The odyssey that women live in Lima with street harassment and the lack of attention protocols for the victims
Leaving the house, for women, has become a nightmare that becomes reality when it materializes through leering looks, comments and insinuations of a sexual nature, obscene gestures, inappropriate touching and persecution in public spaces. In 2022, 9 out of 10 women have stated that they are victims of street sexual harassment in Lima and callaoaccording to surveys by organizations in defense of human rights.
Every day, thousands of women, from girls to adults, are victims of street sexual harassment, a problem that arises in macho societies that have accentuated different types of gender violence. It is estimated that around 70% do not report this type of act, despite the fact that since 2015 there has been Law No. 30314 to prevent and punish sexual harassment in public spaces.
Eight years later, the elaboration of the care protocols for cases of sexual harassment in public spaces. In San Juan de Lurigancho, La Molina, Villa María del Triunfo, Santa Rosa, Rímac, and Pucusana, there is still no ordinance to prevent and punish this type of action.
In interview with Infobae, the Director of Communications of the collective Stop Street Harassment, Nahiomy Gallardo Quispe He regretted that in the districts that do have the ordinance, the fines or sanctions are not being applied. In addition, he indicated that at the national level the outlook is much worse, since only 5 of the 25 regional governments have ordinances and there are no complaint protocols in the Peruvian National Police (PNP).
Let’s stop street harassment is a group that promotes women’s rights, which carries out workshops and informative campaigns to make this problem visible and raise awareness among citizens about this situation that mainly affects the female population.
“We also advocate for the authorities to comply with the ordinances and not only remain on paper, but also create complaint protocols so that the Police know how to deal with these cases,” said the organization’s spokesperson.
In 2021, Let’s stop the street harassment and International plan prepared a technical report on street sexual harassment in adolescents and young women, during the 2020 state of emergency in Lima and Callao, “I was harassed too”in which it was revealed that 91% of the victims received no help from the authorities.
The law to prevent and punish street harassment is an important step to eradicate this problem in society, with the joint work of regional, provincial and local governments, the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations (MIMP), the Ministry of Education ( Minedu), Ministry of Health (Minsa), Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) and Ministry of the Interior (Mininter). However, there are “legal loopholes”.
Gallant He stressed that there is still a lot of work to be done regarding the dissemination of the law. In addition, he considered that it is important that the Minedu and the MIMP work on the comprehensive sex education and with a gender approach.
“It is essential so that these types of cases no longer continue to happen in the future. So that boys and girls also know their rights and know that they have to be raised with equity”, she emphasized.
Along these lines, he argued that the sexism it is rooted in Peruvian society and added that it has to be eradicated from childhood. “Many times women are not seen as deserving of public space, but rather we are seen as an object that goes through the streets,” he questioned.
Women who have gone through these episodes of harassment on public roads They have felt fear of going out on the streets again, others have felt anger, humiliation, sadness, among other emotions that impact mental health. “We see that bullying also affects victims emotionally and psychologically. It leaves a mark that cannot be erased very easily, since it is something that we have suffered daily since we were very young, ”she maintained.
According to the report, 70.68% stated that they had been victims of bullying in the streets8.41% in public transport, 5.45% in bus stops, 5.23% in parks or squares, 3.86% in shopping centers, 1.82% in homes, 1.14% in taxis, 0.91% in centers of jobs, 0.68% online and 0.45% in public institutions.
“Street harassment can manifest itself in different ways, whether it is the so-called compliments, which are the most used, leering glances, inappropriate touching, whistling, obscene phrases or gestures, public masturbation and persecution,” Gallardo Quispe pointed out, stressing that all these acts can be denounced.
Street harassment can be reported at any police station, prosecutor’s office, or Women’s Emergency Center. MIMP Line 100 and Chat is also available to victims. “They can also approach the first authority they find, such as a police officer or night watchman, to register the complaint,” she said, noting that no evidence is requiredbut if possible you can present photographs or testimonials.
He stressed that it is important to report street harassment to the authorities because this will make it possible to identify the places where it usually occurs and this information is extremely important so that the authorities can implement video surveillance cameras and security personnel.
“The complaints are very useful for that, although the aggressor will not always be able to be identified, it can be identified that there is a problem in that place and the authorities have to solve this problem either with cameras or with more security personnel.”, he added.
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