Story By: Ernest Bio Bogore, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
A female student said she was been held down and kicked in the face by three men for wearing a short skirt in Northeastern France.
The incident took place in Strasbourg in the Grand Est region of northeastern France, as the girl, named locally as Elisabeth, was walking home on Friday 18th September.
As she walked near the Malraux media library she passed three men who were all in their twenties.
Elisabeth, 22, said that one of the men shouted at her “look at that wh*re in a skirt”.
She then said: “Sorry?”
The attackers then snapped saying “you shut up, b*tch, and lower your eyes” before they physically attacked her.
She told France Bleue: “Two of them grabbed me by one arm each and the third one kicked me in the face. Then the three of them ran away.”
Elisabeth said there is an increasingly unhealthy and dangerous climate for young women in Strasbourg.
She said that there were around fifteen witnesses present at the time, but nobody reacted or did anything, either during or after the attack.
Elisabeth said: “This is what revolts me the most”.
For the young student, street harassment has become an almost daily ordeal: “It’s really violent, dirty and perverse.
“They always make remarks – they say ‘good chick’ and leave right away. It’s always very cowardly in fact.
“That’s what I noticed this summer, it’s the summer of cowards.”
Elisabeth remains strong and determined to fight in spite of the brutal attack.
She said: “I am putting things into perspective – it could have been much worse.
“Life is so short and there are so many beautiful things that happen.
“You shouldn’t let yourself get down and be afraid to go out or afraid to put on a skirt”.
She has reported the incident to the police.
The municipality of Strasbourg estimates that less than 10 percent of female victims of street harassment and sexist attacks report them.
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