L’Oréal Paris / Stand Up Against Street Harassment / Touche Pas À Ma Pote: All I Want For Christmas Is Safer Streets

An international study by L’Oréal Paris revealed that sexual harassment in public spaces was identified as the most important issue faced by women across the world. 80% of women have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces, and 76% of people have witnessed sexual harassment in public spaces. A further study by L'Oréal Paris in collaboration with Touche Pas À Ma Pote, the Belgian organisation that campaigns against gender based street harassment revealed that among 1,000 women in Belgium, 95% sometimes feel unsafe on the streets with 15% of respondents rarely or never feeling safe. A shocking 91% of young women in Brussels say they have already been sexually harassed in public places. With this in mind, L'Oreal aimed to provide reassurance to those feeling insecure or unsafe on the streets of Brussels and remind them about the Stand Up initiative which provides training in the intervention of street harrassment and support for those who have experienced it. At the brightest time of the year, the Christmas lights in the Rue Botanique – a dimly lit alley in central Brussels - is adorned with five expansive Christmas light garlands. Created by independent creative agency Mutant, each garland intricately portrays motifs dedicated to addressing street harassment against women. This art installation vividly captures the challenges women often face when alone on the streets, amplifying the collective plea for safer streets during the holiday season: "All I want for Christmas is safer streets."