If you saw a woman getting harassed on the streets would you intervene? Because one campaign, shot in Toronto, proves it’s easier said than done.
L’Oréal Paris Canada teamed up with Right To Be, a nonprofit that started out as a blog to collect stories of street harassment and soon became part of an international movement.
Together, they shot a harassment campaign to better understand why bystanders don’t stand up.
Canadian TikTok influencer Spencer Barbosa played the woman in the experiment who was being berated by a man at a bus shelter in Toronto.
The results showed that many people did not intervene, regardless of the obvious signs of her being uncomfortable by the advancements of a stranger.
“We discovered they do want to help, they just don’t know how,” the video read.
Those that didn’t step in shared what went through their heads during the social experiment.
“I would have loved to help her, I just wasn’t sure how,” one woman said.
“I didn’t know exactly what to do,” a man also shared.
According to L’Oréal Paris’ statistics, 80 per cent of women have experienced street harassment.
Additionally, 76 per cent of people have already witnessed it. Meanwhile, 86 per cent of people who have seen something didn’t know how to step up for victims.
“L’Oréal Paris will continue their efforts through the Stand Up Against Street Harassment Program, a partnership with Right To Be, an NGO expert in the fight against harassment of all forms. Stand Up is a training program designed to help prevent street harassment and build safe, inclusive spaces for all,” the beauty company said in a press release earlier this month.
“The program introduces the 5D’s methodology, a proven set of tools to help people safely intervene when they are a victim or witness to harassment in public spaces. To date, L’Oréal Paris and Right to have trained 1.5 million people across 42 countries. In 2023, L’Oréal Paris Canada plans to train 150,000 Canadians, helping L’Oréal Paris globally hit their objective of 2 million people trained by the end of 2023,” it continued.
So, what are the five D’s? That would be to delegate, delay, document, distract and direct.
“I’m shocked at how few people stopped to help her. I grew up in Toronto where they shot this video and it’s a constant stream in your mind when you’re walking around,” TikTok user Josie Balka said in a stitched video.
“Especially if you’re like me and you’ve always lived in big cities. What will I do if I get harrassed in the streets today? It’s actually kinda scary how often that thought crosses your mind,” she continued.
Balka also shared how nerve-wracking it is to walk around alone at night in the city and that no matter how much you plan for it, it’s difficult to truly know what to do in that type of situation.
