Filming in Local Markets
Author: Lone Bendixen Goulani, University of Kurdistan – Hewler, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Review/editing: Aaron Rotsinger, University of St Andrews
Situation: Freja is a young Danish woman working for an international NGO in Iraq. She is aware of the local dress code and usually wears long skirts and loose short sleeve shirts for work. One day, she asks her local driver to take her to a big fruit and vegetable market to collect data about working children. There are many working children in the market, and she films the surroundings and asks questions to the vendors. Out of nowhere, a group of men surround her and angrily start shouting “Haram, Haram, Haram”. Other men join, and soon a crowd has formed around her. Suddenly, Freja’s driver grabs her and drags her out of the crowd, and they both run to the car with the group of angry men running after them. Once she is in the car, the driver locks the car. The angry men bang on the car and keep shouting until they have left the marketplace. The experience shocks Freja, and she thinks about what she did wrong.
Question: What do you think went wrong in this situation? What could Freja/the angry men have done differently?
*Haram: anything forbidden or prohibited according to Islamic law including certain actions, foods and drinks.
Freja was the only woman in the market which the men found inappropriate.
Freja was filming people in the market without permission which provoked the men.
Freja was wearing a fitted short-sleeve shirt, and her naked arms were considered inappropriate.
The men should quietly have told Freja that they were uncomfortable with her presence and data collection and asked her to leave.
The NGO should have informed Freja that doing research alone in a male dominated environment could pose a threat to her safety.
Does it bother you if you are being filmed or photographed without your permission?
Have you experienced people being harassed because of how they dress?
Is it the employer’s responsibility to inform their employees about the local dress code?
What do you consider appropriate clothes for an office in your home country?
Should immigrants or tourists wear the same clothes as the locals?