L’Oréal Paris Stands Up to Harassment for International Anti-Street Harassment Week

In recognition of International Anti-Street Harassment Week (April 16-April 22), L'Oréal Paris USA is urging Americans to act by taking the Stand Up Against Street Harassment training to learn how to safely intervene in instances of harassment.

 

International Anti-Street Harassment Week is an opportunity to collectively raise awareness to the problem and to engage communities to be involved in the solutions. According to a OnePoll survey commissioned by L'Oréal Paris, 72% have either experienced harassment firsthand or have witnessed someone getting harassed, and 56% of respondents said they'd be willing to take a short training course to learn what they should do against street harassment.

 

In fact, half (52%) of respondents have been harassed in the past, while 37% have witnessed it happen to others in public. It was also found that 73% of respondents agree the definition of harassment has evolved over the past 20 years, and 64% believe it happens more frequently today than two decades ago.

 

The survey results also suggest that there are many forms of street harassment and ways it manifests for those who experience it, and today, people define harassment to include being touched without permission (67%); being made to feel uncomfortable (67%); being followed (55%); being racially profiled (52%); and being yelled at (49%). In fact, sexual harassment in public spaces is the number one issue faced by women and girls around the world. L'Oréal Paris USA wants consumers to be a part of the solution to reducing the statistic of four out of 10 Americans not knowing what to do when they see someone getting cat-called – just one form of street harassment.

 

“It is so important to recognize what harassment is and where it's happening,” said Emily May, president, co-founder and lead executive officer, Right To Be. “Yet so many people describe these feelings of hopelessness and not knowing what they should do or what options exist to prevent harassment from happening.”

 

L'Oréal Paris launched the Stand Up Against Street Harassment program on March 8, 2020, in partnership with Right To Be – an NGO expert in the fight against harassment of all forms. Through the international Stand Up training program, L'Oréal Paris wants to contribute to a culture of respect, dignity and worth, by empowering people with Right To Be's 5Ds methodology. The 5D's methodology (distract, delegate, document, delay, direct) are five simple and effective tools to help people become upstanders in situations of street harassment.

 

“Knowledge about how to address street harassment is true power,” continued May. “The best way people can take a stand against harassment is to learn the best ways to recognize it, address it, and prevent it from escalating.”

 

Consumers can join the movement against street harassment here.