Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for September 2010

Weekly Round Up: September 26, 2010

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Story Submissions Recap:

I accept street harassment submissions from anywhere in the world. Share your story!

In the News, On the Blogs:

Events:

Announcements:

12 Tweets from the Week:

  • dyanti Dear members of so called progressive community,careful when u harass a girl in the street. U might pick a wrong one,like me 🙂
  • jennifercwang Lovely. Street harassed by two obnoxious brobros last night. inappropriate! Hate this mantype. #iHollaback #streetharassment
  • LEVYandMarie Just another a-hole harassing me on my block #streetharassment on Twitpic twitpic.com/2rliv3 (cc @MarianneDiNaps)
  • CircaJoyLynn Wondering why I chose this bright red dress today. I really don’t want attention from strangers… #streetharassment
  • starlipswriters @rightsandwrongs The worst part of #streetharassment might be that harassers expect our silence. So speaking up & out is the thing to do.
  • TheUndomestic Yelled a nice “fuck you” to livery cab driver who slowed down to make kissing noises at me. #streetharassment
  • El_Amster Am surprised at lack of street harassment in Malaysia. Been here for 2 wks & not so much as a sidewards glance. I feel so free
  • KristyKakes Can’t I just go for a peaceful run without getting honked at, whistled at, or a catcall?
  • smartbunny When I saw a guy catcall a jogger, I yelled @ him, “Ooh a GIRL! I better yell something stupid 2 show what a MAN I am!”
  • SpreeWilson Street harassment is out of control here in NYC according to my female friends…An aquaintance even did a one woman play addressing it
  • DesiSanchez @iHollaback Random stranger feels it’s “sad” he can’t talk 2 pretty women in the street. Told him I feel it’s sad he feels the need to 🙂
  • ton_o_fun I just witnessed some creepy dude cuss out this girl walking down the st. bc she didn’t respond 2 his catcall. I don’t get men
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Street harasser sent home from work

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I work as a dog walker in NYC, and one afternoon I was walking one of my dogs and waiting at the corner of an intersection for a light to change. As I stood there, a truck for a very well-known delivery company drove by. The driver of the truck turned to ogle me (as he drove) and then made a disgusting, lewd kissing face / noise at me. I was horrified.

Fortunately, though he’d driven too fast for me to catch his license plate number, I recorded the exact time and location that the incident took place. That night, I e-mailed the company and notified them of the incident.

The company responded within 2 – 3 hours (not during normal business hours, either… I got an e-mail at 11 p.m.!). The person who wrote me was incredibly apologetic and informed me that he personally would find out who the driver was and attend to the situation himself. He gave me his direct number and asked if I could give a physical description of the driver, which I did.

A day later he e-mailed me again to let me know that the driver had been removed from the day’s schedule and sent home, and would have to attend meetings with an HR representative and the Director of Operations. It was great to feel like I could actually take action against street harassment and have my concerns taken seriously.

– Anonymous

Location: New York City, New York

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.

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Cross-border trade impeded by harassment

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Image from IPS News

In a UNIFEM study of 700 informal traders in Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and border posts to South Africa, women report that harassment and sexual exploitation by border officials seeking bribes constitute their biggest obstacles.

And it’s not just a few women who are impacted.  In Zimbabwe, for example, about 70 percent of women are involved in cross-border trade as part of their livelihood.

Via IPS News:

“The UNIFEM study describes the effects of the traders’ operating environment on their health. A reliance on public transportation, poor maintenance, high costs and incidences of theft and sexual harassment mean that women traders face serious threats.

The difficulty of obtaining loans and start-up capital for small businesses forces many women traders to borrow money from “loan sharks” to pay for transport and purchase goods.

Corrupt border officials who take advantage of traders’ sometimes limited level of understanding of the customs process may also confiscate some their goods illegally.

Many are forced to engage in transactional sex along trade corridors to obtain accommodation, transport or get through borders.

Upon returning home, female traders – who may be gone for weeks at a time – may be accused of prostitution and stigmatised.

[Ottilia Chikosha, from the Harare-based Regional Export Promotion Women’s Trust,] said the major challenge is how to help women informal traders to enter the formal economy.”

The good news is that earlier this month, UNIFEM held a workshop with the South African government to address the barriers facing women economically and how to make public spaces safer for them. I hope that good strategies and ideas came out of it.

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London bus stop masturbator

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So I’m sitting at the bus stop and this guy just starts tossing off next to me………..eeeeewwww

I froze, i didnt know what to do…then all his gunk starting flicking around…before i knew it he was gone and there was some on my coat.

– Anonymous

Location: London, UK

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.

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Car harassers can go to jail in Missouri!

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In Independence, Missouri, there’s a new ordinance making it illegal for people in cars to harass pedestrians and cyclists!

Hooray! This is the type of harassment I personally experience the most and I find it’s really dis-empowering because the idiot is able to get away before I can even respond.

While this blog focuses on women harassed by men because of their gender, I know there are plenty of men who also deal with drive-by harassment. They may be targeted for being or being perceived to be gay, for having a disability, for their race, etc. So this law sounds like a win for everyone who wants to be able to walk or cycle down the street in peace!

Via Fox News:

“If you are caught in Independence yelling at or harassing someone from your vehicle, you could be fined up to $500 or sent to jail, depending on the severity of the violation.

Independence City Manager Robert Heacock would like to see stiffer penalties.

‘I think it’s something we need to look at, the severity of what’s involved in harassing, possibly injuring someone, I think, warrants some further discussion as to the proper fine level,’ Heacock said.”

I wonder if any other cities will follow suit?

o(Thanks Violet from HollaBack NYC for the tip!)

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