Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for January 2012

Hey handsy guy at the club, look out for Salwa!

By

During my college days, I stopped going to clubs with my friends because of the inevitable harassers. Just because someone is dressed up and out with friends does not mean it’s okay to rub up against them, grab them, follow them, or make them feel uncomfortable! I know many other women face this unwanted attention/harassment/and even assault too.

That’s why I’m happy to see that my favorite Lebanese feminist collective Nasawiya produced a new video about their heroine Salwa and how she stopped a sexual harasser at the club. Then, when she goes to report the harasser to the police, she stops the police officer who harassed her! (Sad but true, some police are harassers).

How have you dealt with harassers at a club or bar?

Share

“Street harassment can come from people of any age”

By

[Editor’s note: once in a while people submit workplace or school-based sexual harassment stories and they are published even though the site is focused on street harassment]

I’m a high school senior, and this happened to me a couple months ago in school. I was speed walking through the halls to get to my next class and I passed by a group of guys in my year who I didn’t know. When my back was turned towards them I heard a loud whistle, turned my head, and saw them smirking at me. I gave them the finger and continued walking, but not without hearing a burst of laughter coming from them. I had always held an optimistic view of the people at my school, but now I’ve become completely aware that street harassment can come from people of any age.

– Isabelle

Location: Toronto, Canada

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

“Tell Planet Fitness that they need to make their facilities comfortable for EVERYONE!”

By

Hi all! I’ve written in before about the harassment at Planet Fitness Gym, and how the company has ignored requests to form a harassment policy. But I’m writing in today to ask for your help in persuading them to do so.

Planet Fitness Gym has multiple locations in all but three of the United States and their unwillingness to form a policy against harassment affects any member or guest that is currently or will ever work out at any of their facilities nationwide.

I feel that businesses have an obligation to make sure that their establishments are safe and comfortable for both men and women. We all deserve to reach our fitness goals and fill our New Year’s resolutions in peace. With every signature collected below via change.org an email gets sent directly to the CEO and VP telling them to form and train their staff on a harassment policy and to stop hiding evidence of harassment.

Please sign today and tell Planet Fitness that they need to make their facilities comfortable for EVERYONE!

– Earth Angel

Location: Elmwood Park, IL

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

“I will NEVER let anyone take my power least of all him.”

By

Walking in to a Safeway foods a man sitting at a picnic table at the cafe began yelling comments about my weight. He started by saying I was an embarrassment to women, “Just look at those fat legs, your sinning against GOD!” he shouted.

“You know women are to serve man, it says so in the Bible, your looks show me you don’t serve your man!” he was so outraged that he stood up and was spitting as he yelled at me.

“Someone should hit you in the head with a Bible,” and then he even took a step towards me with his hands in fists I just stood there calling his bluff. He was changing color from flesh tone to purple as he screamed.

“Your husband should put a lock on the refrigerator until you look respectful.”

I shook my head and stood there in shock, looking at him in all his anger. I felt so sorry for this pathetic person. I said, “I have a verse for you from the Bible that you hide behind in your discrimination, ‘Thou that has not sinned cast the first stone’…. but I forgive you as you can clearly see I am no a small person…”

I walked a way to the sound of people laughing and pointing at him. I was hurt but he is so uneducated and so sad how can you take him seriously? I admit after having two kids I have gained a bit of weight but he was not judging my fitness, but how I was as a wife due to my appearance. I admit I was in sweat pants and a over sized shirt but I was buying food for the week not putting on a fashion show and what place did he have bringing God into it?

It’s sad so many people, not just men, have this idea that your attractiveness is a direct reflection on how good of a person you are. I forgive him because it’s small of me not to understand that he was raised like this and through no fault of his own conditioned to behave like this and my only hope is that maybe he thought about what he said to me and will think twice before doing it again. I had no fear of him because I know I could have protected myself against him and I saw fear in his eyes because I did not back down he even retreated when I stepped towards him to speak. I will NEVER let anyone take my power least of all him.

– NL

Location: Fountain, Colorado

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

Rally against rape in Beirut

By

Hundreds of people rallied in Beirut, Lebanon, today to protest rape and sexual harassment and the weak laws against such crimes.

The rally was organized by Nasawiya, a feminist collective that also runs The Adventures of Salwa campaign against street and sexual harassment. View images.

Via The Daily Star:

“Neither marital rape nor domestic violence is currently outlawed in Lebanon, and sexual harassment in the work place is also not criminalized.

Furthermore, according to Article 522 of the Lebanese Criminal Code, if a man rapes a woman, his sentence will be repealed if he marries his victim.

"We have nothing to lose but our chains!"

Farah Salka, of feminist collective Nasawiya, said the current Lebanese laws regarding sexual violence were “archaic” and that the time for change had come.

“We are also asking all police, municipalities, and Parliament to take rape and sexual harassment seriously,” she added. Activists will meet at noon outside the Interior Ministry, and march toward Parliament.”

I applaud them and send strong thoughts of solidarity.

It’s exciting to remember this is just one of several large-scale rallies organized women against sexual violence and harassment. In the past few weeks, thousands of women rallied in Egypt and as did hundreds in Israel.

As the poster above says, “We have nothing to lose but our chains” when people protest their own oppression. Let us all vow to raise our voices and protest oppression, be it our own or be it the oppression of others.

Share