Student Who Went Viral After Harassment Creates Site To Empower Women

Marie Laguerre created a site for women to report street harassment after a video of her being slapped outside a café when viral.

“So I crossed a man on my way who started making sexual noises, humiliating and degrading whistling, licking sounds,” she stated, “He wasn’t the first that day, or that week. That happens on a daily basis and it keeps building and building until you can’t take any more.”

Laguerre posted the video on the incident online and says she’s been contacted by women from all over who have had similar situation happen to them. Days after the incident, France passed a law that will make street harassment illegal and punishable by fines up to 750 euros.

“The idea is that [the fine] is high enough to be a deterrent but also that we could be sure the harasser can pay it immediately, so that the law can be efficient,” explained the minister for gender equality Marlène Schiappa.

The law doesn’t go into effect until September 2018 but Laguerre has reportedly filed a complaint with police. Her attacker hasn’t been identified yet, but police say they’re investigating. Laguerre also created an online forum that allows women to anonymously report harassment in the street, workplace, or elsewhere.

“We’re taking advantage of this media attention to try to move things forward in a concrete direction,” she said. “So what we’re trying to do is to establish an internet site which is called Nous Toutes Harcelement for people to share their experience of harassment.”