Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for July 2012

“No one should make you feel uncomfortable”

By

Farragut West Metro Station Anti-Harassment PSA

My fellow commuters looked at me like I was crazy when I stopped to snap a photo of this sign at the Farragut West Metro station in Washington, DC. But that’s because, as readers of the blog know, with Collective Action for Safe Spaces, I helped get this anti-harassment campaign going and I had not yet seen the PSA in real life. I can’t stop grinning! #SocialChange

If you’re in DC and experience or witness sexual harassment on the transit system, you can report it! One of the easiest ways is via this form: http://wmata.com/harassment.cfm

Share

“As women, it’s exhausting to constantly have to be on edge”

By

I went out for a low-key night with a friend in a relatively safe, family friendly area of D.C. We bought ice cream and were enjoying eating and walking down the street, until a group of men (you know the type: reclining, legs spread apart, hands on their crotches, basking in their privilege) began shouting “howyoudoins” and commenting lewdly on how I was eating my ice cream. We rolled our eyes and kept walking, albeit more quickly.

Hardly a block further down, we encountered another group of men, one member of which swaggered very close to me and mumbled something vaguely suggestive and obnoxious. Later when we passed the same block, I put on a hooded sweatshirt, hoping that I wouldn’t be recognized and that if perhaps I was showing less skin, I would be left alone. As I got on the metro, the same man got on and began harassing almost every young woman he passed. After he got off, we all shared a collective sigh of relief and a laugh or two, but the general tone was that, as women, it’s exhausting to constantly have to be on edge – calculating escape routes, preparing firm (yet not “over-dramatic”) rejections, tensing our bodies just in case, considering what readily available object works best as a self-defense weapon, wondering if it’s our fault – our clothing, our make-up, our demeanor – and if other people see it that way.

We would love to be able to feel at home in our own city.

– E. Richardson

Location: 601 F Street NW Washington, D.C.

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

Harassed in Fort Wayne, IN

By

While street harassment is pretty common for me now (unfortunately), this situation continues to make me uncomfortable and is escalating into fear. This happens in many places, but mostly before or after school.

There is an older boy (a junior or senior) in my marching band that decided to hit on me last year. I told him to get lost, but he continues to hit on me even though I’ve made it clear I dislike him. He stares at me constantly, even when I’m not wearing anything flattering, follows me on occasion, messages me consistently, and tries to control me verbally. He started out trying to be nice, but his behavior has become more disturbing, his staring more obvious, and he’s becoming very verbally aggressive. While I could easily hold my own in a verbal battle, the fact that I am the only girl he hasn’t given up on and speaks to venomously is troubling for me. As he plays tuba, he could very easily outpower me (an alto saxophone player). I do not feel safe around the band at all, especially if he’s nearby.

I think it would be very helpful if the school would take it more seriously. People have put keys down my top during class and stared at my bust an entire class and the school didn’t do anything, even when I reported. It’s very disturbing.

– Anonymous

Location: Fort Wayne, 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.

Share

Egyptians Mobilize Against Sexual Harassment

By

Photos from the event:

“On a hot Sunday night in Cairo, a woman wearing jeans, a loose black sweater, and a white hijab stood on an outdoor stage, quietly speaking into a microphone to share her experiences of sexual violence. Only by standing with her back to the audience of more than 100 people could she muster the courage to talk. As soon as she left the stage, her friends surrounded her, hugging her, and comforting her. Then, another woman took the stage to tell her story.

During a recent trip to Egypt, I saw dozens of brave women and their male allies share their stories and thoughts about sexual violence, especially street harassment, at an event organized by Darb 1718, BuSSy, HarassMap, and Mashrou3 Mareekh. Using spoken word, song, and an open mic session, they clearly moved the audience, more than a third of them men. May Shehab, the director of Darb 1718, said she heard a number of men say they felt angry and wanted to do take action.

Their consciousness was also raised through visual art as in an exhibit entitled “Enough.” Before the spoken word began, people clustered together to view commentary about sexual harassment in mediums of chalk, colored pencils, photographs and videos.

“I’m a firm believer in using art as a vehicle for activists. It’s a way to start dialogues,” said Heba Habib, a HarassMap volunteer and co-organizer of “Enough.” Shehab agreed, calling art “one of the most effective ways to tackle harassment [because]…it evokes thought and debate.”

For Shehab, a photographic piece by Nahla Sebaei entitled “Burning Soul” was the most compelling. In four frames, a partially nude woman dressed in paper clothing is covered with flaming hand marks where harassers touched her. The caption reads, “When someone harasses me…he is burning my soul and that leaves scars in my mind and my feeling and my soul.” Shehab said she heard several people say the image perfectly captured how street harassment makes them feel.”

This is an excerpt from an article I wrote for the Women’s Media Center. Read the full article on their website.

Video from the event:

Share