A 52 year old British woman got more than she bargained for during her recent parasailing experience in Tunisia.
Michelle Wilson claims the parasailing instructor touched her inappropriately while flying with her over the open seas.
Some netizens are horrified at the experience.
Michelle Wilson claims the parasailing instructor strapped behind her acted improperly
Trigger warning: This article contains details that may be distressing to some
As first reported in The Sun, Michelle Wilson said she felt s*xually assaulted when the instructor, who was supposed to be keeping her safe, pressed his body into hers making her feel the exact opposite.
The paper says it happened on the beaches of Sousse, Tunisia when Wilson was vacationing with her three children, a 17 year old daughter, 16 year old twin boys, and her daughter’s friend, also 17.
Wilson said she had originally planned to do the parasailing experience with a friend, but on that day, the operator told her it was too windy. They would each need to go strapped to an experienced parasailer
She said her friend went up first “and had a great time, with no problems”.
Then, it was Michelle’s turn. What happened next, she said, ruined her vacation.
Wilson says the parasailer straddled his legs around her while they were in the air
As they lifted-off into the skies above the beach, Wilson said the parasail operator then began to press himself against her.
“I could feel the back of my bikini bottoms being pulled, and he was pulling the strap,” The Sun reported. “He must have been tightening the harness to get me closer.
Wilson said that the instructor’s “legs straddled around me, he had one hand up on the parachute, the other wasn’t. Then I felt him touch my leg.”
Recalling the incident in horror, she told The Sun: “He was groping me and moving back and forth into me and talking to me in Arabic,” Wilson said.
“What did you expect?”: Netizens react to Michelle Wilson’s parasailing experience
The whole inappropriate touching thing has left some netizens with a bad taste in their mouths.
“No one should ever experience something so traumatic—especially during what should’ve been a thrilling moment,” said one sympathetic netizen.
Conversely, other people said she should have known better, saying things like “what did you expect”, or inferring that she asked for it: “So you wear a bathing suit or bikini and strapped to a strange man and expect to be respected,” someone wrote.
But still others implored commentators to “stop victim shaming”: “No wonder people like that think it’s okay to behave indecently towards women when people clearly from their comments think it’s a laughing matter, when it is not and it’s not okay no matter what, no matter what she was wearing,” the person wrote.
And no comment section would be complete this summer with mention of Coldplaygate: “I heard they were listening to Coldplay.”
“This wasn’t banter”: Wilson is unequivocal about what she experienced
The act of parasailing would be terrifying enough, Wilson said, but in her case, it was extra scary.
“I felt him pressing against me. I kept arching my back. I felt violated and dirty and was scared. “
Wilson noted that the operator was very young: “He was only a young lad, maybe around 20,” she told The Sun.
When she was back on terra firma, Wilson said, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“She burst into tears when she landed and complained to the water sports centre’s manager, then to the local police,” The Sun reported.
“As women you expect a bit of banter from men in these countries, but this wasn’t banter, it was a s*xual assault,” The Sun quoted her as saying.
Authorities may have already taken action against the parasailing operator
According to the original article from The Sun, Wilson did get a bit of closure on the matter.
“She believes her attacker has since been arrested, and her insurance firm and the Foreign Office are assisting in the case,” the article reports.
Wilson reportedly spent £6,000 (roughly $8,000) on the trip, which was booked as an easyJet package holiday.
In a statement the airlines told The Sun: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers is a priority, and we are continuing to support Ms Wilson. We are also liaising closely with our hotel partner to look into the reports.”
British authorities recommend victims contact embassies or consulates to report assaults while on holiday
Instances of s*xual assault while traveling do happen. The frequency of which, unfortunately, are underreported.
A study conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland from February of this year found that 7 percent of people who report their alleged s*xual violence (SV) to the country’s S*xual Assault Treatment Unit said that they had been assaulted while on an international vacation.
“The majority of these incidents were disclosed as being perpetrated by a stranger or recent acquaintance, in an indoor setting with over half having occurred in Europe,” their study said.
Image credits: Jon Tyson / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
As for what one should do if they are the victim of inappropriate touching or groping while traveling internationally, the U.K. government’s travel website advises people to: “Remember that it was not your fault. R*pe and s*xual assault is always wrong – no matter who commits it or where it happens. It is traumatic and it can affect you both physically and emotionally. Do not be afraid to get help.”
Meanwhile, according to the website R*pe Crisis England & Wales, it’s important to get somewhere safe.
The site advises victims who are “Not in danger or in need of urgent medical attention,” to consider contacting the nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate for support.
Online, Michelle Wilson’s story has been making waves
