How many women have no choice but to run the gauntlet of walking past a group of men, only to receive unwanted comments or catcalls? It can be a daily occurrence: so many people trying to stay calm, hoping in vain that tomorrow will be different. So bravo to Poppy Smart, from Worcester, who reported a group of builders to police after almost a month of harassment on her way to work.
Smart has faced ridicule in the press: one of the catcalling culprits refused to see a problem with his actions, and dismissed her as a “silly little girl”. But Smart didn’t just keep quiet and hope that the men would suddenly see the error of their ways.
After a month of repeated wolf-whistling, it was clear that they never would. Smart knew that she shouldn’t have to be intimidated or upset on her way to work, so recorded the builders’ behaviour and went to the police.
She has since received a “sort of apology” from the manager of the building site. So she should. For Smart’s actions weren’t, as some have suggested, a humourless overreaction. She merely wanted the behaviour to stop. Nobody should have to endure unwanted attention or feel unsafe as they walk down the street.
