This Pakistani radio show confronts 'endemic' ogling of women
For many women in the country, the simple act of leaving the house can be uncomfortable, even intimidating — the probing gaze of the opposite sex is never far away.
Fed-up with the constant unwanted attention, broadcaster Anila Ansari decided to bring the touchy subjects of harassment to the airwaves, by launching an “anti-ogling campaign” on her national radio show.
The idea — unprecedented in this conservative Muslim country where misogyny is often legitimised by hardline clerics — came to her at the start of the year when she returned to her country after living for two decades in Great Britain.
Everywhere she went in public spaces, she felt endlessly intimidated by the male gaze — and found she was far from alone.
“I went to different offices, restaurants: everywhere I went I could see these eyes following me,” she told AFP from the Radio99 office located in the centre of Islamabad.
“So I came to my office and started asking my female colleagues and said 'Is it just me or do you experience that as well?', and every woman I spoke with said 'Oh don't even talk about it, it's so endemic.'” When it came to the men, though, many didn't even realise there was a problem.