Many women across the globe are all too familiar with street harassment—in the U.S. alone, 65 percent are said to have experienced it. But in France, a proposed piece of legislation could soon make catcalling illegal across the country.
Led by Marlène Schiappa, France’s new secretary for gender equality under President Emmanuel Macron, a working party of lawmakers has been set up to decide on a legal definition of street harassment and, in turn, what penalties perpetrators could face. In addition to catcalling, men could also be prosecuted for following women in the street and repeatedly asking for their phone numbers. According to the Times of London, it’s hoped that the potential new law would help combat France’s “macho-culture.”
“The idea is to characterize street harassment so that the police can impose fines on men who follow women on the streets, intimidate them, and harass them in public,” Schiappa said in a statement to local newspapers earlier this week. "It is a cultural struggle to bring down the tacit consensus of acceptance of violence."
Defining what constitutes street harassment won’t be easy, and it’s an issue that several lawyers and opponents have raised. As the The Independent reports, one lawyer even went so far as to express his concern that the move could encourage “feminist lawyers.”
“We’re in a grey zone," says Schiappa, who is also working to close France's gender pay gap. "Nowadays, when a woman is whistled at in the street, insulted or followed, that’s not classed as an assault or harassment because there are no elements of proof."
Schiappa, who also runs the blog Maman Travaille, a blog for working mothers, suggests the new offense would be met with on-the-spot fines. In fact, The Guardian reported back in June that street harassers could be slapped with as much as €5,000 ($5,983). “Twenty euros would be a bit humiliating, €5,000 would be more of a deterrent,” Schiappa told the paper. “At the moment, many men are saying, ‘It’s not a big deal, we’re only having fun.’ And we say, ‘No.’” If nothing else, the new law will act as a reminder that women, too, have the right to feel safe while walking down street. Though logistics remain unclear while the legislation is drawn up, authorities will presumably be on hand to issue penalties.
Women across France—particularly in Paris—have long been pushing for lawmakers to take action against the issue; hopping on the metro to the Museé D’Orsay may seem like a romantic notion to the average tourist, but for Parisian women it often comes with a dose of street harassment, too. According to USA Today, a 2015 report given to the French government revealed that of the 600 women surveyed, every “every female user of mass transit has been a victim" of gender harassment or sexual assault.
France isn’t the only country to tackle gender-related issues. In June of this year, Madrid banned manspreading on public transport following months of petitioning and protesting by local women; in Nottingham, England street harassment can now officially be reported as a crime. And earlier this summer, a ride-sharing service just for women launched in Paris. Though it’s not clear yet as to when catcalling could officially be banned in France, thanks to Schiappa, women may soon feel a little bit safer in the City of Light.
