A woman could be alone at a bus stop, waiting on the street, at a restaurant or any public place; yes even a bar. It is very likely that she will be accosted by some random guy looking for ‘franship’ or more. Polite refusals tend not to work; those guys can be fairly persistent. And a woman has every right to expect be left alone no matter where she is, what the time is, and what she is wearing. Point is how to get the message across to that persistent guy?
British journalist Amna Saleem shared her experience of being in a situation where she was being pestered by someone who refused to leave her alone. However other women – and men – can help.
An unknown woman intervened by portraying herself as an old friend. It worked.
Many women thought this was a great idea: helping out another woman who is the recipient of unwanted attention or being helped out similarly themselves. A woman can subtly ask the other if she wants help, and give help when required.
A lot of people thought this was a great idea to help out women who may be cornered in an unpleasant situation.
One woman shared a story about being accosted by a guy who grabbed her for a dance. She signalled a random girl for help who instantly came over as though they were long lost friends and got her out of the bad situation!
Now this one sounds positively filmy! A guy was bothering a woman on the train and other man came to her rescue. That was ten years ago and the rescuer is now her husband!
If a woman is in an uncomfortable situation, she would probably not be comforted by a random woman hugging her.
Interventions could take the form of polite questions about the time or some other dramatic but non-invasive approach.
One man wanted to know how he could help a woman in a similar situation without coming across as creepy or invasive. Usually, he would tell the harasser to back off but given that men tend to be territorial and aggressive, this can lead to altercations.
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