway line for its inappropriate comment as well: “It is disgusting to hear this from an official Weibo! How does her outfit make her deserving of sexual harassment? Why should any outfit be considered as an invitation?”

The official account of Women’s Voice, an NGO for gender equality in China (@女权之声), was also outraged: “Sexual harassment is a crime! The subway line should try harder to be responsible for passenger safety instead of finding excuses for these criminals and blaming the crime on the victims!”

On Sunday, two young women launched their own protest at a Shanghai subway station. They each wore a “black veil over their face, stepped into a crowded subway station with signs that read, ‘I want my coolness under the sun, but not the pervert in the subway,’ and ‘I can reveal myself, and you cannot bother me.'”

Unfortunately, their protest was met with opposition. Their actions, however, have helped bring international attention to the issue, so in that sense, it was a success!

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Filed Under: News stories, street harassment Tagged With: activism, china, protest, sexual harassment, Shanghai No. 2 Subway Company

Victim-blaming in Indonesia sparks protest

September 19, 2011 By HKearl

“”Wear sensible clothes, don’t wear ‘inviting’ clothes. You can imagine, if [a woman] wears short skirt and sits next to the driver, it could be ‘inviting.'”

Protestors -- Image via Demotix

This is what Fauzi Wibowo, the governor of Jakarta, Indonesia, said on Friday after a bus driver raped a female passenger late at night this month and after another bus driver and unidentified perpetrators gang-raped and killed a university student.

He has since apologized for the comment.

On Sunday more than 50 people in Jakarta protested the victim-blaming comment and many women wore mini-skirts, something unusual in the most populous Muslim-majority country in the world.

They held signs that read, “Don’t tell us how to dress, tell them not to rape” and “My miniskirt is my right.”

Via the Jakarta Globe:

“‘We are here to express our anger. Instead of giving heavy punishment to the rapists, the governor blamed it on women’s dress. This is discrimination,’ protest coordinator Chika Noya told AFP.

‘Rape is a serious crime against humanity,’ Noya said, adding that the governor should guarantee women’s safety on public transport.

Protester Dhyta Caturani, dressed in a miniskirt and revealing top, said: “The way women dress is not the cause of sexual violence.”

Last year the head of Aceh Barat district stated that women who don’t wear Islamic women clothing are ‘asking to be raped.’ This statement was then rejected by Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI).”

It is sick that a political leader like a governor would say something so harmful and wrong. Well done to the protesters in Jakarta for not letting his comment slide and for bringing international attention to the victim-blaming taking place in their country.

The protest was inspired by the SlutWalk in Toronto, held in April in response to a victim-blaming comment made by a police officer. Dozens of SlutWalks have taken place around the world to similarly speak out against the all-too-common response of blaming the victim for sexual assault or sexual harassment rather than the perpetrator.

Victim-blaming must end!

(Thanks to The Pixel Project for the story tip)

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Filed Under: News stories Tagged With: indonesia, Jakarta, protest, sexual harassment, slutwalk, street harassment, victim blaming

"It was a great day"

April 21, 2009 By HKearl

Anti-Harassment Day, from Asser Yasser's Blog
Anti-Harassment Day, from Asser Yasser's Blog

Last week I wrote about the upcoming Anti-Harassment Day in Egypt on April 18. After the 18, I could only find one article in English about the event (which called it a “fiasco”), so I wrote to Asser Yasser, the woman who was the lead organizer, to find out how it went. She graciously sent me a quick e-mail about it and thanked me for my interest in their efforts. From Asser:

“It was a great day, I print[ed] many posters (about 50) … about 80 persons shared [participated in] the event with me. There was a huge number of media tv channels, news newspapers, magazines and satalight channels too.

Every one in Egypt [is] talking about that day now. One of the young men asked a girl in his neighborhood to forgive him about harassing her once before and he promised that he will protect any girl later.

The place was full of the policemen but they were really helpful that makes us feel safe and secure.

We asked [that] we shouldn’t [have to] prove the [sexual] harassment because it’s too hard to prove, the guy should prove that he didn’t do it, not us. We wanted to tell every man that it is a crime and we are all against that behavior. We wanted to tell the women everything about their rights.”

I’m glad she feels they’re being successful in raising awareness around this problem. With the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights survey last year showing 83 percent of Egyptian women experienced public sexual harassment (and almost half said that was daily harassment), it’s certainly an issue the country needs to address. (& of course, many other countries do too, like the US!)

Anti-Harassment Day, from Asser Yasser's Blog
Anti-Harassment Day, from Asser Yasser’s Blog
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Filed Under: Administrator, News stories Tagged With: anti-harassment day, Asser Yasser, Egypt, protest, sexual harassment, street harassment

“It was a great day”

April 21, 2009 By HKearl

Anti-Harassment Day, from Asser Yasser's Blog
Anti-Harassment Day, from Asser Yasser's Blog

Last week I wrote about the upcoming Anti-Harassment Day in Egypt on April 18. After the 18, I could only find one article in English about the event (which called it a “fiasco”), so I wrote to Asser Yasser, the woman who was the lead organizer, to find out how it went. She graciously sent me a quick e-mail about it and thanked me for my interest in their efforts. From Asser:

“It was a great day, I print[ed] many posters (about 50) … about 80 persons shared [participated in] the event with me. There was a huge number of media tv channels, news newspapers, magazines and satalight channels too.

Every one in Egypt [is] talking about that day now. One of the young men asked a girl in his neighborhood to forgive him about harassing her once before and he promised that he will protect any girl later.

The place was full of the policemen but they were really helpful that makes us feel safe and secure.

We asked [that] we shouldn’t [have to] prove the [sexual] harassment because it’s too hard to prove, the guy should prove that he didn’t do it, not us. We wanted to tell every man that it is a crime and we are all against that behavior. We wanted to tell the women everything about their rights.”

I’m glad she feels they’re being successful in raising awareness around this problem. With the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights survey last year showing 83 percent of Egyptian women experienced public sexual harassment (and almost half said that was daily harassment), it’s certainly an issue the country needs to address. (& of course, many other countries do too, like the US!)

Anti-Harassment Day, from Asser Yasser's Blog
Anti-Harassment Day, from Asser Yasser’s Blog
Share

Filed Under: Administrator, News stories Tagged With: anti-harassment day, Asser Yasser, Egypt, protest, sexual harassment, street harassment

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