CONTINUING on their mission to end the cycle of violence against women and children through the use of the arts, the Youth of WITNESS Project, an initiative of the Margaret Clemons Foundation, launched their new anti-street harassment campaign titled: “It’s Not A Compliment” yesterday at Help and Shelter,Homestretch Avenue,Georgetown.RosheniTakechandra, WITNESS Project Programme Director, noted that she is committed to leading the projects’ youth in this new endeavour, stating that, “It’s Not A Compliment” is a much needed space, tool and campaign to make a strong, firm and powerful statement in the Guyanese society.
“Women will no longer stay silent on matters that concern their safety and freedom of expression in public spaces. This campaign is using marketing strategies and the arts to give women and girls a platform to make their voices heard. It is giving women and girls a space to work side by side with decent men to bring an end to the vile and worthless act of street harassment,” she explained.
The campaign, Takechandra related, is three-fold: “First, there will be a street art component where the members of WITNESS Project will paper participating businesses and public buildings with striking, oversized posters that feature women and girls reacting to commonly used catcalls. Second, while the posters are going up, the youth will engage the public by handing out flyers and starting conversations to define what street harassment is, clarify why it is a problem and invite the public to join our online conversation about the issue.
“And lastly, It’s Not A Compliment is also an online community, a forum where victims, witnesses and perpetrators of street harassment are invited to share their stories and take part in an ongoing discussion aimed at educating the public and brainstorming ideas on how to end street harassment,” she noted.
In closing, Takechandra stressed that the WITNESS Project has chosen to tackle this issue, because though street harassment is seen as a minor and accepted offence, if it’s seen as an offence at all, is in reality a form of sexual harassment and the gateway to increased violence against women.
“We need to educate both men and women as to how street harassment is not just a compliment, but how it inhibits a woman’s ability to move about freely and without fear in public spaces,” she urged.
WITNESS Project International is an arts-based initiative of The Margaret Clemons Foundation (MCF), a New York City- based, non-profit organisation with a mission to stop the cycle of violence against women and children using integrative counsellor/teacher training, education, expressive arts therapy, and community/youth arts initiatives.
The Margaret Clemons Foundation (MCF) is a New York- based, non-profit organisation that supports programmes creating change in the behaviour of communities by stopping the cycle of violence against women and children through integrative learning arts- based counsellor/teacher training, education, expressive arts therapy, and community/youth art initiatives.