The Dark Side of the Street: A Documentary Video About Women and Their Experience on Street Harassment

Abstract

Street harassment is defined as physical and verbal unwanted behaviors done by a stranger in the public sphere. At an early age, the filmmaker has experienced various acts of street harassment. When she was in grade school, he saw a drunk man trying to molest a girl in a jeepney. When she was in high school, a man flashed his genitals before her eyes on her way to school. The filmmaker also experiences catcalling almost everyday of her life but did not have the courage to tell anyone about her experiences because of the fear to be blamed.

The Dark Side of the Streets tells the story of random women who have street harassment experiences in Quezon City and Manila, two of the only cities in the country to pass an anti- catcalling bill or the Safe City for Women and Girls ordinance. Six (6) women were randomly interviewed by the Filmmaker and one woman who was picked based on the severity of her experiences.

The project was created to raise awareness among both men and women about the implications of street harassment and to expand its discourse. As of today, there is still no law about street harassment. Street Harassment falls under sexual harassment in our country, which are two different things. Anti-Sexual Harassment Act or R.A No. 7877, declares sexual harassment unlawful in employment, education or training environment only. Street harassment stands apart from this, because street harassment is usually done in public sphere by a stranger. A bill is yet to be signed by the President of the Philippines that would tackle the lack of protection for Women and Girls in the streets, Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act of 2017 (S.B No 1326) authored by Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

The filmmaker also aims those who have watched the video share their experiences. This why the filmmaker collaborated with a social media advocacy page, "Catcalled in the Philippines" that has 66,920 likes. The page has helped the video reached a lot of people. The Dark Side of the Street has reached 15,100 views, 291 shares, 302 likes, and 19 comments as of March 22, 2019. (https://www.facebook.com/catcalledinthePH/videos/290727768261895/)