Dear Future President,

I may not know very much about recent political issues, but I do know about women’s rights. I also know that many women are getting disrespected day by day. They are walking home from work, school, etc. when a man catcalls them. This happens all of the time. Some people may say that women are being over dramatic and should take catcalling as a compliment; but most of the women in the world think otherwise. Men catcall women to gain power and dominance. Because people are not changing the way they talk to women, this bad trait has been passed down to a younger generation. Now, young girls from ages 10-17 are being catcalled on a weekly basis. We need you to help us change this cycle. Women are getting unwanted attention by men and it is not stopping; proving that if we don’t fix this problem soon, we will have a country filled with a bunch of hatred toward each other.

I care a lot about this type of street harassment and for many reasons. One reason is because I have dealt with it and I am only thirteen years old. I was walking with a few of my family members one night. After we left the house a car drove by with two young men shouting inappropriate things about myself and my family. This is very upsetting. And I am not the only one who has had this happen to them. Many of my friends have come up to me, telling me stories about strange men who came up to them asking for their number or if they wanted to do “nasty stuff”. Now we don’t look any older than 13 so these men must know that they are hitting on a little girl. And that alone is pretty disgusting

Also, the fact that many celebrities are hinting that they catcall. For example,some of our political people have been accused of sexual harassment and they both have somewhat gotten away with it. These people who are high in power need to be setting a good example for the young men and women out there and instead they are just showing us what not to do. Studies have shown that gay people have been prone to catcalling. Both men and women. That is another reason why we need to stop catcalling. Nobody should have to deal with that and now that we know that catcalling is beginning to happen to other people; we can tell that it is becoming a bigger issue.

There are many things that we can do to prevent this sort of harassment. First off, Future President, you should be setting a good example for the children of America. Start conversations about how to respect each other.. You can also encourage schools and parents to teach their boys how to respect women and then the girls will return the favor. There are many apps where you can express your opinion about this problem, but the most popular one has to be a new app called “Hollaback!” This app lets women put in the things they are told on the street and then it is sent in to their company and sometimes, the police. Women can take a picture or video of the person who is talking to or following them.

Future president, the women of America are counting on you to set catcalling straight. Street harassment should not be neglected for it is a very important for our society to succeed. Fixing this problem by teaching boys to be respectful around women can create many benefits for the American people. Doing this can help women feel safer when walking home from work, school, etc.Helping fix this problem can also help the men in America get girlfriends and wives. Women appreciate men who are respectful and are more likely to go out with you when you act with manners. Are you willing to risk the future happiness of American men and women just because we are being “over dramatic”? I’m not. If we don’t succeed in our attempt to change the U.S. for the better, we will continuously have tension between men and women. Women will be scared to walk alone and may eventually fight back to the predators which may end in some injured people. So I have one question, are we going to have a safe country for our children?

Sincerely,

Olivia H.