in times of crisis, street harassment is doing well

We know: street harassment is a plague. And in times of pandemic, how is he doing? Sadly, he's not backing down, as a new study shows.

Whistling, inappropriate comments, insults… Going out is sometimes uncomfortable, even dangerous, when you are a woman. However, the penalty provided for by the Penal Code for sexual harassment is 2 years' imprisonment, and a fine of 30,000 euros …. But not enough to discourage harassers, who are also not fazed by the pandemic of coronavirus. On October 4, 2020 and while it was in full swing, a young woman explained to the Belgian daily HLN : "Some send me kisses, others call me. This week, I was chased by two men who offered me 50 euros for a fellatio. It was going really too far. They really insisted, they closer and closer and called me a 'bitch'. I panicked. " An edifying testimony, taken up by hundreds of young women on the Web: yes, in times of crisis, street harassment continues.

Read also: How to deal with street harassment? Concrete responses by those who fight it

The health crisis does not help to stop the attacks, on the contrary

If the reality on the ground shows the existence of the phenomenon, it is important to quantify it. In January 2021, a new survey conducted by L'Oréal Paris in partnership with Ipsos, shows that since the start of the health crisis, even though we have to travel less, nearly one in five women in France declares to have been the victim of at least one situation of sexual harassment in a public space. A phenomenon that unfortunately affects women of all ages, but which is even more worrying among women under 35, with one in three women affected.

  • 41% of women surveyed say they feel less safe in public spaces;
  • the mask, which conceals the face, becomes a factor of insecurity for 47% of them;
  • more striking still, 71% of respondents say they avoid certain places and 61% adapt their clothing to go out.

Figures that demonstrate a very anxiety-provoking context.

A necessary observation, but after? Afterwards, we organize ourselves: many organizations are mobilized more than ever. L'Oréal Paris, in partnership with the NGO Hollaback! and the Women's Foundation, for example created in March 2020, Stand Up, a program which teaches women and men to react to street harassment, whether witness or victim, thanks to the "5D" method. "(Distract – Delegate – Document – Lead – Dialogue). A precious help to discover thanks to an online training, fast and free on the Stand Up site here. Enough to undermine the epidemic of street harassment!

Celine Peschard

Journalist who loves the versatility that his profession can offer. Specialized in the historical field, societal subjects and auteur films, against a background of electronic music. University course based on …