by CYNTHIA ARVIDE
(WNN) Mexico City, MEXICO: Ignored by her local police force Nancy Rojas Pastelín didn’t find justice until her story became popular on social media. YouTube, Twitter and Facebook in Mexico is now transforming and changing the way a growing number of people, especially women, report injustice.
In a region where too many police departments depend on political favours, selective enforcement of the law and a lack of transparency, women can face large obstacles reporting crimes. But things are changing as social media empowers women to speak-out about injustice.
After exposing her case to a local police unit, Nancy Rojas Pastelín, a 28-year-old fashion designer living in Mexico City, finally received the attention she deserved. Assistance came only after exposing her case as a victim of sexual harassment on YouTube.
On January 22, 2012, Pastelín decided to seek help directly from police authorities as she tried in vain to deal with a sexual harasser who was becoming more and more intimidating. Instead of receiving the appropriate help from the police, Nancy was told not to “exaggerate” her claim. She was also told that unless her harasser “touched, grabbed or raped” her there was nothing the police could or would do to help her.
Mexico City isn’t the only place where women and girls are subjected to harassment. Women and girls worldwide can be bothered and degraded at school, work or on the streets. “A study in the USA found that 83 per cent of girls in grades 8 to 11 (aged around 12 to 16) in public schools experienced some form of sexual harassment,” says Amnesty International.
Some form of sexual harassment can be found in every country in the world. Asia too has its share of cases.
To help with the constant sex-harassment his sister has received on the streets in Delhi, India, Manu Chopra a 16-year-old doting younger brother, invented a protective device for his sister to wear to help her deal with any aggressive and inappropriate touching from men on the street.
The device is worn just like a wristwatch. Amazingly it can deliver a sharp electric shock to any harasser who comes ‘too close.’ Triggered by a ‘fear reaction’ charted by a sharp rise in the heartbeat of its wearer, the device works when it is pressed against an assailant’s skin. In the next year this innovative protective device may be available to the public after it goes through testing and further product development.
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