An article by PCV, Drew.
After identifying the need for education on sexual
harassment in my site, I decided to show the video Breaking the Silence about Sexual Harassment: Moroccans Speak Out. Rather than show the forty-minute video
straight through, to better sustain attention and encourage discussion, we
viewed the video in three 10-15 minute segments with discussion immediately
following each segment.
Based on the recommendation of my mudir, the event was held
on February 26 and coincided with his large IYF class, which allowed for all of
his participants to attend. In addition, I advertised the event in my classes
and on social media and attraced fifty or so participants from my community,
which led to 50 or so youth, roughly half men and women, attending the event.
In order to foster trust, safety, and honest communication
on difficult subject matter, I opened the event with a speech setting
objectives and stating intentions for the event. First, it was important that I did not come
across as a foreigner chastising my community on issues of their society. Thus, I made sure to emphasize that sexual
harassment was an issue in America, and that similar discussions took place
there. Second, It was also very important that the men in the audience have an
accurate depiction of sexual harassment and victim blaming and their effects in
order to become a better ally to women in the community.
With the assistance of my mudir acting as moderator, after
viewing each segment of the video our goal was to facilitate fruitful, safe
dialogue before continuing on to the next segment. The first and second discussions went very
well. Although some people in the
audience disagreed with the message of the video, the discussion was
civil. There was a mutual respect of
opinions, and everyone was given the opportunity allowed
to talk.
After finishing the third and last segment of the video we
were joined by a man from the community who had no introduction or prefacing of
the material. Unfortunately, he was displeased by our conversations and stated
that the information delivered by myself and the video was incorrect. He stated
that women who did not wear a hijab deserved to be harassed and tried to take
over the event and prevent others from speaking. After repeated reminders that
this was a safe space for civil discussion, I had to ask for help in having
this man removed from our forum. Unfortunately, this dramatically changed the
tone of the event and participation became more combative, as attendees became
more aggressive in sharing their opinions. This was a less desirable outcome to
an otherwise successful, productive event.
However, some of the attendees left a valuable new
perspective. Two or three days after the
event, two of my male students asked me if we could show the video again, with
a smaller group and a longer time for discussion. They thought the video was eye opening, and
wanted another opportunity to have this type of conversation with women in a
more controlled setting.
The event was successful, and it was unfortunate that one
individual did so much to affect the tone of our discussion. When I hold similar events in the future, I
will require participants be present for the entire event and bar late
attendees.
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