A SKIBBEREEN-based solicitor is calling on women in West Cork and beyond to back a campaign calling out men who behave inappropriately towards women.

Maria O’Donovan and her law student daughter, Eva O’Donovan, are want to see an end this kind of unacceptable behaviour – including sexual harassment - being normalised.

“Recently I was told about a situation where a married man approached a young woman and decided it was appropriate to tell her what he does while thinking about her," the principal solicitor of MoD & Co told The Southern Star.

“This type of encounter, in itself, is sadly an all-too-common occurrence for many women. In the last number of weeks alone, I have heard of several disturbing situations, some of which may give rise to criminal complaints, but many of which fall short of illegality. 

"One girl encountered a man in a sauna who told her what she should do to lose weight so she would look more like her friend; there was another situation where a man drove up to a bus stop where a woman was waiting on her own and flashed her."

Maria believes that many women have grown up with this type of behaviour and have developed learned responses to it. 

“I think most women would agree that our typical responses to these types of situations range from accepting that this is something we have to put up with, to outright anger, but there is no outlet for that anger.

“If we get angry, our reactions are dismissed as hysterical or dramatic; by suggesting that we should be flattered by the attention; or by telling us that we can’t take a joke," she said.

"If we accept it as something we should be used to, or by pass it off as 'it is what it is’, nothing will ever change because acceptance is still acceptance.” 

Eva (25) is of the opinion that this type of toxic masculinity can leave the recipient feeling shame, a feeling that it is something she has done something wrong. This, in turn, can limit women, particularly younger women, in knowing what to do in such circumstance.

“It can be very hard in the moment to process what is being said and find the right way to shut it down. And often attempts to shut it down fall on deaf ears anyway,' she added.

Maria and Eva are asking women and men to help them raise awareness. It is their intention to create an outlet for the telling of such incidents of inappropriate and unwanted behaviour. 

“While obviously criminal activity can and should be reported, behaviour which falls short of that has nowhere to go."

That is until now because they are asking women to email [email protected] and tell their story in confidence. 

These stories will be collected and shared, anonymously, on a platform that Maria and Eva are currently working on. 

They are of the opinion that the sheer volume of interactions will empower women to call out, if not stop, a type of behaviour that is no longer acceptable.