Nuevitas, 2025.- A few days ago, a friend shared with me, visibly outraged, that she had been harassed by a man at the bus station.
“The most frustrating thing was that, despite my obvious discomfort, the people around me did nothing to help me,” she said.
Stories like this are, unfortunately, so commonplace that we have come to normalize such behavior, which is a serious mistake. The manifestations of harassment are varied, from improper comments to inappropriate touching, but all have one crucial element: the attention received was unsolicited and unwelcome.
In the young population, “complimenting” women is perceived as acceptable. Around 75 percent of young people between 15 and 25 years of age accept this behavior as a matter of course, and many relate it to “provocations by women because of the way they dress”.
It is disheartening to know that nine out of ten women faced some kind of harassment in public spaces at least once in their lives; and even more worrying, most of them did not receive support from those present.
Street harassment is often perceived as harmless, but the aftereffects can be deeply damaging.
Many victims end up modifying their routines, changing their behavior and even altering the way they dress to avoid a similar experience.
These measures damage the sense of security instead of offering relief.
At some point they begin to avoid certain areas, avoid groups of men, or wear earphones to block out surrounding sounds. This not only limits autonomy, but also strengthens a cycle of fear that is always present when leaving home.
It is an urgency, as individuals, to stop being mere bystanders to these situations. Let us create a safe world for future generations; change begins when we choose not to ignore.
