Catcalling and Sexual Harassment

Psst…….What is that sound? After all you are at work and you are confused, there is no insect. You left your car parked a long time ago and sat at your desk, so it certainly it could not be a flat tyre. But there it is again this time more loudly. Pssst…. bewildered, you look up to be met with a large leering confident grin of an individual which normally would cause an internal shudder whether in the workplace or on the street. Cue the internal eyeroll. The comments then start. “You shape good man, sexy,thickaz, slimaz (patois for  a very slim person), my size and it goes on.

Oftentimes, one is forced to ignore or resort to a resigned clicking of the tongue especially if in  a formal setting as the workplace. Or if on the street, one would have to walk briskly away from the unwanted comments. Recently, the overdue issue of catcalling and sexual harassment has been brought to the forefront in Jamaica. In a culture, where comments as the one outlined aboveis the norm, it will remain interesting to see if this can be defined as “sexual harassment” or whether cultural acceptance will supersede these issues. Either way, for a woman, it can be unpleasant and in some circumstances , stressful. The discussion will certainly create a lot of “brouhaha” but it is a discussion that needs to be had. In calling a spade a spade, unwanted advances are harassment.

According to Wikipedia, street harassment is a form of harassment, primarily sexual harassment that consists of unwanted comments, gestures, honking, wolf-whistlings, catcalling, exposure, following, persistent sexual advances.[i]The textbook definition  that will certainly cause the scratching of heads. But lest we forget, as the opening paragraph infers,harassment also occurs in the workplace.

Briefly, a look at other countries for example in 2018 in France outlawed street sexual harassment ,passing a law declaring catcalling on streets and public transportation is subject to fines of up to €750, with more for more aggressive and physical behavior. The legislation which was spearheaded by French junior minister for gender equality Minister Marlene  Schiappa.However, this proactive step has not been without teeth as it has had significant success. The catalyst for this stemmed from the attack of a Marie Laguerre who was punched by a passerby when she told him to shut up when he wolf whistled at her.[ii] It is not an issue to be ignored.

. The legislation is not without teeth as there has been prosecution in its first case in France with a man being fined 300 euros — about $350 — for making lewd and insulting comments to a woman aboard a bus in a Paris suburb. He was also sentenced to nine months in jail,six months suspended for physically assaulting a woman and the driver of  a bus. In this incident, the man, albeit drunk slapped the woman on her bottom and called her a whore. The bus driver intervened when the woman reported it to him and was assaulted by the man. [iii] As an aside, the legislation includes new protections for rape victims under age 15 by introducing the idea of “abuse of vulnerability.” The Frenchwomen have been subjected to the lewd comments and Jamaican women can certainly relate.

In Jamaica, the discussion has been started with Minister of Culture, Gender,Entertainment and Sport Olivia Babsy Grange had been pushing for tough sexual harassment laws.[iv] The Sexual Harassment Bill which does not have provisions for catcalling is to be amended to make provisions for same.  We can only hope that this is done before any such incidents such as those reported in France occur in Jamaica as oftentimes ignoring the remarks of the perpetrators can be met with aggressive, derogatory and unflattering comments when met with pushback from the women. Cue , speedwalking.

Certainly, our women will breathe a collective sigh of relief.  After all, one of the purposes of legislation is to protect the citizens, and our women need to be  protected in this regard.

Now that the discussion has been resumed, it will be interesting to see if this will be accepted culturally as some perpetrators view their actions as compliments. However, it must be remembered that legislation is not needed for every societal ill as it can be costly. There are other methods that can be used such as public sensitization campaigns to encourage better treatment of our women. Food for thought.

If the country's resources permit, legislation in tandem with such campaigns would be a powerful catalyst in the change in which cultural norms would change in its perception of the treatment of the women.

#catcalling #sexualharassment #legislation #lawfirm

[i] Street Harassment” Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_harassment

[ii] In France, Catcalling Is Now Illegal” https://www.vogue.com/article/france-outlaws-catcalling-street-harassment-illegal

[iii] France’s New Law against Sexists Catcall Get its First  Conviction” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/27/world/europe/france-sexual-harassment-law.html

[iv]“Psst, Psst laws coming to punish unwanted sexual advances” http://jamaica-star.com/article/news/20170531/pssst-pssst-laws-coming-punish-unwanted-sexual-advances