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Alexandra Kimball Turning Point Youth Centre, a home for displaced and runaway teens, is located on Wellesley Street, on the block between Church and Jarvis. I pass the Centre each day on my way to and from school. Every day, I see the residents of the Centre; a group of young men, gathered on the sidewalk, smoking cigarettes, talking. Often, as I pass, they will talk to me, although "talk" is not the word I would choose. This "talk" is the kind that is all too familiar to young women: the jeering whistles, the loud "hellos," the assorted vulgar comments about the female body, all accompanied by collective laughter and encouragement. I ignore the comments, I avoid their faces, but the response is always the same: "bitch," "snob," commands to turn around and "come back." Each time I experience this, I feel agitated and angry. I am walking to school, minding my own business; surely I am not inviting such comments and degrading names. And even though it is daytime and the street is busy, the feeling of being accosted by such a large group of males is one which frightens me; I feel tiny, helpless, and trapped. The thing that angers me the most, however, is that these very people are probably doing the exact same thing to other young women, many of them Jarvis students, like me. This is the second school year I have had to face this, and I have sought advice from both other students and adults on how to deal with the problem. The responses have been depressing and disconcerting. For the most part, my complaint is not taken seriously, and the implicit suggestion is that I am over-reacting. I'm being complimented, I'm told. If I don't like it, I should walk on the other side of the street, or pick up my pace. If I ignore them, eventually it will stop. Anyone else who has been in a similar situation will know why I find this advice so discouraging. These comments are not flattering; in fact, I find them extremely insulting. Another female Jarvis student, 17, feels the same way. "It's embarrassing, the things they say to you," she says "It's like they're collectively making fun of you." And changing my route to school, aside from being inconvenient, would be avoiding the problem, not solving it. Ignoring this type of behaviour serves only to condone it. In reality, what these men are doing is sexual harassment, which is illegal and unacceptable. In the Student's Rights Handbook, sexual harassment is defined as "any unwanted touching, name calling, offensive jokes, come-ons or stereotyping of a sexual nature." This policy covers everyone on School Board property or in a Board sponsored program; under both this policy and Canadian law these residents of Turning Point could be charged. People whosexually harass are doing so to feel more powerful than the object of their harassment (which is why these men only bother me when I am alone: I appear more vulnerable) and is a method of putting women in their "place." It is the attitudes I have encountered - that such behaviour is harmless and flattering - that keep harassment alive and well on our streets, and thriving just a few steps away from Jarvis Collegiate. As you can see, I am well aware of what defines sexual harassment, as well as how to get information and help on the subject. However, like many people subject to this kind of harassment, I am reluctant to act on my rights. Perhaps I am afraid of the reactions - that boys will be boys, that my charge is not serious, and that I'm causing trouble for no good reason. Or perhaps I fear that, even if I make a report, nothing will come of it. I am hesitant to make a report as I fear it will turn out to be my word against theirs, and, in the long run, I would be in the most jeopardy. While there are many people, some in positions of power, who agree with my right to be able to walk to school in safety and privacy, there are many more who do not. Regardless of what is written in school policy and Canadian law, the general agreement on this issue is in favour of the men who feel they have perfect licence to degrade and insult women as they please. And until something changes; until it is made clear to every member of Canadian society that sexual harassment is harmful and wrong; until women are encouraged to report these offences and the charges are carried out, men will have perfect licence to treat women this way. Maybe someday I won't be afraid to make a complaint, file a report, press for an inquiry. Maybe someday women will be encouraged to speak out against degrading and damaging harassment. Until then, I will walk on the other side of the street. [First Prize, "Opinion/Column Writing," Toronto Star High School Newspaper Contest, 1996. From the Jarvis Jargon, newspaper of Jarvis Collegiate, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. - ed.] Please respect our writers' original works. If you wish to make use of their words, use quotation marks and footnoting. Thank you. Back to the top^ |
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