Stop Catcalling: street art for women's rights on World Women's Day!

Am Weltfrauentag macht Neustadt an der Weinstraße auf Catcalling aufmerksam: Aktionen, Info-Stände und Musik am Marktplatz.
On World Women's Day, Neustadt on the Weinstraße draws attention to Catcalling: promotions, information stands and music on the market square. (Symbolbild/ANAG)

Stop Catcalling: street art for women's rights on World Women's Day!

Catcalling is a widespread phenomenon that is defined as a verbal sexual harassment of women in public space. In order to draw attention to this serious problem, the women's advice center Neustadt and the equal opportunities officer Martina Johannes are planning a special campaign on the World Women's Day on March 8. This takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the market square, where suggestive sayings with street painting crevices are written on the pavement in front of the church. The aim is to illustrate the drastics of the catcalls and to sensitize the citizens to this topic, such as haz.de reports .

Mirjam Pfennig, social worker of the advice center, emphasizes that the experiences gained show how shocking these harassment are often. Examples of drastic sayings are statements such as "You have a hot ass!" Or "Do you want to fuck?". The organizers hope to create a need for conversation through this campaign and to inform about offers of help. An information stand is set up to promote the dialogue with passers -by. The Tycho Barth Duo will also contribute to the mood from 11 a.m.

social response to Catcalling

In recent years, the topic of Catcalling has gained public attention. Women often find sexual harassment on the open street as extremely uncomfortable and stressful. On platforms such as Instagram, many women share their experiences and draw attention to the problem through chalk actions in different cities. A remarkable initiative is the online petition of 20-year-old student Antonia Quell from Fulda, which has already collected over 65,000 signatures. She demands that verbal sexual harassment receive its own place in the German law, since there is currently no independent criminal offense, such as "https://m.dw.com/de/frauen-ge-catcalling-tod-tod-text-met-you-get-home/a-5556555"> dw.com reports .

The petition may employ the Petitions Committee of the German Bundestag, which could be a significant development. Antonia Quell emphasizes that not every form of attention is positive and that many women have had stressful experiences through catcalling. However, critics doubt that society is willing to make the necessary changes and argue that harassment is subjectively perceived.

meaning of the advice center

The women's advice center Neustadt has devoted itself to prevention, public relations and individual advice to women for over 20 years. In 2024, 133 women visited the advice center to maintain support on topics such as violence in partnership, fears or loneliness. In addition to a separation group, the advice center offers free lectures as well as creative offers such as yoga and handicrafts.

The financing is carried out by the city, region and country as well as donations. The facility recently received a donation of 1,400 euros from Linda Gunkel, which handed over the assets of the dissolved international women's club Neustadt. The comprehensive offers of the advice center are not only important for direct help, but also for the long -term awareness of society on topics such as catcalling and gender -specific violence.

Overall, it is important that such actions are continued in order to promote public discussion about sexual harassment and to change a change in social perception. The regular exchange about these topics, supported by reports and initiatives, is essential to implement effective measures against gender-specific violence, as is also shown by the report by the German Institute for Human Rights to implement the Istanbul Convention. Reporting to gender-specific violence is an essential basis for future developments and institutional changes in Germany, such as "https://www.institut-fuer-menschenrechte.de/menschen- Rechtschutz/bericht-get- against-frauen"> institut-fuer-menschenrechte.de

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