Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming
I was walking home along an empty street, and two men in a car pulled up alongside me and followed me for about a quarter mile, calling sexual invitations and graphic descriptions out the window. I didn’t know whether I should get home as quickly as possible or try to avoid leading them to where I live.
– B.
Location: South Bend, Indiana
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.
HarassMap, an amazing anti-street harassment group in Egypt, is running an anti-harassment campaign for Eid called “Eid in Egypt is safe everywhere.”
This week is the start of Eid, a Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan. Just as in the U.S. there often is an increase in street harassment during certain holiday times like Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, and Halloween, unfortunately in countries like Egypt where Eid is widely celebrated, it can also be a time of increased street harassment.
For example, in both 2008 and 2006, there were mass sexual assault attacks on women in the streets of Egypt during Eid and police officers were observed standing by, doing nothing.
Sadly, then, a targeted anti-harassment campaign is needed.
HarassMap writes about how to get involved,
“Help make this Eid in Egypt safe, we won’t tolerate yearly sexual harassment Eid incidents. Egyptian men and women deserve to enjoy Eid in respect, dignity and safety. Join us as we raise awareness online this Eid. You can tweet, blog, facebook or anything, or offline you can raise awareness in your community or graffiti or talk to your friends and neighbors! Speak up and let’s have a safe Eid!“
Use hashtag #EndSH on twitter. More information via Facebook.
My friend and I were walking back from my other friend’s pool and it was a really hot day so we walked back in our bikinis drying off in the hot beating sun with a single towel draped around us while we had our hands around each other’s arms. We do this together all this time and we didn’t really think it was suggestive at all.
We were getting stares by guys, licking their lips saying shit like “damn,” and “I’d like summa that,” and other disgusting comments. We pretended we hadn’t heard them and started to talk to each other to distract eachother and we quickened our paces.
Not only did some pervs start following us, but multiple guys in cars honked at us shouting and yelling. One of the worst, presumptuous comments being, “OWW SEXY LESBIANS.” We’re not lesbians, we are just friends. Not only did this make us feel uncomfortable and unsafe, but made us disgusted (since we’re straight and not attracted to each other whatsoever); it was so creepy and made me not want to go out in the summer anywhere.
The worst part was that we are both FIFTEEN YEARS OLD (I am 5’9, but I have a young face so that isn’t an excuse) so it was extremely repulsive getting these comments from older men! yikes!
– Katelynne
Location: San Diego, CA
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.
Read stories, news articles, blog posts, and tweets about street harassment from the past week and find relevant announcements and upcoming street harassment events.
Street Harassment Stories:
Share your story! You can read new street harassment stories on the Web from the past week at:
How Many Women Find Street Harassment Flattering?
In the News, on the Blogs:
*Feministing.com, “When dads hollaback“
* Guardian, “Feeling Harassed? Do Something About it!“
* The Washington Times, “Sexual assaults on subways pose a serious problem“
* The Times of India, “Chennai police will assign women police personnel as decoys to prevent eve-teasing in MTC buses and outside the colleges.”
* The Frisky, “Would You Want Women-Only Subway Cars To Stop Sexual Harassment?“
* XO Jane, “Never, Ever Tell Me to Smile“
* The Good Men Project, “My Personal Street Harassment Screed“
* BlogHer, “Why Teaching LGBT History in Public Schools Combats Gender-Based Harassment for Young Women“
* ABC 24, “Memphis Boxers Impressed by MATA Guard’s Wild Street Fight“
* CJOnline, “Lawrence group wants an end to harassment”
* The San Pedro Sun, “Catcalling the Lioness: Street Harassment in Paradise“
* Early Bird Catches the Worm, “Magazines: I Ain’t No Hollaback Girl—Street Harassment in CLEO.”
* Microagressions, “It doesn’t make sense…“
Announcements:
New:
* From Holla Back DC!: CASTING CALL! Help us put a face to street harassment. Check it out bit.ly/phMba5
* Young Women for Change in Afghanistan released a video about how Islam forbids the harassment of women.
Reminders:
* Sign Mend the Gap’s petition to address subway harassment in Delhi, India
* Are you in Egypt? Use HarassMap to report your street harassers
* Have an iPhone? Download the Hollaback iPhone app that lets you report street harassers
15 Tweets from the Week:
1. CLButler76 The ‘Hey redhead, HEY, redhead…’ guy was in the High St again today. MP3 player on loud meant I could ignore him! #streetharassment
2. BelindaBlignaut ‘we need a zero tolerance approach to street harassment’ SlutWalk Cape Town, 20 Aug 2011 wp.me/p1eZfZ-iE
3. abigailcollazo @RosamundUrwin I and all of my friends hate it! Those who are flattered by it don’t understand it #streetharassment #fem2
4. KhiriaE I fear that the guys will still continue their street & other public place ‘mo3ksat’ (verbal harassment) after this revolution. #Libya
5. Feminist_Inti Women of colour and trans women are disproportionally affected by it showing there’s an intersection of abuses of power in street harassment
6. SaraLabib @Daloosh @Aziza23 I will know Egypt is on the right track when sexual harassment lessens & women don’t hv to walk dwn street like robots
7. ashleyrebeccah To the CTA bus driver who just hit on me: just bc I’m standing at a bus stop does not mean I want to be harassed. Kthnx #streetharassment
8. lunadire biking in a skirt + no street harassment = #AWESOME
9. el_zilcho A woman was jogging down my street in a sports bra, and I actually saw a jackass honk and catcall her. I thought that was only in movies!
10. skizzrrr calling girls who don’t respond to your catcall “lesbian” #stopthatbro
11. HollabackOttawa Think you can get away with #streetharassment? We are here to #stopthatbro
12. AlreetYorkshire Say “NO” to street harassment! It’s really not my day today 🙁
13. gavinsaywhat the city is a battleground with lots of collateral damage RT @CEMcFarland: I hate street harassment.
14. K_MaceFace DYK: if ur catcalled from a car while on a bike in the rain & out of annoyance u catcall back, ur a ‘cunt’ #sexism #inequality #menarepigs
15. ruthie_dee I have successfully had a #streetharassment free day. This is more like it, Barnsley!
I live along the east coast of the US and I’m hanging out indoors, waiting out Hurricane Irene. A Facebook friend just posted this video of a weather channel reporter in the pouring rain, getting frustrated by all the people running and driving by as he warns people to stay indoors. The juxtaposition is pretty funny. Watch for a quick laugh.
I stopped laughing, however, when I noticed that all of the people shooting past the reporter appear to be men. Even during a hurricane, it’s men who feel safe enough in public spaces (and daring, up for a good time, etc) that they are able to run through the streets half dressed, seemingly without concern. While some people may think I’m reading too much into this, to me what we see in the video is one more example of how streets are often male territory.
Equality to me will be when there are just as many ladies as men running through the streets, enjoying a hurricane shower, with nothing to fear but the hurricane itself.