by Victoria Wagner
As my mom and I walk across the street, my eyes follow two men walking
down the same road to where we are headed. Maybe it is the fast pace of their walk,
the silence between them or the way they look as if they are on a mission that draws
my attention. They turn into an alley a few moments before we pass by it. And
suddenly I hear a scream. My mom and I – shocked for a moment – have paused
to see the source of the cry. A woman runs out of the same alley screaming and
cursing. I have no doubt that it was those two bastards; they must have done some-
thing to her. She is crumbling, rage and tears jumping out of her eyes. This all happens
so fast, paralyzing me in agony and fear. I’m waiting for my mom or anyone to
approach her to help, but in my shock my mom only pulls my hand so we move
away faster. The woman composes herself and also walks away in silence. People get
back to their work, not that they had interrupted it for more than few seconds. I can
feel my mom is painfully pleased that I finally got to see what she had warned me
about. None of us, however, acknowledges what just happened. It is not to be brought
up, ever. No one approaches the woman, I think, for the same reason.
Sexual harassment is defined as harassment in a workplace, or other professional or social situation, involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks. The following excerpt is from a woman’s experience in Iran on an average day. The woman in the alley has been sexually harassed by the two men, but their society says that it is the woman’s fault and that the women brought it on themselves. In the young girl’s eyes she realizes that it is wrong for the woman to be treated this way because her society hasn’t brain washed her yet, teaching her that it is her fault men make lewd sexual comments and it is okay for them to make these remarks. This passage even shows how the mother is almost proud that her daughter has witnessed first-hand the dangers that she has warned her about. Instead of speaking up for the woman or even checking to make sure that the woman is okay, the mother and daughter pair walk on and the rest of the street crowd go back to whatever they were doing. Studies have shown that the less power a woman has in a country then the higher the sexual harassment rate. The woman has no power in the society and is even blamed for the sexual harassment that she has no power to avoid or stop without fear of her own reputation being jeopardized. In places where women wear full hijabs, they still face criticism when they are harassed and many are told they brought it on themselves when the very few did come forward to report to the police.
The fear of being sexually harassed or assaulted also creates a geography of fear among women all over the world. Women in parts of Iran are afraid to go into many public spaces, even fully covered and during the day. Many women in the US are also afraid to go out at night or alone into many public arenas. This type of fear is paralyzing, puts women at a disadvantage in many areas of life, and can be psychologically debilitating. Yes to remove the geography of fear that surrounds many women, it is necessary first to stop sexual harassment.
While this problem rages on worldwide surely there is some way to fix it. I propose we start with education. A video was just done recently with a role-reversal affect where a woman went around yelling sexual comments towards men and asking them for sexual favors or well sexually harassing them. What is sad is that the comments that were used in the video were all scenarios taken from a survey of women who had reported incidents of sexual harassment. Educating men and even doing this to boys at a young age, showing how it feels to have assumptions thrown at you left and right all due to your gender, will help decrease the amount of harassment. I am not saying that harassment in any type of form is okay but, I believe that if we show boys how it feels to be harassed then they will not do it as much and possibly not as violent. I understand that this is not a permanent or even a complete solution, however; you must start somewhere to make a change. Also, I believe that when it is brought more to the public eye, then people may start to stand against sexual harassment more.
Sexual harassment is wrong and needs to stop. There is no excuse for it. A woman should be treated with respect and compassion the same way a man should. It is time for women to take a stand instead of remaining in an oppressive bubble that constricts their very movements.
Victoria Wagoner is a psychology major and a women’s studies minor at East Carolina University.