When both the European Parliament and Commission started to develop anti-sexual harassment campaigns, they sought the advice of specialists in women’s groups on how to communicate on the sensitive issue. They got two pieces of advice from the women’s lobby group: do not feature women being harassed and communicate from the victims’ point of view.  

The Commission and Parliament promptly ignored the advice. The Commission produced stickers with a pictogram of a man pinching a woman’s backside. The Parliament produced a ‘Guide for Members’ featuring a picture of a man in despair with his head in his hands, presumably because he was caught harassing someone and his political career was damaged.

A friend told me she attended the ritual burning of the two institution’s propaganda materials by a woman’s rights lobby group.