An Open Forum held by Respect: Stop Street Harassment was held on Sunday the 30th of March, 2014, at Galle Face Green. The event commenced at 4:00 pm and went on till 6:00pm. RSSH, a voluntary organisation, is headed by Shashee de Mel and Nishi Aryai.  Mr.Shan Wijethunga was the moderator for an excellent panel consisting of Dr.Janaki Jayawardena, a senior lecturer from the University of Colombo, and Mrs.Prema Gamage, a veteran women’s rights activist with over 30 years of experience.

Shashee de Mel opened up the program with an introduction that explained why she and Nishi were moved to start such an initiative, citing the incessant harassment they faced around Sri Lanka as the reason. Sunday the 30th was also the first day in an international week of anti-street harassment, and they felt that this issue needed to be addressed in Sri Lanka during this week as well.

Mr.Wijethunga started the discussion with a question directed at Dr.Jayawardena. He asked why we should even bother with the issue, as most of the time it seems to be simple teasing. The response was that she has never taken it as simple teasing. Dr.Jayawardena observed that girls are taught to be afraid of boys, and that boys are very aware of that. We aren’t even bothered with asking how girls feel about the teasing that is seen as a right that boys possess. Therefore the issue is serious and needs to be acknowledged.

Next Mrs.Gamage was asked why, if boys face this as well, we are only concentrating on girls. Her reply was that that should be addressed as well, however the difference between the harassment received by boys and girls is great, as well as the impact and frequency. Also, street harassment is just the beginning, and can increase intensely to become something far more sinister.

The next question sparked a discussion that the audience partook in as well. The posed inquiry was that doesn’t harassment become sinister only after the victims themselves push the issue and overreact, thus becoming her fault? The ways in which women can then reaction was speculated upon. Are we to patiently ignore the catcalls? Merely dart enraged looks towards the harassers? What happens if we speak up? This highlighted the difference between other countries and Sri Lanka, as ladies spoke of their experiences abroad contrasted with their ones over here. Nishi Aryai in particular put things in perspective when she said that in Nepal, she might get harassed once a year whereas here it’s ten times a day. In Nepal, a woman who was subjected to harassment would be able to stand up for herself and kick up a fuss, but over here we would not be able to do it. This shed light on a disturbing truth about our culture – we are so used to turning away and not taking notice. If we did attempt to, who would help us? That is the fear that many women hold, and what pushes us to keep silent.

Another issue brought up was how we could prevent harassment with the law. Dr.Jayawardena pointed out that there are laws in place! There is a reason that this is not working, therefore, and her solution was to change the ideologies of our culture. School curriculums must be changed as well. A lady in the audience pointed out to how women are viewed in media, for example as sexual objects to sell products in advertisements. The young group Stop the Violence, also present, shared how they utilise social media and workshops to reach the public, namely the youth. The ideal solution would be an amalgamation of all this ideas, and the forum ended with a call to join forces to eradicate this problem.

A group of students from the University of Kelaniya performed a short skit, and it wasn’t hard to relate to what the young girls portrayed were going through. We must realise that street harassment is just the surface of a deep and contorted sexism prevalent in our society, and in the words of Dr.Jayawardena, if society needs both man and woman to exist, why are men so much higher in the hierarchy? Why can women ascend only when acting like a man?

If you wish to join the conversation and action, you can find RSSH on Facebook and get in touch.

By Marissa van Eyck
Pictures by Kithsiri de Mel