Inappropriate comments and propositions from strangers, groping, and worse are something women in the Caucasus are often forced to contend with, and while the problems seem universal, protections under the law are also universally lacking.
Originally published by OC Media 8 March When tourists from Arab countries flocked to Baku last summer, there was unanimous outrage in society and in the media, after reports emerged of tourists harassing women in the streets. But the same outrage does not appear to be present when the same behaviour is observed from local men, even though the problem is widely reported by women throughout the Caucasus.
Thirty-year-old Ayla Allahverdiyeva from Baku says that from the time she was at school, she began to feel threatened by men, and realised that at every step she might be in for trouble. But, nevertheless, I have heard obscene remarks addressed to me. One of the most recent and memorable events happened several months ago in the most populous part of the city. I turned and asked him to stop and explain himself.
Ayla still remembers with a shudder an incident in which a man threw an obscene insult at her just to humiliate her. She ran after her abuser for several blocks and forced him to apologise, threatening to turn to the police.
She has never actually reached out to the police. Like many others, Ayla does not want to; but she thinks the fear of criminal punishment is the only thing that can stop street harassment. In Azerbaijan, women are often too ashamed to speak out about their experiences. In a recent interview with newspaper ECHO, the head of the Human Rights Centre of Azerbaijan, Eldar Zeynalov, said there are no statistics on the number of victims of harassment, although some cases of sexual harassment are recorded.
