Women are no strangers to abuse and harassment. It’s an unfortunate reality of our world that has held true across cultures and time.
What makes harassment such a prevalent problem is not only the act itself, but the societal structures and mores that enable it. It is estimated that 35% of women on average worldwide have experienced either physical or sexual intimate violence at some point in their lives. However, the number is higher than 70% of women in some countries.
“I hardly know a woman who has not been verbally harassed or groped in the streets,” said Umme Nahar, an official of a private firm in Dhaka. She was first groped at the age of twelve, and experiences verbal abuse everyday on the streets.
A recent survey by the Thomson Foundation found India to be the world’s most dangerous country for women, followed by Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. It ranked countries on issues such as healthcare, economic resources, traditional practices, sexual and non-sexual abuse and human trafficking. United States, remarkably, is the only Western nation in the top 10.
Harassment is prevalent even among organizations such as the United Nations itself, which outwardly takes a tough stance on sexual abuse. Inwardly, however, the system for investigating complaints is wildly inconsistent.
A woman who filed a complaint against a colleague from the World Food Program in Ethiopia shared her experience of the investigation. “I remember exactly what they said: ‘We recognize that the sex happened, but we do not have evidence that it was not consensual.’
And I said, ‘Do you have evidence that it was consensual?’ And they said, ‘That’s not our job.’”
United States
According to a post MeToo survey by Stop Street Harassment, 81% of women and 43% of men have experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault. People with disabilities were more likely than others to report experiencing abuse, as were gay and bisexual men.
The most common type of harassment was verbal, with 77% of women and 34% of men reporting they had experienced it at some point. 62% of women and 26% of men reported experiencing physical harassment, while 27% of women and 7% of men reported sexual assault.
The most common places for sexual harassment were public places, such as the street or a store. Workplace harassment was less common. The aftermath of sexual harassment is significant: 31% of women and 20% of men reported anxiety or depression.
Another survey, which looked specifically at Hollywood, found that 94% of the women surveyed had experienced sexual harassment at some point in their careers.
“A coworker began putting his hands on me and pulling me towards him as if to kiss, then showed me his penis,” said SJ, who works in the food industry in the US.
“I had to show him I was carrying a pocket knife so that he would leave me be.”
South Asia and Africa
In South Asian countries, the entrenched patriarchal structure enables males entitlement. According to ActionAid surveys, 44% of women in India were groped in public, whereas 84% of women in Bangladesh were abused verbally and physically. More than half said they were abused while traveling by public transports, and a similar number reported being abused by a partner.
“I was stepping out of the bathroom when an older man entered and pushed me back inside,” said Nitya Uppal, an Associate Editor in India. “My memory is hazy — but I managed to shove my way out within a few minutes. I spent the rest of the evening in tears, being consoled by my friends. That guy was immediately located and made to leave the premises. But he should’ve been reported to the police.”
According to Rachel Jewkes, director of the What Works to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls global program, Bangladesh is also unusual in that women who work are more likely to be abused by their husbands.
To the east, such as in countries like Cambodia and Vietnam, three out of four women experience harassment. In the Middle East, however, reports of abuse are mostly silent. The stigma of talking about sexual abuse is a significant issue, as women often risk their jobs and families by coming forward. In Egypt, a 2013 UN report found that 99% of women had experienced some form of sexual harassment. In Africa, sexual violence is more common. More than 50% of women in Tanzania reported violence by their partners, and the figure rose to 71% for Ethiopia.
“During a party, I found myself alone with a stranger who wanted to force me to have sex with him. He beat me up when I refused and sexually assaulted me,” Brenda Uphopho told CNN. “I was too ashamed to tell anyone about it.”
“I just felt if I was going to tell anybody … they would ask me … ‘What did you wear? What were you doing there? How did you end up alone with this person?’”
Europe, Latin America and Australia
What makes matters worse for countries like Bangladesh is the cultural stigma surrounding assault. In 2017, a total of 783 females were raped. Among them, 225 were women and 553 were children below the age of 18. A further 256 were subjected to dowry violence, 52 women were subjected to acid violence.
Such a depressing landscape illustrates the pivotal need for the MeToo movement, which has met success to varying degrees across the world.
Seeing a man berating a woman on the 1- California bus, a good Samaritan stepped in and asked the beleaguered passenger, “Do you feel safe?”
The woman was still too shaken to speak. “Come to the back of the bus with me, we can sit together.”
The man tried to follow them, but other women in the bus blocked her off and formed a barrier. After he got off, the victim, five months pregnant, burst out crying, and confessed that he had been following her for ten blocks.
Stories such as these happen everyday. Every 85 seconds, an American experiences harassment.
As it stands, it’s unlikely that harassment against women can be eradicated without addressing the toxic culture surrounding it first. That’s easier said than done, but starting a conversation may be a lead to grasping the cliff.
This article is part of a series of articles called Blurred Lines, that explores the historical and cultural landscape of abuse and harassment, and what we can do to change the narrative.