Men criticize cat-calling law

The government has announced that public sexual harassment would become a crime punishable by up to two years in prison. Plans supported by the Home Secretary will make it illegal to catcall, follow, and block someone in England.

The goal, according to Tory minister Greg Clark, is to influence how society views sexual harassment by changing the culture of society.

In an interview with Jemimah Freeside, assistant manager of Howl at the moon – a local pub in East London, Hoxton – she says “Shoreditch is harassment city. I remember walking through Shoreditch with my friends just after we went clubbing and men were just following us; calling us names and saying things like, ” Hey babe, what are you doing tonight? And Tits all out, can I touch them. And it happens a lot to black women due to fetishisation and because they are hyper-sexualised.

In an interview with a source who works within the law enforcement profession, but wishes to remain anonymous, they state that they believe that this law should have been enforced ages ago. Especially with this younger generation now, catcalling is a normal act and they have become too familiar with it. Adolescents and young adults don’t even realise how traumatising it is and embarrassing it is to have someone randomly say things about your appearance, body and clothing. However, this source explains that they don’t believe that this new law will make a great change at all.

There is an ongoing debate about women abusing their role within society, allowing them to have an advantage over men. The argument is that women are just as guilty as men in terms of saying inappropriate things publicly just for fun, for a laugh, or when they find someone attractive – leaving them to feel uncomfortable.

Jemimah Freeside then goes on to say “Men do this with the intention of getting with you. If you aren’t a strong-minded woman, they’ll sense it and they’ll stop at nothing until they get your social media details or phone number. Saying no to certain men can result in them becoming very violent with you and that all stems from catcalling. Yes, there need to be punishments that make them think twice before doing it.”