When did you start the account?
On Friday October 18th, 2019
Why were you inspired to start the account?
Because of the rampant catcallings in Indonesia that have become a habit and made a joke. I feel that bad habits need improvement. And I found @catcallsofnyc that made me and my friends moved to make people aware that catcallings are acts of sexual harassment.
Why is chalking back a good method?
In raising public awareness and improving their mindset, there must be people who start and share their perspectives on the importance of protecting women's honor, and Chalking back holds it all up and shares it with everyone so that they are not focused on one point of view.
Why is ending street harassment important?
In addition to discussing catcallings, there are many forms of harassment on the streets. My friends and I often experience this unpleasant thing. Aside from making it uncomfortable, sometimes the victims of abuse choose to remain silent. In Indonesia, this kind of harassment is still considered normal and often blames the victim in dressing as a key. Ending sexual harassment is the same as reviving women's rights.
What is your favorite thing about your city?
Semarang is one of the major cities in Indonesia. And the thing that I think is fun about the city of Semarang is about the layout and buildings that are more like the building of Europe. When traveling around, it makes me feel like I am abroad.
How can your city better address street harassment?
After conducting a campaign on a car free day in the Simpang Lima area, my friends and I met with one of the communities where they told me about the difficulty of finding a catcalling community in Semarang. That makes me assume that catcallings are still foreign ears, especially for the people of Semarang. And the government has not shown any support or movement to hold seminars on sexual harassment itself.
What do you hope is the outcome of your account?
I only hope that with this account, people will become more aware and willing to respect women. On the other hand, I want to invite everyone to better understand that the woman should be protected not insulted and dropped her pride.
What’s the most difficult street harassment experience you’ve experienced?
To be honest, the worst thing I've ever experienced was while on my way back home, I ran into several men and one of them came up to me and held my private part. At that time I could only slap the person and ran away. I am very scared. Even at home I still felt scared and anxious. In that position I did not know what to do. Want to tell any story, I'm afraid of the response that I will receive. As a result I can only keep it myself.
What does being part of this campaign mean to you?
I will be very honored and proud to be in this part of the campaign, because I feel I will spread the goodness by always reminding my friends to safeguard the honor of the women affected by this abuse. Being part of this campaign made me even more aware of doing good and was always a reminder when my friends did catcallings. And I feel happy that someone can change their bad habits with me in this part of the campaign.