November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Last year, to support the day, Everlast, a maker of outdoor gear and sporting goods, decided to set up a few men who didn't think harassing women on the streets was really that big of a deal.
They started by picking out two men who they had repeatedly observed harassing women on the streets. Then, they found their mothers. They transformed their moms with makeup, new clothes, and wigs and had them walk by their sons to see how they'd react. Both men didn't hesitate to make comments to their mothers and didn't even notice who they were. When the mothers heard the comments, they didn't hesitate to react.
This video was filmed in Lima, Peru where 7 out of 10 women are harassed on the streets. The numbers aren't much better in America. Last year, Stop Street Harassment commissioned a 2,000 person survey of people in the USA. The survey revealed the following results:
- 65% of all women had experienced street harassment
Among Women
- 23% had been sexually touched
- 20% had been followed
- 9% had been forced to do something sexual
Among Men
- 25% had been street harassed (a higher percentage of LGBT-identified men than heterosexual men reported
- their most common form of harassment was homophobic or transphobic slurs (9%)
It is unclear if the men in the video have ceased harassing women since the video came out. What do you think are the most effective ways to stop street harassment? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
*Video is not in English, but there are English subtitles.
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