For the first time in Israel, a local authority is launching a campaign to combat sexual harassment in the public sphere.
L’Oréal Paris, the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel and the Tel Aviv Sexual Assault Crisis Center have joined forces to increase the personal security of women and men who experience sexual harassment in the public space by encouraging the intervention of bystanders.
The joint campaign, titled “You have a way to respond,” calls on women and men who witness sexual harassment in the public to intervene and stop it with the help of five simple tools that can be learned in an interactive lesson.
Among the tools: showing empathy, asking for help from another person in the area, documenting the situation, speaking directly to the harasser and finding an indirect way to distract the harasser - even standing by them and saying nothing can be effective.
The Stand Up program
The campaign is part of L’Oréal Paris’ global Stand Up program, whose premise is that bystanders have the power to help in situations where they recognize someone else is being harassed.
Elie Sagiv, CEO of the L’Oréal Israel Group: “The L’Oréal Group has been promoting social causes related to the advancement of women since its establishment over a hundred years ago. As part of its values, the L’Oréal Paris brand works to prevent the phenomenon of sexual harassment in the public sphere, through the global Stand Up program, which is implemented in over 50 countries.
“Israel, where we chose to implement the program in cooperation with the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, is one of the leading countries in the world in implementing the program and in the number of people who have passed the training. We see great importance in making the Stand Up training accessible to an even wider public and welcome the cooperation with the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality. This is another example of the promotion of important social goals that the L’Oréal Group is leading in Israel.”
Ron Huldai, mayor of Tel Aviv-Jaffa: “Sexual harassment is an intolerable phenomenon that we are all obliged to do everything we can to eliminate. Not to reduce it, not to diminish it, but to wipe it off the face of the earth altogether. The Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa stands upright in its uncompromising struggle against violence against women and for the promotion of full gender equality.
“As part of this, now, for the first time in Israel, a local authority is taking a brave step towards an official campaign to combat sexual harassment in the public space. It is important that we all remember that sexual harassment in a public space does not happen in a vacuum, and each and every one of us has a way to respond.”
“As part of this, now, for the first time in Israel, a local authority is taking a brave step towards an official campaign to combat sexual harassment in the public space. It is important that we all remember that sexual harassment in a public space does not happen in a vacuum, and each and every one of us has a way to respond.”
Ron Huldai
The campaign will start this week, before International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which will be marked this Friday.
The link below is a video that was filmed around Tel Aviv-Jaffa and demonstrates the possible intervention actions in a situation where sexual harassment is witnessed, using the five tools of the Stand Up program https://bit.ly/3UQd4Ip (courtesy of the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa)
In addition, leading influencers were recruited to raise awareness of the issue with the help of the Tiktok, Facebook and Instagram under the message “You have a way to respond.”
Also, the municipality will hold training for all municipal employees, who will be ambassadors in the public sphere and will be armed with the knowledge required to reduce the phenomenon of sexual harassment in the public sphere.
Miriam Scheller, CEO of the Tel Aviv Sexual Assault Crisis Center: “Sexual abuse is possible because of a relationship of silence. Intervening and stopping incidents of harassment in the public space is actually breaking this bond of silence.
“This is a lifeline for the wounded, who often find it difficult to react at the time of the incident. We are happy and congratulate every man and woman, private company or public firm that’s taking an active position to help victims of sexual assault and its consequences. On November 24, we will go on the annual march for International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and there we will shout again that we have the power to stop the phenomenon. Join us.”
“This is a lifeline for the wounded, who often find it difficult to react at the time of the incident. We are happy and congratulate every man and woman, private company or public firm that’s taking an active position to help victims of sexual assault and its consequences. On November 24, we will go on the annual march for International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and there we will shout again that we have the power to stop the phenomenon. Join us.”
Miriam Scheller
The “You have a way to respond” campaign is another layer in the expansion of the municipal measures to prevent gender violence that include previous municipal programs, such as: the Layla Tov program which works to create a safe space from harassment and sexual assault in dozens of bars, restaurants and hotels throughout the city, among others methods, by holding annual training on the subject for the entire staff at the behest of the municipality.
To learn the simple tools and to take part in the fight to create a safe space, visit standup-israel.com
Information about the program on the municipality’s website: http://bit.ly/3Of35tF
For more information, Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality Spokesperson, 03-7244720 dovertlv@tel-aviv.gov.il