Singapore students use virtual reality to fight sexual harassment after #MeToo scandal

Sexual harassment has always been a big concern for women across the globe but dealing with sexual offenders has been an even bigger concern for most of them who often go into a state of shock while experiencing it first hand. However, that problem can be solved now as a team of four students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have found a way to better prepare women for handling sexual assault. The team has developed a project that would provide realistic practice through Virtual Reality (VR) to help women respond to sexual harassment more confidently. 

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All about the project

The VR technology is part of the Girl, Talk project which is aimed at helping and preparing women to fight sexual harassment with stronger reaction and better response. Girl, Talk was created by four women -- Danelia Chim, Seow Yun Rong, Heather Seet, and Dawn Kwan, who felt while #MeToo has created awareness around sexual harassment, it gave little information on how to deal or respond in a situation like these, that leaves most women scared or too shocked to react. 

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"For survivors of sexual harassment, it is important to recognise what harassment is and to override the notion of self-blame or guilt by understanding that harassment is never a survivor’s fault. We want to empower our audience to respond to harassment by equipping themselves with knowledge, reading resources, undergoing first responder or self-defense training, and most importantly, having respectful conversations to be confident & prepared," the Girl, Talk project said on its website.

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The VR simulation created by the Girl, Talk team was conducted as a pilot for campus sexual harassment prevention training at the Nanyang Technological University, which was attended by undergraduates. It aims to raise awareness about what campus harassment looks like and enable students to respond safely and effectively by promoting conversations about the taboo topic.

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(Image Credit: AP)