BY SHEEN GUARDANA
SEXUAL harassment of women is extremely widespread and has been found to negatively impact their social and psychological well-being. One of the most rampant types of sexual harassment is catcalling. It is also street harassment.
“Catcalling is a form of sexual harassment, or unwanted verbal or non-verbal sexual attention. It is also described as ‘stranger harassment’ because the victim and the perpetrator do not know each other. It includes leering, sexist, homophobic or transphobic slurs, persistent to ask for their names and number, sexual names, unwanted comments, demands, following, groping someone and sexual assault.” (Fairchild and Rudman, 2008)
Catcalling is also a form of sex discrimination that should never be done. It is recognized both as a criminal issue and a social problem.
Women who have been catcalled feel more conscious and ashamed of their bodies and body parts, leading to self-objectification because they become anxious about how their bodies are evaluated by strangers. This objectification affects women’s cognitive or mental state. (Manalo et al. 2016)
Catcalling can cause an environment of fear. According to Kimberly Fairchild (2008), a professor of psychology at Manhattan College in New York, “Catcalling can take an emotional toll on the receiver. When a man catcalls you, you do not know if it will end at that point or it could escalate to assault.”
Although catcalling could be a form of compliment to some women, majority of them think it promotes fear because the victim does not have any idea what is going to happen next or the intentios of the person involved. A wink, smile or some disturbing “flattering words” might be a form of catcalling and if the victim does not respond in the right way, a simple yell or argument can turn into violent threats.
A 2008 study of college women figured out that women, to avoid being catcalled, constantly asses their surroundings, avoid making eye contact, purposely wear clothes that attract less attention, avoid going out or going alone, and even pretend to talk on a cellphone to avoid street harassment.
A few years ago, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the “Safe Streets, Workplaces, and Public Spaces Act of 2017”. This law seeks to penalize catcalling and other street-based harassment.
Catcalling is never a compliment. It is sexual harassment that should never be condoned./PN
