Dear Editor,
I was glad to read that the Ministry of Social Services is revising the laws governing rape. That is certainly a necessary and welcome move.
May I bring to your attention, though, a related matter that causes untold distress to the women and girls of this country: I refer to the verbal abuse of women that seems to be the new disgusting ‘hobby’ of too many of our men. This newspaper would not even be willing to print the kind of filthy, degrading, sexually suggestive comments that we have to deal with every time we go out. Shockingly this behaviour has even been adopted by some university students, who find it entertaining to sit and loudly comment on the bodies of female students, “critically analyzing” their assets and defects. But perhaps I should not be shocked at all. After all, at Guyexpo, the national trade fair held under the patronage of the government of this country, a song telling women to “spread you leg and wind” was played, with the DJ bawling the words into the microphone just to ensure that everyone got the message-and believe me, that was just one of many, many sexually explicit songs.
But even if the authorities have sunk to an all-time low and are willing to condone vulgar lyrics, sexist songs and homophobic suggestions at government-sponsored events, I will still maintain that we women deserve better. On the streets we are subjected to an unsolicited and ongoing barrage of vulgar remarks and obscene suggestions. Such remarks may, at some time in the innocent past, have been mere flirtation, but there is nothing flirtatious or playful about the dirty words and comments that we have to listen to now. Surprisingly, these vile comments are sometimes made by well-dressed, apparently educated men-not merely by idle lay-abouts.
And please don’t tell me that the women invite such comments because of the clothes that they wear. I have asked Moslem friends if wearing the hijab protected them from the attacks, and their unanimous response was that the nasty comments made as they walked along became even more explicit and invasive when they were fully covered. Verbally undressing women in modest attire is, it would appear, even more entertaining for these perverts. It is impossible to describe how defiled and ashamed a woman feels when a strange man flings a suggestive sexual comment at her; it is as if he has publicly undressed her-as if he has raped her. Indeed, it is verbal rape and should be punishable by law.
The reality is, though, that it would be difficult for a girl to convince a police officer to take action over an insulting remark made by males at the roadside. (It is even difficult to convince a police officer that a physical rape has taken place!)
So the problem is: how can our boys and men be persuaded to change their behaviour? Home training must surely play a part, and schools and religious bodies must come on board. Government must act to prohibit the playing in public places and over the air waves of songs that degrade women. (And for starters, government could clean up its own act!)
Can any of your readers come up with other solutions to this problem, I wonder?
Yours faithfully,
Naicelis Williams
