Senate OKs bill vs catcalling, street harassment
'[W]e will reclaim the streets from sexual harassers and make them safe for all'
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Monday passed on third and final reading the measure that seeks to protect women from catcalling and other forms of harassment in public places.
Senate Bill 1326, or the Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act of 2017, aims to penalize catcalling, wolf-whistling, cursing, leering and groping.
It also lists persistent requests for a person's name and contact details and the use of words tending to ridicule on the basis of actual or perceived sex, gender expression or sexual orientation and identity in public spaces as grounds for punishment.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the bill’s principal author and sponsor, hailed the passage as a “major pushback” against misogyny and sexism.
“At a time when sexism and misogyny seem to be the new normal, this is an important victory for all women and LGBT persons. This is a major pushback against street-based sexual harassment and the culture of sexism,” Hontiveros said.
She added: “With this measure, we will reclaim the streets from sexual harassers and make them safe for all.”
Hontiveros is hopeful that the bill will “change the people’s language habits, prevent different forms of gender-based harassment and convince the public of gender-sensitive expression.”
A counterpart bill filed at the House of Representatives by Rep. Tom Villarin (Akbayan) in 2017 is still pending at the committee level.
Last July, the local government of Manila passed ordinance, which aims to ban catcalling and other forms of sexual harassment in the city.
Quezon City passed the first ordinance penalizing street-level harassment of women in 2016.
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