Harassment

I am almost 100% sure that all women at least once in their lives have received some type of harassment, either on the street, on social networks or in their own schools. Some would think that they have not received it, but harassment manifests itself in so many ways that we already visualize it as normal, for example: a boy is writing to you and controlling you, even though you don't want to have anything with him, that is harassment. I remember that even when I was in middle school, I was still a girl basically, and I received disgusting comments from men on the street, and throughout my life the mentality of those guys who are harassers has not changed. It is disastrous, and they have done it to me, since I am a girl. When you reach maturity, it is worse. So, first in this blog entry I am going to talk why harassment is so common in Latin America more than abroad, then, I’ll explain which gender is more affected by harassment, and how it affects their lives, lastly, I’ll tell you about the types of harassment that exist, so you can learn and identify it, to not allow it.

According to a study carried out by the NGO Plan International, Latin America is the region in the world with the highest number of cases of harassment. Lack of education, customs, and raising are the main factors that leads to this type of behavior. In the place where we live, it is not normal to speak, and teach basic things since we are children. We are not a continent that opens up, and talks about how we feel, much less in our country. In Guatemala to talk about sex, feelings, self-esteem, mental problems, even being respectful, are a taboo. For this reason, we grow up in such an unpleasant environment where people are not able to have empathy. This triggers harassment, which consists of unwanted aggressive behavior on the part of another person or people.

Women are harassed every day. I dare say. In our environment so poor of common sense and respect, it has become routine to hear types of barbarities, and “Compliments" in the streets. You learn to ignore or be afraid all the time. It’s not a secret that the gender that suffers the most from this deplorable problem is women. Clearly we can't leave out children, who are harassed and violated in their schools. Another commonly harassed group, is the LGTBQ collective, which are the product of mockery and mistreatment in the streets and social networks. Unfortunately, many people without the slightest sense of humanity still have a mentality that leads them to this type of behavior, and with that impregnated mentality a change sounds almost impossible.

Identifying and reporting harassment is an important part of eradicating this problem, that's why here are some of the most common types of harassment. Sexual, verbal, physical and psychological. It is of great importance to know that everyone manifests themselves in different ways, and that some types of harassment are almost undetectable as well as manipulative. I used to think that if your ex-boyfriend, suitor, even friend. Who does not stop sending you messages or repeatedly looks for you, despite the fact that you have already said NO, is a form of harassment. That leads to a greater problem, most of the time, and that if the person does not stop doing it, it is important to go to someone for help. This is considered harassment and sometimes we don't know it.

In short, we live in a society that forces us to be more careful and be alert. We most be stronger than usual, and force ourselves to deal with thoughtless people. Harassment is not normal, and we don't have to put up with it. Raising our voices, asking for help, and not allowing this type of violence. Will help us to be one step closer to living a more or less quiet life.