Utrecht starts new campaign against street harassment by catcalling men

The city of Utrecht will catcall men in a new campaign to reverse the roles of street harassment. How? With a woman calling these men from a screen.

The campaign will begin on May 13 and will take place in the centre of Utrecht by the Town Hall Bridge, reports the NOS.

Men walking by will hear a catcall by a woman on a screen. Just like many women regularly experience — with real men. 🤷🏻‍♀️

After a man gets catcalled, employees from the municipality will approach him, explain the campaign, and ask him how he feels about what just happened.

Purpose of the campaign

The municipality of Utrecht explains that they want this interaction to raise awareness about street harassment — and how “uncomfortable and sometimes even threatening” it can be.

A spokesperson for the municipality describes it as a confrontational way to open up the conversation about street harassment with men — since they’re also part of the solution.

He also explains that catcalling can start as something small but can easily escalate later on and hopes that this interaction will encourage men to confront their male friends to stop this behaviour.

Street harassment in the Netherlands

While anyone can get catcalled, most cases in the Netherlands involve women being catcalled by other men.

For example, a 2017 research in Rotterdam showed that 94% of women between 18 and 45 had experienced intimidating street behaviour before.

Even more alarming is that the vast majority of these women had not reported these cases.

According to the municipality of Utrecht, half of all women and girls in the city are also regular victims of street harassment. 🤯

How do you feel about this new campaign? Tell us in the comments below!