London is used to unusual forms of public protest, but this particular expression of anger was a traffic stopper, even for this city.
To mark the occasion of International Safe Cities for Women Day, which falls on May 20, Action Aid — a global charity — has set up an installation of 30 mannequins at the iconic Marble Arch to represent women standing up against sexual violence. Its objective is to highlight the unsafe nature of cities in general for women.
Action Aid has also commissioned a poll by YouGov, which interviewed women across the globe from countries like Brazil, India, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
Forty per cent of women interviewed said they had experienced at least one of these forms of abuse — being groped in public transport or bus stops; getting stared at or being called names; being stalked or followed; or being sexually molested.
In North India, according to the survey, 89 per cent of women said they had experienced harassment of some sort, with 50 per cent having experienced unwelcome physical contact of a sexual nature. In Britain, 43 per cent of women polled said they felt at risk of harassment on city streets and 36 per cent felt at risk when travelling on public transport.
The charity has asked the U.K. government to contribute at least £70 million from its existing aid budget to help protect women over the next three years.
“I am not a statistic”, “Afraid to wait at the bus stop alone”, “Fear”, “Anger” — these are some of the messages on display that “highlight what must not be forgotten: that behind every statistic is a real woman, with a real experience of violence”, said Action Aid in a statement on its website.
