On Monday January 13th 2025 SACHA and McMaster SVPRO will be collaborating to host Cats Against Catcalling. This event will take place in the MUSC Atrium at McMaster from 12:00 – 3:00pm.
At this event you can learn from SACHA and SVPRO about how to use a Bystander Intervention approach to react to seeing someone get catcalled. We will be running 15min info sessions throughout the three hours on this topic and everyone who completes an info session will be given the opportunity to then enter the cat pen where you will be able to destress by playing with some adorable cats and kittens brought in by the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA.
If you come during a 15min session and have to wait for the next one you will be able to visit the tables at the event where you can do some colouring, chat with SACHA and SVPRO staff about our services, or make a cat toy with folks from the SPCA.
Catcalling is not a compliment, it is harassment and sexual violence.
In a post secondary setting most women (80%) and men (86%) who had experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours said that a fellow student had carried it out. And this is why bystander intervention is so important. Bystander intervention works by acting in the moment where the harassment is happening to stop it from escalating.
1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men 15 or older have felt unsafe or uncomfortable due to unwanted sexual behaviour. No one should be subjected to harassment at any time, we all deserve to be safe!
Less than 10% of students who experience unwanted sexualized behaviours speak with someone associated with the school —such as a faculty member, student support service or campus security — about what happened. But we can change this culture of silence! By having conversations like these we can show those affected that others care and that they deserve support.
In the postsecondary setting over the previous 12 months, women students were more likely than men to have experienced any of the 10 unwanted sexualized behaviours measured by a Stats Canada survey. The largest gaps between women and men were with unwanted sexual attention such as whistles and catcalls (experienced by 27% of women and 6% of men) and unwelcome physical contact or getting too close (21% of women versus 7% of men). While all gender can experience cat calling , women (and gender diverse folks) are at higher risk to this type of harassment because of misogyny and transphobia but we can combat street harassment by also fighting against gendered oppression and gender biases.
