Argentina Moves To Make Street Harassment Illegal To Curb A Culture Of Machismo

[Novara]

Argentina Moves To Make Street Harassment Illegal To Curb A Culture Of Machismo

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Rizzo’s experiences are not uncommon in Argentina. A study conducted by a local organization found that nearly 95 percent of women have been catcalled about their appearance or sexuality on the street.

“Lewd comments are just the tip of the iceberg that manifests itself in domestic violence,” Victoria Donda, an Argentine lawmaker who sponsored a bill to make street harassment a crime, said.

The bill would fund programs to raise awareness about sexual abuse in schools and in workplaces, and also allow women to report sexual harassment in public places as a crime. It has widespread support from across party lines, and similar proposals have been brought up on a local level in the Argentine capital.

Earlier this month, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to call for an end to gender-based violence in the country, after a 14-year-old girl was allegedly beaten to death by her boyfriend. They rallied under the phrase, “ni una menos,” or “not one more woman lost” to gender violence.

Domestic violence and femicide appear to be a growing trend in Argentina and a major problem across the Western Hemisphere, and many believe a culture of “machismo” perpetuates the crimes. More than half of the 25 countries with the highest rates of femicide are in the Americas. Some countries in the region have moved to address street harassment in an effort to create a safer climate for women.

In March, Peru became the first country in South America to enact a law against street harassment, and a proposal to penalize street sexual harassment with up 180 days in jail has been proposed by legislatures in Paraguay.

But many fear invoking these laws could prompt further harassment while on the street. Unless a police officer is standing by, it might be difficult to report street harassment and apprehend a potential perpetrator. Beyond apprehending someone, providing evidence to prove a case of street harassment is no easy task — and likely seen by many to be more hassle than its worth in contexts where street harassment may be a daily occurrence.

In much of the United States, for instance, laws criminalize street harassment, street harassers rarely face legal repercussions for their actions.

“Although several legal remedies could potentially be employed to combat street harassment, the current state of the legal system makes success highly unlikely,” the advocacy organization Hollerback! noted on its website.



Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/06/12/3668831/harassment-argentina/

[shenmue]

1. A step forward