Demonstrators take to Tel Aviv streets in annual SlutWalk

Scantily dressed women took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Friday for the annual “SlutWalk” protest, which highlights a woman’s right to wear whatever she chooses want without facing sexual harassment.

The march, which kicked off at 11 a.m. in Rabin Square, wound its way to the plaza at the Habima national theater on the corner of the tony Rothschild Boulevard, before ending at Meir Park on King George Street.

Demonstrators stopped traffic along the way, chanting slogans and carrying signs reading: “Still not asking for it” and “Make love, not rape.” Speakers delivered defiant and emotional addresses at the event’s last stop in the park, where they discussed about their own experiences and the sexism they see in Israeli society, from the classroom to the conscripted army.

The walkers comprised mainly of women in their teens and twenties, although some men were present. Some demonstrators scrawled derogatory words such as “whore” and “slut” on their exposed skin.

SlutWalks first began in Toronto, Canada in April 2011, in response to a police officer’s suggestion that “women should avoid dressing like sluts” in order to avoid being raped. Since then, the protests have taken place in cities throughout the world, and have broadened their scope to include protests against all types of sexual assault and harassment, as well as the prevalence of victim blaming.

Jerusalem’s SlutWalk was held this year on May 13, and another took place in the northern city of Haifa in June.