Archives for June 2011

It happened on June 17, at 10:30 am at Laxmi Nagar, Delhi. A girl was waiting on the road, may be for her friend. Suddenly two guys appeared on a scooter and started teasing her. Their comments were disgusting. People were watching it and nobody said a single word. The guys became loud. They started asking fruit seller what is the prize of banana. Poor girl, she didn’t say any word, but guys were too much, then they left.

– Anonymous

Location: Laxmi Nagar, near Jagat Ram Park, Delhi

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I have been harassed yet again in the previous week.

1) I had just been to bingo (had a good night for a change) and decided to nip into the shop on my way back to Grans’. I saw there were no gangs hanging around outside the shop so seized my chance.

So much for thinking I wouldn’t get harassed though…

Just as I was paying for my items, I heard four young boys behind me talking about me. One said, “You fancy her?” “Ewww!” “Why would you fancy her?” along with snickering. I knew they were referring to me because there wasn’t any other women nearby. As I walked out, I snapped at them to get some respect but the damage was already done. I was upset for the rest of the night.

2) The day after being insulted by those boys, I was ‘complimented’ but in a very lecherous way. I had just got out of my mothers car and a middle aged man walking infront of me turned around and said, “Alright love?” I replied “Yes thanks” then he responded by saying “You look very sexy tonight,” whilst staring at my legs. He also had a child with him. Luckily my Grans house was just a few metres away.

3) The same girls who have insulted me on numerous occasions yelled at me again yesterday. I had just had an arguement with my Gran so I wasn’t in any mood to be harassed. I was walking up to my boyfriends house when I saw them walking the opposite way. I was just about to cross the road when one of them yelled, “You’re so funny to look at” and both laughed.

At this point I completely lost my temper. I shouted back at them to fuck off and called the one who insulted me a bitch. They just carried on laughing and gave me the finger. I really did not need this shit at that moment.

I have been experiencing a lot of personal problems recently. I am battling depression and lately it has been getting worse. On top of all my problems I get harassed. I do absolutely nothing to provoke it. I just happen to be a victim.

Last night I felt so overwhelmed that I self harmed. I know it wasn’t the right thing to do but I feel there is no other way to express my self. I am dealing with a lot of things in my life right now and I really don’t need this extra problem. I fear that one day I’m just going to snap and hurt the person who harasses me. Then I’m going to be charged for assault.

– Clarice

Location: North Cornelly, Wales

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One of my bus stops is on a major street in my suburban town. One afternoon while waiting for a bus to get to an evening class, I got honked at, as usually happens when I sit at that stop for more than a few minutes. And then I got honked at again. And again. And whistled at. One man actually started pulling over.

My bus didn’t show up, so for half an hour I had to sit there while every five minutes or so I had a man tell me what he thought of me.

After the half hour I decided to walk to my connecting bus, hoping I could at least be only a little late to class. The walk took another half hour, along the same road, and the honking and whistling continued.

Each one grated on me more and more as I felt less and less like a human being and more like something to be stared at and told what these strangers thought of my body, expressing their clear interest in me not as a person but as a thing to excite them.

I was so worn down by the time I got to the stop to catch the next bus that I couldn’t face any more time in public. I called my boyfriend, walked to the nearest fast food restaurant, waited for him to take me home. I felt disheveled and powerless.

I couldn’t leave my own home to go take a class without being made aware that I was something designed to sexually please strange men.

When I posted to facebook about this happening, one “friend” made a joke about not knowing it was me. Another told me I’d miss it when I was older.

I think I might have given up on men as decent people at all if my boyfriend and his father hadn’t talked to me and expressed their anger at my being harassed every time I leave the house. They hadn’t believed how bad it could be until I called them in tears one too many times, nerves wrecked from being yelled at, whistled at, honked at, and having men try to get me in their cars as I try to go about my day.

– Anonymous

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem.
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