CATCALLING AS AN UNCONSCIOUS FORM OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Catcalling or street harassment rampant happening around us unnoticed and the term is still foreign among the people. Catcalling is a form of sexual harassment in public spaces in the form of “spoiled calls” or comment to the body shapes of women that directs to sexual orientation and sexual stimulation visually. Example of “spoiled calls” or catcalling such as “beautiful”, “baby”, “sexy”, “hey girl” and so on. The call occur in public spaces such as in mall, bus stop, public transportation, in the stations, in the road, in the market, in the office, and other general places. Sometimes the call doesn’t make women uncomfortable even they feel afraid. Catcalling is the temptation that leads to sexual activity for women not as a compliment to the women face, but rather to seek attention to women with hope they have sex. Women are made into male objects to be seduced as first step toward rape. In various countries in the US and Europe, there is a law that protects to victim of catcalling. Meanwhile, in Indonesia there is no law that protects to victim of catcalling so that women have to protect themselves.

Catcalling sexual harassment cannot be separated from sexism and gender concept. Indirectly, catcaller has degraded women’s dignity as victim because they have been harassed visually with “spoiled calls”. It is also influenced by patriarchy culture which still strong in society so male feel more powerful than women and male feel free do anything to women include sexual harassment activity. Most victims of sexual harassment is woman because the effect of man power in patriarchy culture which arbitrarily imposed woman. Sexual perception of sexual harasser determine their sexual behavior. Sometimes catcaller for men only reputed as a joke with woman. But, there is no related between catcalling sexual harassment and a joke because women just keep feeling uncomfortable and feeling herself threatened.

There are some impacts felt by the victims of catcalling such as psychological trauma so that women feeling afraid to hangout alone. Women feeling insecure to be in public spaces because they worried that the catcalling incident will recur to herself. Due to the catcalling behavior is form of sexual harassment which still being strange and not yet realized by society, then people around women who being the victims of catcalling sexual harassment cannot help the victims. The lack of knowledge about sexual harassment such as catcalling make women more insecure if they are in public places by herself. The need for expansion of knowledge about catcalling as the form of sexual harassment in order to we realize together and can help to women around us who already being the victims of sexual harassment. Knowledge as basic in order to we can act against sexual harassment.