The French Government launched a prevention campaign against harassment of women on the street and in public spaces a few days ago. It consists of distributing five million leaflets with the title “Safety of women in the public space”. It seeks to make citizens aware of the intimidation that they suffer, in places like the subway and in full view of all. The leaflets, to give a greater sense of authority, are being distributed by police and gendarmes.
The figures reveal a serious problem: In France, one in two women has suffered an act of sexual violence. Sexist and sexual offenses have grown by 32% in one year, especially in means of transport, and sexual assaults have also increased. Eight out of 10 women are afraid when they return home alone, according to the latest report from the High Council for Equality (HCE, in its French acronym).
This campaign seeks for women to report cases of aggression, but also for witnesses to do so, since in many cases these situations occur in full view of all: they are profanity or attitudes that cross the red line and are considered harassment. This campaign is launched in the summer period, which is when women suffer more from this type of behavior, because they are more uncovered.
To avoid this, some women have published, and gone viral, videos on social networks in which they go out with the “subway shirt” (chemise du métro), thus inviting them to wear, only for transport, looser clothing, not very tight nor low-cut, and avoid comments or looks. Crowds in the subway at rush hour facilitate this type of sexist act. The search for the term “subway shirt” accumulates 14 million visits and there is even a term in fashion: Fashion Safety Layer (safety layer).
According to a study by the national federation of transport user associations, 48% of women claim to adapt their clothing if they are going to take the metro or bus. The trend, which also extends to other large cities, such as London or New York, is considered wrong by some experts, who recall that covering the body is not the way to fight aggression. The French blogger Shera, for example, shows in a video of her “her outfit so as not to be attacked on the subway.”
French cities like Paris, Marseille, Nantes, and places with many insecurity problems, are not safe territory for women, who are often rebuked with sexist comments, especially if they go alone or at night, although it varies depending on the neighborhood. . “The feeling of insecurity is strong in the case of women,” has acknowledged the prefect of the Paris Police, Laurent Nuñez, who warns that many cases of harassment are not reported.
The Government campaign seeks to prevent these behaviors. There is a telephone number to report (17) and also an application (Mon securité) that allows the victim to contact the police and gendarmerie directly. The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, limited himself to tweeting this action plan a few days ago. Accused by three women of sexual harassment (the case was archived), he has received an avalanche of criticism from feminist associations for this campaign.
“Glory to our interior minister, who has decided to take the bull by the horns: distribute a flyer to fight sexism. A lot of thinking is needed. While more and more women are afraid of going home alone, Darmanin and her teams are launching a a major operation, a distribution of the range of nuclear deterrence”, said the journalist and writer Noemi Halioua with irony, in the pages of ‘Le Figaro’.
The High Council for Equality in France revealed in its 2023 barometer an “alarming situation”: Most of the women surveyed reported having suffered situations of inequality and ordinary sexism: bad jokes, micro-machismo, out of place gestures on the street … 30% have been made sexist comments because of the way they dress or because of their physique. A third have suffered some situation of non-consent.
On the more extreme side of the problem, there is a death of a woman every two days due to machismo. Until May there had been 47 femicides in France, according to data from the Nous Toutes collective, which counts in its figures “every death or suicide of a woman due to her gender.” In 2022 there were 121 deaths.
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