To ask for a diary of sexual harassment?

[DarthMaiden]

Inspiration came from the Harvey Weinstein thread.

Sexual harassment/assault is endemic - but no one seems to be able to capture the scale of the problem.

So...my thought is we do so here. A diary of sorts.

The everyday sexism and assault we encounter.

It’s not easy to report for many women so perhaps being able to record might help.

I agree Hadron.

I can’t help believe that the overwhelming majority of women have been the subject of sexual harassment.

When i contributed to this thread i actually had to remind myself that a random man i didnt know touching me on the bus was sexual harrassment. I have left out loads of gropings/inappropriate comments because they barely register. Even as a young teenager it was seen as an every day 'normal' thing to happen. I didn't like it, it was just something that happened that i had to put up with.

They stories are heartbreaking.

I’ve been thinking over the last few days how I can help. I think the first step is to talk about it, or at least see others talk about it and get support from people who know what you’ve been through. Mumsnet is a great place for it and it’s anonymous but I feel that we’re constantly coming up against NAMALT posters, MRA infiltrators and trolls.
I’ve set up a Facebook group for survivors of sexual assault and rape. Please check my posting history to see that I’m a genuine poster and that I’ve shared my story several times, including early on on this thread.

To protect my identity I’ve used my sock Facebook account to open it. I’ll only accept females (born females) to the group. It’s a secret group so no one on your friends list can see you’re in it. I won’t post the group name here but if you’d like to join please feel free to PM me. I’ll PM you back a link to add my sock account as a friend (I can only add friends to secret groups). I have zero friends in my sock account so I know whoever adds me wants to be part of the group, and I won’t ask for your real name on here so I won’t be able to link your username and real name. Happy to accept sock Facebook accounts as I know people don’t want to share their real name.

You don’t have to share your story in the group, it’s more for a place to get support and discuss issues and sometimes just vent.

I have come here as this thread was referenced on another forum and I thought a wider perspective would make me more informed. Although my wife and I have hoped that our example and openness would educate our children effectively, the increasing awareness of the prevalence of abuse makes us aware we likely need to do more.

As the father of a 12 year old daughter and 10 year old sons - the last couple of weeks have involved some powerful conversations in the family about the nature of relationships between men and women and how to ensure that our children do all they can to protect themselves and others.

This thread has left me feeling incredibly sad that this society - largely controlled by my fellow men, has legitimised and systematised the abuse of women and made it ‘normal’. I am so sorry that so many of you have been through this and have not been supported or felt empowered.

I’m sorry if this is rambling or unclear - I just felt that I could not read of these experiences without acknowledging them.

J