Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for March 2011

“That it happens so much that women and girls just ‘deal with it’ is the most troubling thing”

By

About a month ago, i went to visit my friend, who’s a student at Manchester university. We got harassed every single night we went out that week (and once during the day when we were out shopping – a drunk guy staggered over to us and tried to kiss my friend).

The event that sticks in my mind the most is this one: we were returning from a night out – it was about 2 am. We had to catch a bus back to the halls of residence from the town centre. This guy started following us – he looked like he was about 30, and i’m pretty sure he was drunk.

He started yelling really offensive stuff at us (“One of you bitches come over here and give me head”, for example – and no doubt the fact that i can remember it shows how disturbed i was by it), but we just tried to ignore him. Then he got on the same bus that we caught, sitting a couple of seats behind us – fortunately there were quite a few other people on the bus, so he piped down. I’ll admit, i was sort of scared to get off the bus when we reached our stop, in case he started following us again, but fortunately he didn’t.

Like i said, we were getting yelled at every night we went out. But the worse thing about it is, when i spoke to my friend about it, she just said “Yeah, you get a lot of it in Manchester – you just get used to it after a while, and don’t go out by yourself at night.”

The very fact that it happens so much that women and girls just ‘deal with it’ is the most troubling thing.

–  Emily

Location: Manchester city centre, United Kingdom

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

Share

Whistling quickly turns into groping

By

I was followed as I ignored the whistling from a guy. Then the guy ran after me quickly and grabbed me on my bottom!!! I felt disgusted and I shouted ‘you idiot’ as I was speechless.

– I

Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

Share

Five joggers, one was a groper

By

I was queueing at a cashpoint with a couple of friends in a busy part of town one Friday night after work. It was cold so I was wrapped up warm, with a long thick coat on, which was just as well because a group of 5 men came jogging past us and one of them forcefully grabbed at my backside as he went by.

It all happened so quickly, I didn’t see which one it was and they were out of sight by the time I’d told the people around me what had happened. It made me feel angry and vulnerable.

– Natalie

Location: Fore Street, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

Share

If you’re coming from the BBC article…

By

Via http://womenspeak.tumblr.com/

A lot of you are coming to my blog today from the BBC Magazine article about street harassment – welcome!

I just want to quickly direct you to a few resources that may be useful:

Lastly, here’s a list of suggestions for what you can do to help end street harassment.

Cheers!

Share

Why many women are suspicious of men who really do just need directions

By

I was in my neighbourhood, walking home from an appointment at around 10.30 in the morning. A man in a car pulled over and asked me for directions to a street, but I explained I didn’t know where it was. He then proceeded to follow me in his car while saying the most disgusting things about my body and what he wanted to do to me. I wasn’t far from home but I didn’t want to lead him right to my front door.

There was a fork in the road with a small strip of houses in the middle, and I went down the one opposite to where his car was heading and hid in the wheelie bin area as I was terrified. I thought he was going to bundle me into his car. I heard his car back-up and assessed my options. I was already ringing my housemates but there was no reply. I scanned the area and saw a young man in the distance and bolted towards him. As I reached him and began to explain what was happening, I heard the car screech away into the distance.

I reported the situation to the police but nothing ever came of it. I felt it necessary to explain myself to the police: I was only wearing jeans and t-shirt at the time (i.e. nothing provocative), although the police officer made it clear that this was irrelevant.

This was not the first or last time something like this had happened to me. To a large extent these incidents of harassment dictate to me what I leave the house wearing, particularly if I am on my own, but I generally find that it doesn’t matter what I’m wearing. I still get unwanted vulgar remarks, horns honked at me and sometimes even followed while being jeered at. It has definitely shaken my confidence in going anywhere alone, even in the day time, and makes me feel disgusting and inferior to be objectified.

– Anonymous

Location: Leeds, United Kingdom

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

Share