UN Women, Manila gov’t launch initiative vs. catcalling, sexual harassment in public spaces

Raquel Tolentino's 12-year-old daughter takes the jeepney every day, like any other student.

Sadly, like quite a number of girls her age, she's also subjected to unwanted advances from men, like the one who exposed his genitals to her while she was on her way to school.

Another girl near her age takes a longer route to avoid a street where adult men regularly call her obscene nicknames.

Carmela Aguirre, Tolentino's fellow community woman leader at Linangan at Lakas ng Aktibong Kababaihan (LILAK), said repeated incidents such as these damage the victim's self-respect and change their disposition for the worse.

"Yung respeto mo sa sarili mo, pwedeng bumaba. At yung pagdidisposisyon, makakabawas ng disposisyon mo. Hindi siya talaga maganda," Aguirre said.

"Dapat matigil ito kasi common itong nakikita at nae-experience ng mga kababaihan natin. It's about time na matuto tayo magsalita at 'wag itago."

Incidents like these are what the United Nations Women and Manila's local government wish to eliminate by implementing the UN Safe Cities program in Manila.

Launched in observance of the UN 16 Days Campaign to End Violence Against Women and Girls on Wednesday, Safe Cities Manila aims to eliminate street sexual harassment (SSH) and sexual violence against women and girls (SVAWG) in public spaces.

Jerika Ejercito, program director of Initiatives for Life and Actions of Women (ILAW ng Maynila), said it is crucial to shut down SSH as it is a "gateway offense" to more severe violence against women (VAW).

"To me, catcalling is a gateway offense to something more serious. Dapat sa simula pa lang, tigilan na natin. We have to stand our ground to prevent further damage," Ejercito said.

ILAW ng Maynila launched the UN program with support fromthe  Manila Police District's Women and Children’s Protection Desk (MPD-WCPD), the Institute of Politics and Governance (IPG), and various women and youth organizations.

What is sexual harassment?

IPG executive director Arline Santos said that sexual harassment, in the simplest terms, comes down to consent on the part of, and as defined by, the woman.

"Simple lang po. Pwede nating tanggapin, eh kung gusto naman ng babae—pero sino nagsabi nun? Ang lalaki. Ang sexual harassment po, kung yung babae na ginawan niyo nito ay ayaw niya," she described.

"Unwanted. Nagsabi na ayoko na, natakot ka na, sexual harassment na po 'yun. Hindi si lalaki ang magsasabi na parang nag-enjoy naman siya. 'Yung babae po ang magsasabi nun," Santos continued.

Examples of sexual harassment in public spaces include whistling; leering; sexist, homophobic, or transphobic slurs; and persistent requests for someone's name, number or destination.

It also includes calling women, teenagers, and children sexual names such as "baby" or "sexy"; saying sexual comments and demands; following or flashing them; public masturbation; and groping.

Clothing or time play no role in SSH and SVAWG either.

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released in 2016 revealed that most of the 70 percent of women who experience SSH from complete strangers daily are affected by it during the day and are aged 12 to 24.

"Ang malaking insidente ng pambabastos ay nararanasan ng estudyanteng babaeng naka-uniporme. 'Yun po 'yung survey sa Quezon City," Santos relayed.

"So dun pa lang po makikita natin, dahil ebidensya po 'yun, ang laban, ang pagbabago ng kaisipan, ng puso, nandun po ang laban. Hindi po pagsabihan na mag-Maria Clara na lang ulit ang mga kababaihan," she added.

Cherry Barnuevo from Damayan ng Maralitang Pilipinong Api (DAMPA) added that women should be respected regardless of the way they dress, or whether they are kin or strangers, as it is a fundamental human right.

"Tayo ay may karapatang pantao. Ikaw ay lalaki, ikaw ay babae, pantay-pantay po ang ating human rights. So ang mga babae po, pwede magsuot ng gusto nilang magsuot dahil yun ang set expression," Barnuevo laid out.

"Ang respeto na binibigay natin sa lahat ng kabaihan, kamag-anak man 'yan  o 'pag-labas mo ng bahay, pareho lang po yun. Kasi ito po ay gender-based issue, hindi po ito yung dahil sa ikaw ay nakasuot ng—ito po ay usapin na wala po sa pananamit, kundi yun po ay ang aking expression, na ganun ako manamit, i-respeto niyo po 'yun," she continued.

Ejercito noted that catcalling and harassment would never be considered compliments in a "truly humane society."

"We are not objects of lust, we are not objects of your desire; we are women worthy of more. Kung gusto niyo kaming hangaan, respetuhin niyo kami," she remarked.

"We Manileñas are here to reiterate that sexual harassment has no place in a truly humane society."

Hundreds of sexual harassment cases

From January to November 2017, there have been 166 cases of unjust vexation and seven cases of sexual harassment reported to the MPD-WCPD.

Of these, 70 were cleared, 102 were solved or had the suspects arrested and charged, and 16 remain unsolved.

In total, MPD-WCPD received 442 complaints of unjust vexation and 20 of sexual harassment, where victims have an unbalanced power relation with the suspect, from 2015 to 2017.

About 75 percent of 462 combined cases were considered solved while 15 percent remain unsolved.

In Quezon City, one in seven women experienced sexual harassment in public paces at least once a week, with 70 percent of these cases occurring during the daytime.

One of seven men admitted to committing various forms of sexual harassment against women, at least once a day.

Half of the women who admitted to experiencing sexual violence in public said they did nothing after being harassed; over 40 percent cited fear as the reason behind their inaction.

Changing attitudes

An ordinance regarding sexual harassment and catcalling in public spaces will undergo its second reading in Manila's city council in January as similar local laws are arranged in other cities.

But even with legislation, UN Women Safe Cities Global Initiative National Program Officer Charisse Jordan said nothing will change if Filipinos do not hold dialogues on attitudes towards sexual harassment.

"Nandito po yung ginagawa nating tuloy-tuloy na paguusap, na bukas ang mga kaisipan natin. Hindi po natin sinasara yun," Jordan said.

"Kung may opinyon ka man na, bakit ganun ang suot, opinyon mo 'yan, pero respeto pa rin at, sabi rin ni Cherry na paulit-ulit, at yun rin ang sinasabi ng UN Women, respeto sa karapatang pantao dahil karapatang pantao yun at pag binastos mo yun, nilabag mo na rin yung karapatang pantao ng isang babae.

She added that it shouldn't take Hollywood scandals, such as the Harvey Weinstein case, to get people to pay attention to the safety of women in public when they are threatened every day.

"Bawat babae ho, nagsasabi na ng kwento nila—'ako rin'," Jordan said. "Wala kaming pangalan, maaring yung hindi namin kilala kasi public space. Pero 'yun ang takot at yun ang kaba namin. Sa bus, pag sumakay kami, pag ginabi kami sa daan. Kami rin, nangyayari din sa amin ito."

What Safe Cities does

Cities participating in the "Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces" initiative commit to (1) identify gender-responsive locally relevant and owned interventions and (2) develop and effectively implement comprehensive laws and policies to prevent and respond to sexual violence in public spaces.

These cities also vow to make (3) investments in the safety and economic viability of public spaces and (4) change attitudes and behaviors to promote women's and girl's rights to enjoy public spaces free from violence.

The program also encourages men and boys to help reform pervasive attitudes towards sexual harassment in this country.

Quezon City was the first city in Metro Manila to support UN Women's Safe Cities program this year.

Launched in 2015, it has since produced the first ever organized data on sexual harassment in public spaces, local legislation that increased penalties for sexual harassment in public spaces, and increased public awareness campaigns.

Manila started its own Safe Cities-related projects in July.

Safe Cities is a partnership between UN Women on Safe Cities Global Initiatives, IPG, and and more than 20 cities participating in the Global Flagship Initiative including Manila, Quezon City, New York, Winnipeg, Sakai, and Mexico City, among others. — BM, GMA News