Translator: Peter van de Ven Reviewer: Ellen Maloney
This is Lucy Ann.
It was Christmastime, and she was out shopping with her mum.
They were at a cash machine, patiently waiting in line,
when a man came up to her and whispered in her ear,
'It's national grab an arse day', and then he grabbed her -
she was just 15.
Rosie Mae was in primary school, age nine,
she says the boys had a competition to take photos up their skirts
and see what color underwear they were wearing.
Anaïs was on the train, on her phone, when she saw a man across the carriage.
He was staring at her intently, making sure she knew, 'I'm looking.'
And then, she could see him masturbating.
The whole time, his eyes were piercing her.
So, she got off the train; it wasn't even her stop.
And then, he was on the platform, for he had got off with her.
And me, I'm Jess.
I've lost count of the times I've been sexually harassed in public -
times I was wearing school uniform, times I was wearing dresses.
'Look at that bird' and 'Nice ass you've got there.'
The times I've walked home a different way, gripped by fear,
the potential threat of street harassment in the back of my mind,
and each time, I get a sick feeling in my stomach.
It's a feeling I can't quite describe,
but it makes me feel ashamed of my body and ashamed to be a girl,
and these feelings don't go away.
Street harassment: unwanted sexual attention -
we witness it; we're victims of it.
Catcalling, upskirting, unwanted touching:
it's everywhere, there's no escape,
and it's not okay.
Recent research from Plan International UK
discovered that girls are particularly targeted when we're alone,
when we're out walking or jogging, traveling to and from school
and in busy areas where no one can see who did it.
It's often worse when men, young and old, gather in groups.
We can name places which are virtual no-go zones
because we fear being harassed there.
It's particularly bad on nights out.
I've only just turned 18, but I'm already very aware
of all the predatory behaviour around bars and clubs.
And it starts young, as young as just ten years old.
And this disproportionately affects girls
who are Black, Asian, or from another ethnic minority,
as well as girls who are LGBTQ+, and disabled.
Boys also suffer from street harassment,
but it so disproportionately affects girls and women -
the most vulnerable are the most affected.
And it's not okay.
Plan International UK's research found that two out of three girls in the UK
have been sexually harassed in public.
And one in three have received unwanted sexual attention
whilst wearing their school uniform.
In fact, we experience street harassment so often,
we almost feel it's normal, a normal part of just growing up.
We take precautions to reduce the risk of being harassed.
I won't go jogging in my favourite park late at night,
I get a lift home from work rather than walking
because as a girl walking alone,
I feel vulnerable.
The adults who care about us, confuse it even more.
You want us to be safe,
but you talk to girls and boys differently about what 'being safe' actually means.
You tell us girls to keep ourselves safe,
and I know you mean well,
but we don't want our freedom to be limited even further.
We want boys to stop harassing us.
Sometimes we get blamed for the unwanted attention.
We're told it's us who have to change our behaviour.
At school, I had to have my skirt touching my knees -
the teacher walking around with a ruler measuring the girls skirts,
just in case boys got any ideas.
Why do adults think it's my responsibility to protect boys from their impulses?
Why don't boys take responsibility and not blame girls?
Surely, what I wear is not the issue here;
what they say or do to me is.
We need to stop blaming girls for something that is not their fault.
Yet girls are being blamed
when their dignity, virginity, pride and emotions are stolen
because they didn't take the correct precautions.
And then there's the stigma,
the shame.
Recent research at Durham University
has shown that street harassment
erodes our sense of privacy, confidence and safety.
68% of harassed women and 48% of harassed men,
said they were concerned the experiences of harassment would escalate,
that their agressor would pull a knife or a gun.
It is never just a comment;
it's a comment which implies a depth of violence,
a threat of escalation.
It is a power move,
and it's not okay.
Unsurprisingly, there hasn't been much research
into what makes it acceptable in our culture
for some boys and men to harass women and girls.
What little there is
suggests that street harassment is one of the ways
in which some men prove themselves to their peers;
it plays a part in group bonding.
I remember a time at school, hearing the boys talking behind me,
just chatting, surely nothing unusual.
And then, I really heard what they were saying,
talking about banging girls,
what they would do to these sluts, these whores,
rating our bodies, and judging us.
So at that point, I turned around and I looked at them,
straight in the eye, expecting them to stop.
And they didn't.
They carried on as loudly as ever.
It's fueled by the cultural messages some men perceive are acceptable ways
to portray they're attracted to women.
Films portraying the relentless pursuit of women by men as romantic
don't help,
nor does the way women and girls are sexualized in the media.
And minimize the impact that street harassment honors
just makes it continue.
And when we look, it's everywhere.
When the president of America is a celebrated misogynist,
What messages does his contempt send?
Women and girls across the globe are faced with this common issue.
Walking down the streets of Lima or Delhi, the problems may look different,
but deep down, it is the same.
The same root cause is gender inequality and power.
And it's not okay.
Remember Lucy Ann and Anaïs,
masturbating in public, cat calling on the streets -
It's important for us to know our rights,
but there's confusion about the line between what's illegal
and what's still not okay,
when girls should report incidents to the police
and when they just have to accept it's all a part of growing up.
The UN has been called for increased measures
to protect women and girls from violence and harassment.
Some police forces in the UK have introduced a misogyny hate crime,
so people can now report incidents, whether or not they are criminal,
and the police will follow up and offer the victim support.
This new policy is opening up conversations and shifting attitudes.
There is a legislation
making upskirting a criminal offense is another positive step,
but there is still a long way to go.
Now we want to hear positive messages from you.
We want you to listen to our voices and to act.
We are sometimes blind to street harassment;
we don't notice it, or we choose to ignore it.
Let's make today the day we change that.
If we really want change, we need to start demanding better.
Have a conversation with the girls around you.
Are you doing all in your power to create an equal world?
If you see it and it's safe for you,
call it out.
Only 20% of girls say they found someone who responded in a way they found helpful.
Check in with the girl, ask if she's okay,
focusing on the girl and not the harasser.
It takes blame away from the girl and places it where it belongs:
with the perpetrator.
Your response could be crucial
in reducing the impact that this moment has on her life.
And importantly, we need to talk about it.
Break down the stigma, break down the shame.
Because when we speak up,
we form a language that destigmatizes and empowers.
Girls just like me face street harassment on a daily basis.
There're many boys and men who just don't know the effect it has
and are horrified to find out how a limits our lives.
We all need to be involved in this conversation,
to create a new norm,
a norm that's based on equality and respect.
We need to teach children about consent, that our bodies are ours.
No one has the right to touch them, to sexualize them, to judge them,
or to abuse them.
And to keep coming back to these conversations as they grow.
It's time to say it's not okay,
to let girls know that our voices will be heard.
It is time for us to start sticking together,
working together, and standing up for one another.
Every single one of us has the power to create a small ripple
that leads to a tidal wave of change.
The Me Too founder, Tarana Burke,
said you have to use your privilege to serve other people.
Now, at this moment,
it's time to use your privilege and your voice
to stand up for girls.
Thank you.
(Applause)