Sexual harassment – Wallis fights against sexism: “Men have to change their behavior” – News

Four out of five women experience sexual harassment. Now the Valais has started a campaign against sexism.

Whether at carnival, in après-ski or on the way home: sexual harassment in public spaces is a reality, especially for women. “Hesch mega geili Brüscht” or “Hey darling, where geits no härä” are even more harmless sayings that those affected have to listen to.

Four out of five women are molested

A St. Gallen study with 900 respondents showed in 2022 that 84 percent of the women and 17 percent of the participating men had been molested one or more times. Similar figures show surveys in western Switzerland cities.

This probably also applies to the “Tschugger” canton of Valais, which is not least known for its partying and drinking.

Wallis counteracts this with a campaign

That should change: under the slogan “Geits no”, the canton of Valais launched a campaign against sexual harassment in public spaces on Tuesday.

Such behavior is neither normal nor harmless.

According to State Councilor Mathias Reynard, criminals should be made aware of their actions in particular. “Such behavior is neither normal nor harmless,” he says. This included inappropriate looks as well as touching or intrusive behavior.

Zurich records 1400 harassment reports

The city of Zurich, for example, is going one step further in the fight against sexual harassment. There you can on the website Zurich is watching Users report harassment in public spaces.

Be it as an observer or as an affected person. A total of 1400 reports were received from May 2021 to December 2022.

The most common reports concern verbal harassment.

According to the entries, harassment takes place surprisingly often during the day and during the week: “The most frequent reports concern harassment with words,” notes the Office for Equal Opportunities of the City of Zurich.

The evaluation of the previous reports on the tool shows that women are affected by harassment much more often than men.

Legend:

Women are significantly more likely to be harassed than men.

Colourbox

An online registration office is not yet planned in Valais. On the other hand, there is one quiz. There users can determine whether their behavior is appropriate or not.

Men should change mentality

The AVAH Association has also drawn up a charter. The companies, bars, discotheques or festivals that have signed the charter undertake to make their staff aware of it.

And have an open ear when someone comes up to you and talks about harassment. The campaign will run for four years. «Especially men have to change their mentality. Many think that their behavior is not so bad.”