The cost of creeps

NOT only does harassment cause unnecessary emotional stress to victims in the moment it happens, but trying to avoid a repeat harasser can become a great inconvenience, and even a financial burden in the long run.

Whether it’s in the workplace, on the street, or in their homes, women are constantly having to map their lives to evade harassers and stalkers for their own safety. They often have to change routines, addresses, service providers, jobs, and several other aspects of their livelihoods out of fear or pure disgust after being harassed or stalked by creeps.

These women share with All Woman just how much creeps have caused them to change in their lives, and what it cost them.

TB, 29, accountant:

A creep at work cost me a promotion. He was a manager, and if I had accepted the promotion I would have had to report directly to him. All the years I worked there he would constantly harass me in passing, but I could avoid him most days. But when I thought about the possibility of having to go to his office alone and dog site visits together, I just knew I could not do it. I refused the promotion and left the job shortly after.

AJ, 25, health worker:

A creep costs me about $300 everyday. I used to walk from the main road to my house to take the bus, but a certain man started timing me every day and walking me down or saying things to me, even though time and time again I turned him down. It got to a point where he was waiting close to my gate for me to leave out. So I started chartering a taxi to take me to work and back, just to avoid him.

JB, 32, educator:

Because of a stalker who sneaked into my house once, and the fear that I have of him, I had to spend a lot of money getting security cameras for my home, and taking self-defence lessons in case things ever get physical. He also cost me several futile trips to the police station, and a good amount of happiness, because even though it happened two years ago, and I have not seen him since, I am still very paranoid and afraid to be alone.

YD, 28, nurse:

I had to change doctors because my family physician is a creep. He was always very friendly since I was going to do my medicals in high school, but one time in sixth form I went to see him for a persistent headache, and he insisted on doing a full body exam, even though I felt fine. Something about the way his hand lingered in certain places just didn’t sit well with me, so I have since changed doctors. This cost more because of where I live, and my new doctor is way more expensive.

SK, 35, teacher:

I had to move, not because of one creep, but several. I lived alone at the time, and my house literally attracted every creep within a 10-mile radius. From creepy taxi men who dropped me home, to delivery men, to neighbours, to a man from the HR department at work who took my address from my file and turned up at my house uninvited. Eventually I got so frustrated and afraid that I moved into an apartment complex that has security. This has cost me so much I can’t even begin to calculate it.