Men in France could be fined €90 for harassing women in the street

Anytime a country has to legislate basic manners and civility, it is an indication that the country becoming a third world-esque nation.  Maryland is already considering street harassment laws, while it is rumored that Los Angeles, California has already passed ordinances in which street harassers will receive citations. Yet France, on a national level decided to officially tackle the pervasive issue of sexual/street harassment.  At least one western nation is taking a stand. America, leader of the free world, what will you do?:

Men in France could be fined €90 for harassing women in the street                                      Thursday 25 January 2018 12:25 GMT

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-fine-men-harassment-women-street-a8177296.html

Men in France could face fines of €90 (£78) for making lewd comments about women in public, under new plans to tackle street harassment.

A government report recommends enforcing the fine for behaviour that infringes on “the freedom of movement of women in public spaces and undermines self-esteem and the right to security”.

The plans come from a parliamentary working group on street harassment launched by gender equality minister Marlene Schiappa.

A longtime ally of President Emmanuel Macron, Ms Schiappa said in September that new measures were needed to address the “grey zone between consented seduction and sexual aggression”.

Men who make loud and lewd comments about women, follow them or block their path could be fined, according to measures suggested in the report.

The parliamentary group suggested imposing a €90 fine on those who pay immediately, increasing to €200 (£174) if it is paid within 15 days and €350 (£304) if the payment is later than that.

It did not recommend impose fines for wolf-whistling, according to French daily Le Croix, contrary to earlier reports.

The report is set to be presented to Ms Schiappa next week, along with France’s Minister of Justice Nicole Belloubet and Minister of the Interior, Gerard Collomb. The ministers will then put a bill on sexism and sexual violence to parliament.

Mr Macron has said tacking street harassment will be a priority for his government and in November said  ”women in the republic cannot be afraid to go out” .

NEWS OPINION ARTICLE:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/27/catcall-street-harassment-misogyny-metoo-girls-women-misogyny

Oi you! Catcallers and street harassers – your time is nearly up                                November 27, 2017   Phoebe-Jane Boyd

It’s usually possible to tell when it’s about to happen. The signal could be a set of dull eyes staring out from the middle of a group of teenage boys. Or a brief smirk. Could be from a man in a suit, could be from someone looking like a grandad. Sometimes there’s no warning, just the prickling sixth sense of “I’m about to be told how my tits are looking today by a complete stranger”.

“Catcalling” is exasperating and humiliating, but something to be lived with if you’re female and you go outside a lot. Racism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia often get mixed into the cocktail of abusive comments, too, and as Noa Jansma’s @dearcatcallers project showed, they come from all ages and all classes. We recipients live with it, because of course we do. There is far worse than words for us to live through out there – #MeToo can show you a sample (only from women of certain economic backgrounds lucky enough to have an internet connection of course). Yet, strangely, a peaceful acceptance of street harassment as “only words” is something I’m yet to feel.

Violence could follow any insult or sexual comment, yelled or whispered, from a stranger on the street

Instead, each unprompted “slut” or “ugly dyke” from people I’ve never met causes embarrassment, irritation, but mostly anger within me. And it’s an anger that doesn’t bleed out; it builds. Latest example (which I’ll forget as new ones replace it): last week in Houston, a man was offering his opinion on each woman who walked by him. One in front of me was told she had a “nice ass”, I was called a “bitch”. I turned around and advanced on him, startled he grabbed at my forearms and babbled excuses. I yelled for him to get his damn hands off of me, until he let go and swiftly left the area, visually resentful.

Despite enjoying humiliating people who try to do the same to me first (I’m a “bitch”, remember), it’s no real outlet for the humiliation of street harassment – it’s a stupid and reckless thing to do. I know that, because everyone who has been catcalled knows that. The words of street harassment fall on a spectrum of disrespect. Violence could follow any insult or sexual comment, yelled or whispered, from a stranger on the street. The words are merely an opening parry, or a hint of how little your rights, or very existence, are respected. Women are still being hurt by people who hate them, everywhere.

The words are nothing compared with what they could be, but are also a reminder of that. They’re intended that way: a smug reminder, a smirking warning – don’t get too comfortable in your life. Don’t think you’re entirely safe out here; you aren’t. The actual message, and motive, behind street harassment is quiet and assured, and that’s why it’s so grating and tiring. Because we already know.

#MeToo is still so dissonant. Is sexual assault, violence, rape culture and ingrained misogyny actually being recognised, openly and honestly, as wrong at last? Are missing stairs not being stepped around any more?

Documenting women’s stories of street harassment – in pictures

More familiar and less confusing is Bryan Cranston commenting that there’s “room down the road” for forgiveness of outed abusers like Harvey Weinstein; that’s to be expected. Also predictable – Jennifer Garner’s assertion that it’s women who need to be “more of a force” to stop assault. Saturday Night Live and Lena Dunham’s “but my friend wouldn’t do that”-style silencing statements aren’t surprising, either. Women are more used to excuses like this than to being listened to. They’re symptoms of a sexist status quo being protected – whether Bryan, Jennifer, Lena, and their cohorts realise that or not.

Catcallers and street harassers, however, know they’re maintaining a system of sexism – it’s the motive, and that’s why it angers me so much. In 2015 a survey by Cornell University and the anti-harassment campaign Hollaback! on street harassment found that an international average of 84% of women have been victims of street harassment between the ages of 11 and 17. The 2014 Stop Street Harassment survey also featured some scary (but unsurprising, if you’ve experienced it) statistics of women being “reminded”.

In light of #MeToo, will the upcoming US-based survey report lower numbers of street harassment? Probably not – not yet. I suspect harassers will be offering more messages of the misogyny that still exists in the world for a while. But that’s a signal too – that change is coming, and they know it.

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