Femme de la Rue: My experiences as a girl in Brussels

A few months ago, I came across some articles online regarding a film made by a Belgian student named Sofie Peeters, Femme de la Rue (Woman on the Street). The documentary focuses on Peeters' experiences in the Belgian capital Brussels, with her recounting various times when she has been a victim of sexual harrassment while going about her everyday business: 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/03/belgium-film-street-harassment-sofie-peeters

While reading this article, and after watching the documentary, I got to thinking about my experiences in Brussels. As most of you know, I spent 5 months studying in Brussels as part of my degree, and while overall I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life (although at times it certainly did not feel that way!), Peeters' experiences struck a chord with me. Like her, I was also leered at and called names on the streets of Brussels when going about my day-to-day business. Nearly every day it seems I was approached by men, who refused to take no for an answer. On  a few occassions, I was followed home from the tram or bus after being at uni or going out. I had in no way tried to encourage these men- I avoided eye contact with them, only spoke to them to tell them to leave me alone, and, without getting into the thorny topic of clothing, I was not dressed in a provocative way that could have attracted them. Every time, I would be called various insults or followed for a short distance before they gave up. 

It goes without saying that in many ways, I was lucky. At no point was I ever physically attacked by any of these men, but I did feel threatened by them and in my mind at least, this is unacceptable. Considering that I was always very conscious of my personal safety, never walking around by myself late at night, and always avoiding the less savoury districts of the city, I felt shocked and saddened that in this day and age I should feel like I had to modify my behaviour and fear for myself in this way. 

Another more recent article on Cafe Babel suggets that other girls feel the same way: 

http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/article/42910/femme-de-la-rue-women-belgium-harassment-streets.html

So, what is the answer to this? It's all very well saying that women should modify their behaviour, or dress a certain way in order to not attract attention to themselves, but surely in this day and age, women should be able to wear what they want, go where they want, act how they want and generally go about their lives without worrying about being harrassed? Some have suggested that the problem, at least in Brussels, is down to a lack of integration amongst the immigrant community, but in my experience this is not necessarily the case. While many of the men who approached me weren't Belgian, a good number of them were. Likewise, most of the incidents took place in the area I lived in, which although not the richest or upmarket area of the city, was far from being a deprived ghetto. 

I should mention at this point that I do still love Brussels, and Belgium, and do still hope to move back there one day. Also, this is not an exclusively Belgian problem, in fact I felt far more threatened, and heard of far more incidences of sexual harrassment in Spain. At times I have also felt threatened by some men's behaviou towards me on the train into work in Aberdeenshire. This is an issue that transcends geographic boundaries.

It's hard to pinpoint why women feel threatened by men's behaviour. What is certain, however, is that it is unacceptable that women feel this way and that now, women are perhaps starting to stand up and speak out about their experiences, which can only be a good thing. The tide may be turning, slowly but surely.

New Year Resolutions 2013

I've never been one to make New Year's Resolutions. Ever. I don't really see the point in them to be honest - I've always been perfectly aware of my lack of focus and determination, why make myself feel any worse about it by setting myself (seemingly) impossible goals and setting myself up to fail? 

This year, however, I feel like I need a change. Since graduating, I have been a little lost and it has come ot the time that I need to actively take control of things. So with this in mind, I present to you my New Year's Resolutions for 2013:

1-Learn Portuguese
Portuguese is a language that I have always been fascinated by, and as I am trying to start a career in interpreting and translating, an extra language can only be a bonus, right? 

2-Learn Dutch
Another language-based resolution! While it may not be as 'sexy' as Portuguese, I'd really love to learn a Germanic language, and given that I want to eventually move back to Belgium, I think it would be useful.

3-Save more, spend less
So many times, my lack of fincncial sense has gotten in my way, stopping me from doing what I want. Also,  I am somewhat pessimistic when it comes to politicians and bankers, and I honestly do not believe that state pensions will even exist by the time I am a bitter old biddy. What's the harm in saving for my retirement early? 

Time will tell if I will actually accomplish any of these, but here's hoping!