Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for June 2012

“I have so much to say, and I will say it, in time.”

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TRIGGER WARNING – Description of sexual assault.

British journalist Natasha Smith was in Egypt this month to “independently film a 20-minute documentary on women’s rights and abuses against women in Egypt since the revolution.”

Her project was cut short this week when a huge group of men not only took away her video equipment but sexually assaulted her Sunday evening (less than 48 hours ago).

She shares her ordeal in great detail on her blog, from the hundreds of men who ripped off her clothes to the difficulty she had finding help.

She is leaving the country now, though she vows to return to finish her project. She writes:

“I am determined to continue with my documentary at some point. I have no equipment, (not even any of my photos) am nervous about the possibility of not getting my insurance to cover all the equipment and everything taken from me, and no money to resume the process. But I’ll get there.

I have to find a silver lining to this experience. I have to spread awareness; it is my duty to do so. I have to do this; I will not be driven into submission. I will overcome this and come back stronger and wiser. My documentary will be fueled by my passion to help make people aware of just how serious this issue is, and that it’s not just a passing news story that briefly gets people’s attention then is forgotten. This is a consistent trend and it has to stop. Arab women, western women – there are so many sufferers.

I am determined to return to this wonderful country and city that I love, and meet its people once again. I am determined to challenge the stereotypes and preconceptions that people have of Arab women back in the UK and the US. I have so much to say, and I will say it, in time.”

As hard as it must have been for her to relive her experiences by writing about them, I’m glad she did. The world must know. And I hope she can return to make her documentary. Sadly, her lived experiences now support the topic she was covering.

Bikya Masr reports that there may be another anti-sexual violence rally this Friday…online organizing is happening now on Facebook. So stay tuned.

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“S.H.O.W You Care” (S.H.O.W. = Stop Harassment of Women) in Sri Lanka

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Photo submission to the S.H.O.W. You Care Facebook page

To address the widespread problem of sexual harassment on public transportation in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Unites in Colombo is undertaking a unique project this week called S.H.O.W You Care (S.H.O.W. = Stop Harassment of Women).

Via Facebook:

“From June 25th to 30th in all bus routes in Colombo, students (from mostly boys schools) will board the buses according to a formulated plan and address the passengers in all three languages (Tamil, Sinhala, English):

1) apologizing to all women for any incidents of harassment they may have encountered in the past,
2) handing out leaflets highlighting the legal recourse available to women if they experience such treatment,
3) making a general statement of the right of women to be treated respectfully and the men taking the responsibility to safeguard this right and the negative reflection on them, if they fail.

These leaflets will also contain information regarding basic women’s rights and the actions that could be taken if one’s found violating them.”

It’s great that so many young men plan to participate…we must have boys/men involved in these efforts in order to make them truly successful.

Their decision to target bus riders is very smart. More than 70 percent of women aged 15 to 45 surveyed in Sri Lanka last year said they’d experienced sexual harassment on public transportation. The survey was conducted by the Legal Aid Commission. In other studies, it was revealed that more than 95 percent of women feel it’s unsafe to travel alone in public spaces in Colombo, and one in four women report sexual harassment on public transportation in the country, according to a report by the Transport Ministry.

Sri Lanka Unites is a grassroots youth movement that empowers youth to be the driving force of social change in the country. Already their initiative has received nice media attention. Look for another blog post later this week to recap how their efforts went.

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“Thanks to that, I am now afraid to even go about my own neighborhood”

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I was going out for a nightly run in my well-lit gated apartment neighborhood with my dog last night. I prefer going when it’s dark out because of the extreme heat of the day in the summer. My normal running partner declined to run with me.

As I made my way to the top of the neighborhood, I noticed a bright yellow jeep off to the left in a parking lot. I’m 10’s of yards away at this point, running on the opposite side of the road. There is more than one individual in the vehicle. They start yelling at me, making comments at first about my dog, then turn to me. One guy in particular is very loud and I hear him yelling out to me to ‘come over’ and he then proceeds to follow me in his jeep.

I tried ignoring them and keeping the same pace, up until this point. He yells out to me, ‘YOU CAN SUCK MY DICK!’ He hasn’t caught up to me yet in his jeep, and I start to panic. I’m sincerely afraid and sprint as hard as I can around the corner, then making a sharp turn to the right into another lot where I notice a man getting out of his car. I’m trying not to draw attention to myself and just want to hide and get away. The man looks at me but doesn’t say anything. His girlfriend who is further ahead looks concerned…pauses…and then the jeep drives past the street. I keep running to the end of the lot and alternate hiding between and behind cars until I make it to the stairway.

At this point, I don’t know if they are coming back to find me or what is happening. I start crying and experience an anxiety attack. I’m shaking, scared, and now afraid to return to my apartment. My run and sense of security is ruined. I just wanted to be left alone. In the end I felt just ashamed, embarrassed, and afraid.

I don’t know what to do about this or what can even be done. I’m sure the police would’ve done nothing. I know this is wrong and NO ONE should have to experience this. NO ONE should be harassed, bullied, told to do sexually explicit things, followed, and made to run in fear on the street. Thanks to that, I am now afraid to even go about my own neighborhood and there seems to be no measure of justice for what happened.

– Anonymous

Location: Kennesaw, Georgia

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.

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Snapshot of street harassment stories, news, announcements & tweets: June 24, 2012

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Read stories, news articles, blog posts, and tweets about street harassment from the past few weeks.

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Street Harassment Stories:

Share your story! You can read street harassment stories on the Web at:

Stop Street Harassment Blog

HarassMap in Egypt

Bijoya in Bangladesh

Resist Harassment in Lebanon

Ramallah Street Watch in Palestine

Name and Shame in Pakistan

Safe Streets in Yemen

Many of the Hollaback sites

Street Harassment In the News, on the Blogs:

* Associated Press, “Wolf whistle billboard at NJ mall draws protest;” ABC News, “Sign Apologizes For Catcalling Construction Workers;” NY Daily News, “Construction sign begs forgiveness for catcalls, ‘but man you look good!’”; Sundance Channel Blog, “Pro-sexual harassment sign? Oh, hell no!”; Jezebel, “Construction Sign Explains Workers’ Whistling and Cat-Calling: It’s ‘Cause You Look Gooooood“; DC 101, Elliot in the Morning, “Sign Apologizes For Catcalling Construction Workers;” XO Jane, “Creepiest Construction Sign Ever Half-Heartedly Apologizes For Pervy Workers;” NJ.com, “Petition objecting to ‘whistling’ Princeton MarketFair billboard leads to its removal“

* Clutch Magazine, “Girls for Gender Equity Helps Girls Take Aim at Sexual Harassment“

* Democratice Underground, “Men Will Never Truly Understand A Day In The Life of Women. But Shouldn’t We Try?“

* Kitty Von Trubble, “Politics of poof: some reflections on dressing abroad“

* Levi Grayshon, “Is Your Behaviour Really Necessary, Mister?“

* In Our Words Salon for Queers & Co, “Reforming Catcalls: How to Be Affirming When Yelling at Someone in Public“

* The Life and Times of an Indian Homemaker, “Sometimes it seems like every single thing I do has the potential to be something ‘provocative’“

* WPix.com, “Subway Creep Snapping Photos Of Women’s Bare Legs“

* Jezebel, “Don’t You Dare Ask Me Why I Look Mad“

* Huffington Post, “Priscilla Dang, Martial Arts Expert, Lays Down The Law After Teenager Gropes Her On A Jog (VIDEO)“

* The Sunday Guardian, “The last cat call: ‘Action heroes’ fight eve-teasing“

* Tea Leaf Nation, “Shanghai Subway Tells Scantily Clad Women To Expect Sexual Harassment“

* The Jerusalem Post, “Terra Incognita: You can’t sell Israeli liberalism”

* The Times of India, “Eve-teasers stab five of a family“

* The Nation, “Fighting sexual harassment in buses“

Announcements:

New:

* Thank you everyone who signed my petition to get a pro-street harassment sign taken down in a mall in New Jersey! Online activism works sometimes 🙂

* @RapeCrisisSth New research project on #streetharassment for the women off South London. Interested? Contact @rosie_ts or visit http://bit.ly/LabScF

Reminders:

* After the attacks on women at Tahrir Square in Egypt this week, follow the hashtag #EndSH on twitter to find out what the next steps are to challenge the behavior and make the space safe for women.

* If you’re in Winnipeg, Canada, take this survey on street harassment.

* Activists in South Africa launched a new website about street harassment

* The anti-sexual harassment public service announcement signs are now up in several Washington, DC metro stations!

* Help fund a new film about street harassment

* The Stop Street Harassment book is available in paperback for $15.

* Submit art about street harassment for the VoiceTool Product exhibit in San Francisco, CA

* The Adventures of Salwa campaign has a hotline for sexual harassment cases in Lebanon: 76-676862.

* In Bangalore, India, there is a helpline for street harassment 080 – 22943225 / 22864023

* Report #streetharassment in Pakistan at @NameAndShamePk, email nameandshame@ryse.pk, SMS 0314-800-35-68 or online at http://www.nameandshame.pk

20 Tweets from the Week:

1. @leloveluck Troubling but unsurprising tweets from @ghazalairshad on official indifference to her attempt at reporting street harassment case. #EndSH

2. @Sarahkasm #EndSH #StreetHarassment Brave young woman confronts harasser, has him at the police station within an hour. #Egypt https://www.facebook.com/deena.emad/posts/10151028644421131

3. @pink_smurfette I think #streetharassment might be my new topic of concentrated feminist rage.

4. @dopealicious I see the topic of the day is street harassment. Can we talk about how it’s even worse when your child is with you? #StreetHarassment

5. @NyashaJunior @FeministaJones If I had a dollar for every time… #streetharassment

6. @HollabackBXL #WhoSaidItWasOk to catcall if she’s got a short skirt? It’s NEVER ok! #hollabackbrussels #hollaback #streetharassment #brussels #bruxelles

7. @RaiWalk Reading about #StreetHarassment makes my faith in humanity lower…

8. @RhythmKeene the worst part is, women are forced to maintain a certain level of notgoingcompletelyoff just to maintain our own safety. #streetharassment

9. @welshfeminist I’m a ‘dyke whore’ who’d better keep her ‘fucking mouth shut’ #streetharassment nothing worse than a vocal woman, eh? #feminism

10. @FeministaJones: Don’t try to holla at a woman that is out with her child(ren). <- it’s VILE, it’s RUDE. DISRESPECTFUL!

11. @dopegirlfresh Keep your hands to yourself. Always. #streetharassment

12. @Whatevertron It’s amazing how hot weather makes me mistrust- and later, hate -every man who crosses my path in public. #streetharassment

13. @miss_tmo The worst #streetharassment is the kind disguised as a compliment.

14. @RaquelEvita @Roy_Cam I’ve spoken 2transwomen who’ve been upset w/being on receiving end of #streetharassment-they didn’t realize it’s part of the deal.

15. @ForRevolution @simplyjewell I want to be able to wear whatever I want without being referred to as anybody’s bitch #streetharassment

16. @Hated_Logic honey, I’m in Vegas & the #streetharassment by black men has reached its fuckin limit

17. @beckypants Just wolfwhistled wearing head to toe waterproofs in pissing rain. Tell me again that #streetharassment is about what we’re wearing?

18. @HollaBackBmore “Are race & color stereotypes influencing how I am harassed too?!” #TheGoddessFestival asks wtf is up w #streetharassment…

19. @ForRevolution @simplyjewell I want to be able to wear whatever I want without being referred to as anybody’s bitch #streetharassment

20. @mustardphoto Grope count for the day in #tahrir: 3. I should consider myself lucky. #cairo #endsh #nosh #morsi

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Happy 40th Birthday, Title IX!

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Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 turns 40 years old today. It is a 37-word law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational institutions (k-12 and college) in the USA. Because of the negative impact sexual harassment has on students and the way it limits their ability to fully access an education, sexual harassment is prohibited by Title IX and that law is enforced by the Office for Civil Rights. (Here’s a “Know Your Rights” document from the ACLU on this topic.)

Last fall in my day job, I co-authored a research report on sexual harassment in grades 7-12 in the USA. Nearly one in two students had been harassed during the previous school year, more girls than boys and more girls experienced physical forms of it.

Unfortunately, the way the case law has gone, unless schools know that sexual harassment is occurring, they are not liable for taking care of it and so we see A LOT of schools blatantly ignore it so that they don’t have to do anything. Schools are supposed to have Title IX Coordinators to talk to students about their rights and handle complaints, but most schools neglect to do this too, or only have the Coordinators handle sports-related discrimination.

So most schools need to do a LOT better at doing prevention and enforcement work to keep their schools harassment-free.

That said, the fact that there is a federal law that should help students is much better than if there were no law…and it sets an example for what we want to see happen in the streets. We want sexual harassment to be prohibited everywhere because, just as it has negative impacts on students, it has negative impacts on the people who experience it in public places.

Girls for Gender Equity in NYC just celebrated their 10-year anniversary as an organization and I highly recommend checking out their work because they have programs and efforts in place to address BOTH the sexual harassment that happens in schools and in the streets. Their book Hey Shorty! A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the Streets is a very useful read.

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