AN INNOVATIVE new campaign by Warwick District Council aims to highlight the impact of sexual harassment on women and girls.
‘In Her Shoes’, produced in collaboration with local production company YouNeek Productions and funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire, uses a gender-role-reversal approach, where a schoolboy and an adult man go about their day and experience examples of the everyday micro-aggressions that many women and girls face.
The aim of the video and the campaign is to encourage boys and men to reflect on these situations and consider how they might feel in the same circumstances.
The video was launched at an event at the Royal Spa Centre on Tuesday March 10, with partner organisations including Warwickshire Police and local support charities in attendance.
WDC’s safer communities spokesperson Coun Jim Sinnott said: “Every woman and girl deserves to walk through our streets feeling safe and respected. Too often, inappropriate behaviour like wolf whistling, catcalling and persistent staring are just dismissed as normal, which if left unchallenged could escalate and lead to the wider issue of violence against women and girls.
“Our aim is to show the impact that these micro-aggressions can have, to empower people to have the courage to challenge sexual harassment when they see it; and encourage better behaviour from the boys and men in our community.”
Luke Evans, creative director at YouNeek Productions, added: “As a company, and as a human, we were delighted to be asked to produce this film for the council. They had a vision, and we took that and created ideas to make them visually come to life. Not just to look nice, but to have an impact, to make a viewer think slightly differently.
“No one should be made to feel uncomfortable when out in public, girls and women especially. We want to play a part in something that we believe will make a difference. Storytelling through video production is what we do, and this is definitely a story worth telling and one we want to be a part of.”
Visit www.warwickdc.gov.uk/inhershoes for more details.
