Hundreds of thousands of women around the world marched on the weekend to demand their rights and remind those in power that women’s rights are human rights. These women are fighting for a wide range of issues: reproductive and sexual health, equal pay, political representation, and an end to violence and discrimination against women, among many other topics.

One key demand is that women should be able to live without threats to our safety and security. This means that women must be free from abuse and harassment in our homes, in our workplaces, and on the streets.

By May 2017, I will have lived in Indonesia for five years. The last four of these have been in Jakarta. I have volunteered and worked with a range of women’s organisations such as Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia and ‘Aisyiyah, and have spent the last two years working on an international development program that places women’s health at its heart. I care deeply about Indonesia’s women and girls, and will fight alongside them for the fulfillment of their rights for as long as they will graciously allow me to do so.

ALSO READ: Fighting Back: The women working to end street harassment in Jakarta

About two weeks ago, I decided to conduct a short experiment: what would happen if I walked, alone, from my home near Pasar Mayestik in South Jakarta to Plaza Senayan? As a twenty-something white woman, I expected I would receive a fair amount of sexual harassment, to which I am unfortunately no stranger. I am harassed on the streets of Jakarta nearly every day – previous incidences of harassment range from the very minor (“Hey mister, you like sex?”) through to more serious physical forms (having my breasts grabbed by a passing motorcyclist).

The walk took only 35 minutes, and included both quiet streets and major ones such as Jl Pakubuwono. On the spur of the moment, I decided to also live tweet what I experienced:

Walking to Senayan Plaza from Pasar Mayestik wearing a skirt that doesn’t quite reach my knees. Gonna tweet how many times I get harassed — Kate Walton (@waltonkate) January 8, 2017

By the time I reached Plaza Senayan, I had been harassed 13 times by 15 men and boys:

3: Man in his 20s asks for my phone number without any advance introduction. — Kate Walton (@waltonkate) January 8, 2017

4: 30 seconds later another young man asks for my number. I ask ‘What for?’ And he said ‘Oh just to keep’. — Kate Walton (@waltonkate) January 8, 2017

10: Man in his 50s shakes his head as if in wonder, then tells me I’m beautiful IN FRONT OF HIS WIFE — Kate Walton (@waltonkate) January 8, 2017

11: Man in his 30s says ‘hello mister’, ‘hi’, ‘hi’ repeatedly as I walk away. — Kate Walton (@waltonkate) January 8, 2017

13: Security guard at STC Senayan whistles at me. — Kate Walton (@waltonkate) January 8, 2017

I had expected these sorts of comments, looks, and requests for my phone number. After all, they were no more sinister than what I experience every other day on the streets of Indonesia’s capital.

For the record, my skirt is loose but does not quite reach my knees. I am wearing a loose, tucked-in t-shirt on top. — Kate Walton (@waltonkate) January 8, 2017

What I had not expected was the amount of outrage that my live tweeting of the harassment would garner. Hundreds of Jakartans interacted with me on Twitter, expressing both shock and sadness at what Jakartan men flung at me:

@waltonkate really?? I thought that foreign women get better treatment than local women. I’m so sorry to hear that. Embarrassing really. — – (@fahrurozi) January 8, 2017

Wow. Baca tweets harassment yg didapatkan @waltonkate bikin geleng2 kepala. Too much jerks in this planet. I’m sorry. Following u btw — iman (@imanraisx) January 8, 2017

@waltonkate on behalf of Jakartan males, I’d like to offer my sincerest apology — Harits R Paramasatya (@hrpsatya) January 8, 2017

Many women and girls also shared with me some of their experiences:

@keinesasih @waltonkate I was so close from being harassed by a policeman. I wore my *oversized* high school uniform that time. — Adis (@germarama) January 8, 2017

@waltonkate syukurlah. Ibu saya pernah dipeluk dr belakang sm cowok yg ga dikenal. Dan itu membuat sy bener2 aware bgt ttg hal ini. — iman (@imanraisx) January 8, 2017

“My mother was once grabbed from behind by a man she didn’t know. That made me truly aware about this issue.”

Watching @waltonkate‘s timeline & I dont get how people can say catcalling is a compliment when women overwhelmingly agree WE DON’T LIKE IT. — atri (@mousharilla) January 8, 2017

@waltonkate you’re a brave soul. I walk 10m, building to parking lot.No matter what I wear, someone will make me feel uncomfortable everyday — atri (@mousharilla) January 8, 2017

It should be noted that I was never in serious danger, and that most of these comments, in the great scheme of things, were fairly harmless and banal.

What makes being a target of sexual harassment exhausting, however, is the sheer frequency with which it happens: every single day. It saddens me that I have to admit that I am not safe from sexual harassment anywhere in this city: not in its malls or offices, nor in its restaurants or on its streets.

It is tiring to have to be prepared to face off against men every moment you step outside your front door. Your body becomes tense, and you find yourself staring at the ground as you walk, because you do not want to meet anyone’s gaze and find that they are gazing at your breasts or legs. You withdraw from social interactions, and pretend to play on your mobile phone while waiting for your soto ayam from the seller on the corner. It is so, so exhausting.

Apa yg dialami @waltonkate jg terjadi kalau di terminal, halte, stasiun, dalam kereta. Yep, almost everyday. Traumatis sih krn keseringan 🙂 — Prameswari Puspa D. (@PraPuspa) January 8, 2017

“What was experienced by @waltonkate also happens in bus terminals, bus stops, stations, inside trains. Yep, almost everyday. It’s traumatic because it’s so frequent. “

I already do my best to reduce levels of sexual harassment: I wear leggings underneath any skirt or dress that doesn’t reach my knees, and cardigans over tops without sleeves. It makes no difference, as many other women have pointed out:

@waltonkate it’s horrible because this actually happens NO MATTER what we’re wearing; e.g. when I’m even wearing oversize jacket & mask! — ε (@yellohelle) January 8, 2017

@waltonkate Sorry to read this Beb. I wear long hijab and parachute jacket when running and still get catcalling! So not about your outfit! — Ligwina Hananto (@mrshananto) January 8, 2017

@waltonkate same. i sometimes experienced how i often get catcalling in my way back home from school even if i wear long skirt. — ara (@nettazurea) January 8, 2017

@waltonkate im sorry to hear tht,im indonesian wearing hijab,covering my self from top to toes n still get those harrasment n catcalling too — SeeA (@SeeA74) January 8, 2017

@waltonkate and for the past year I started wearing hijab the harassment, catcalling, still happened. Holding a baby doesn’t even stop them — Dwithia Wara (@thiyut) January 8, 2017

Indonesia’s Commission on Violence Against Women, Komnas Perempuan, recorded 321,752 cases of violence against women, including sexual harassment, in 2015.

Let me be clear: sexual harassment is a form of violence against women and girls. It is threatening and reminds us of how we are seen by broader society: as objects for men’s enjoyment and use.

How can this still be the case in 2017?

Will the candidates for the DKI Jakarta gubernatorial election this year do anything about the fact that the city’s women and girls feel uncomfortable, unsafe, and threatened on its streets and its public transport? We will have to wait and see.

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