Stand Up by L’Oréal Paris and MURAL stand up against street harassment. And you?
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Did you know 80% of Canadian women have already experienced sexual harassment in public spaces? While more Canadians than ever before consider themselves feminists, only 6% of these women report someone intervened. Street harassment is a phenomenon that causes victims to doubt their experiences and can greatly affect their self-esteem.
This experience, common to many women, is unfortunately not a rare sight on our streets, and as festival season approaches, it is time to raise awareness and take action. So, what can we do to fight against this problem?
L’Oréal Paris, MURAL’s official partner, is fighting against street harassment with its Stand Up Against Street Harassment training program, in partnership with the Right to Be NGO. Launched in 2020, the program’s goal is to teach individuals how to intervene when they witness or experience street harassment.
You can take the training program by clicking HERE.
Thanks to its partnership with Right To Be, the world-renowned brand has equipped itself to provide individuals with tools to safely respond in situations where they are victims or witnesses to this offense. Right To Be’s 5D’s method consists of five simple and effective tools: Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, Direct.
Distract: use imagination to divert attention – pretend to be a friend, ask for the time, create a diversion;
Delegate: ask another person in a position of authority to intervene;
Document: film or take pictures of the scene as leverage against the aggressor, if the situation allows it and is safe;
Delay: comfort the person being harassed after the incident and acknowledge the harasser’s harmful behavior;
Direct: speak openly and call out the harasser. Use only as a last resort to avoid violence and ensure safety.
After completing this training program, which is available online for free, L’Oréal reports that 97% of Stand Up participants felt more empowered to intervene in a situation where they would be exposed to street harassment.
“As a brand, L’Oréal Paris has always been about more than beauty products and hair color,” says Eva Longoria, L’Oréal Paris’ spokesperson. “The slogan in itself, ‘Because you’re worth it,’ is a daily reminder. It is a mantra to make sure that when you walk out your door in the morning you check your value. I think this Stand Up training goes right along with this mantra. You are worth this effort for us to bring awareness to it.”
L’Oréal Paris and Right To Be hope that the Stand Up initiative will spark a national conversation, and inspire Canadians to take action against street harassment. Join the movement against street harassment and get training here. Because together we can make a difference!
