After-school Teacher Francine Douglas has witnessed 12, 13 and 14 -year-old girls being approached and hit-on by auto shop workers near her school, who call out to them and compliment everything from their body features to their walk.
“Sometimes I tell them ‘you’re old enough to be their grandfather,’” said Douglas, 25, who works in different junior high schools and high schools in Brooklyn.
Along with the sounds of sirens and the loud noises of construction equipment, catcalls and whistling have been a part of the cacophony that is New York City. To end the verbal harassment many women hear on the streets, the City Council Women’s Issues Committee has taken on the issue.
“We’ve all seen or experienced street harassment, and it’s probable that we’ve all given up on the idea that something can be done to stop it,” said Councilmember Julissa Ferreras, who is the chair of the committee. “After all, some would say, how can anyone legislate public expression, even if it is vulgar, offensive or threatening?”
At a recent hearing, the committee focused on the different types of harassments like catcalls, honking, whistling, being followed and invasion of personal space. They also discussed police involvement and what actions they will take in order to create anti-sexual harassment legislation, as well as ways to empower young women and teenagers.
Kassandra Strat, 26, from Jackson Heights feels that catcalls are inappropriate. Her trips from the train to her apartment building, which consist of five and a half blocks, are often full of solicitations.
“Some men go too far,” Strat said. “I’ve seen guys grab women and follow them more than a block. Some men become aggressive when females don’t melt at their catcalls.”
Ferreras called for more community involvement to send a clear message that women are not second class citizens and should not be subjected to this type of harassment. Ferreras also expressed that some men have to be educated on these issues so they can understand the female’s point of view.
But Felix Jerez, a former City Council candidate and commentator, disagrees. He said women are partly to blame.
“Women often send mixed signals,” Jerez said. “In my understanding, women respond well to these catcalls when they find the men attractive. If the men are not of their liking they may call it harassment.”
