28 Jan 2018

A march for 'anyone' who's been sexual harassed or assaulted

1:16 pm on 28 January 2018

By Nikki Mandow

Protestors are gathering at Auckland's Victoria Park Market for the Glittery March for Consent, a demonstration against sexual harassment and assault.

Katie Ashworth (left) and Stella Love Hart are marching against sexual harassment and assault.

Katie Ashworth (left) and Stella Love Hart are marching against sexual harassment and assault. Photo: RNZ / Nikki Mandow

The idea for the march came when a Rhythm and Vines festival goer, Madeline Anello-Kitzmiller, was groped while walking topless through the crowd, with her chest painted with glitter from a stall.

Footage of the unidentified man groping her breasts was shared on social media and sparked international debate about sexual consent.

March goer Katie Ashworth said people shouldn't have to dress and act modestly just to keep themselves safe, and the protest wasn't just for women.

"This is a march for anyone who has been a victim of sexual harassment or assault of any form, both boys and girls. We are just here to show our support for anyone who has been in that situation, because no one deserves to be touched without consent, no matter what they are wearing."

Ms Ashworth said it was disappointing some media content had focussed on the glitter aspect and not the serious issue behind the march. She said she'll just be supporting the cause, but won't be going topless.

"I think the most important part of this is just to be here for support. Some people are turning it into a topless glitter march, but that's not what it is."

Another protestor, Stella Love Hart, said sexual harassment was far more common than people realised and she wanted to highlight the importance of consent.

"I've been through a lot and everyone shares similar stories, including my family and friends. I don't know of many people who can say they haven't experienced sexual harassment or assault of one form."

A 2014 study in the British medical journal The Lancet found New Zealand and Australia had the third highest rate of reported sexual assault out of 56 regions.

The study said 16.4 percent of women in New Zealand reported being sexually assaulted by someone other than an intimate partner at least once in their lives.

This compares with an average of 7.2 percent of women across all the countries in the study.

Ms Love Hart hopes the march will go some way to bringing those statistics down.

"People shouldn't have to worry about the fact they could get raped because of something they wear, or get hit or assaulted or yelled at. It's not fair."

The march left Victoria Park Market at 12.30pm today, will group in Aotea Square at 1pm and then walk down Queen Street to Britomart.