Archives for October 2012

* @Shefunionwomcom We are collating stories of women’s experiences of street harassment. If you have a story please email it to womens.committee@shef.ac.uk

* @TheBuSSyProject 8-9 October in Egypt. Stories from childhood, adolescence & adulthood … I highly recommend it http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/282741105174997/ … #EndSH

* There’s a new, creative video about street harassment from SlamPow! Production

Reminders:

* Stop Street Harassment welcomes and announces its new board of directors!

* New York is considering a bill that would make harsher punishments for engaging in unwanted sexual touching in public spaces.

* A Russian activist group made a viral video about street harassment and has proposed anti-harassment legislation.

* Harlow Project Seeking Participants For Street Harassment Web Video Series

* METRAC released a free “Not Your Baby App” to provide responses you can use when experiencing harassment

* Sign a petition about ending street harassment in Egypt.

* Stop Street Harassment recently incorporated as a nonprofit organization. Please donate so we can conduct a national street harassment study and gather much needed data documenting the problem.

* Contact Bowlmor and the New York City Transit to complain about this offensive subway ad.

* Activists in South Africa launched a website about street harassment

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

* 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. @RobbyDran Real men never catcall or harass a women. It is not ok.

2. @laurenaissance sometimes i worry that avoiding the homeless guys in my neighborhood because they catcall me is just disguised classism

3. @LauraBaginski A catcall I actually appreciated: “Girl, you look SUCCESSFUL.”

4. @brittneyg CNN interviewed me about being groped on the bus & blogging it. Read: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/06/living/street-harassment/index.html … Listen here: http://cnnradio.cnn.com/2012/10/04/cnn-radio-news-day-october-4-2012/?hpt=hp_c2 … (min 12:05)

5. @zosiasztyk The WH Equal Futures Partnership will address #streetharassment as a barrier to opportunity for women & was launched ON MY BDAY this year

6. @yosoypao Street harassment is not a compliment #endSH #fem2

7. @FeministPrncess How does #streetharassment differently affect women with #hearingimpairment or #visualimpairment? Anyone have perspective on this? #VAWG

8. @SafeSpacesDC @WHLive @vj44 Over 80% of #women & #LGBT people worldwide report face #gender-based #streetharassment. What can we do? #WHchat #fem2 #endSH

9. @eMokhalfa #FF goes to @harassmap for contributing with us. Now u can report on any sexual harassment by any vehicle on http://emokhalfa.com #endsh

10. @clear_red Women calling for rights in the constitution at a demo at pres palace in Cairo #EndSH #Egypt pic.twitter.com/a0pGebaJ

11. @irincarmon Dear all the men asking me if street harassment is still a thing: ask the women in your lives.

12. @irincarmon I hate how street harassment makes me less likely to engage w people on the street.

13. @Reem_Abdellatif Meanwhile, as women protest sexual harassment & a discriminatory constitution at the pres palace, #Egypt‘s state news covers soccer. #EndSh

14. @PhotoSonny Just emailed Oakmont Construction about their workers disgusting behaviour at the Strand. #streetharassment @hollabackLDN

15. @Karnythia How do you hear a line like “You say meet me half way Cause brothers been popping that game all day ” & not think of #streetharassment?

16.@Mirandaaa831 “Hey chick, you got a lovely walk. Keep it up.” Well, at least that’s almost a polite way to comment on my legs. #streetharassment

17. @TESOLartist I like them thighs #streetharassment Uhmm. So???

18. @LoyolaWSGS How do you build community in the face of street harassment? This article discusses the importance of community: http://buff.ly/M7WAnV

19. @RanyaKhalifa URGENT! #Egywomen r called upon to show-up today for an anti-sexual harassment stand at 5:00pm in front of presidential palace #EndSH #Egypt

20. @SharkDancing Cycling instead will not end the street harassment. Woman cycling in Toronto encounter street harassment most days. @yasmine_nagaty @hkearl

Street harassment article on CNN.com!

October 6, 2012 By HKearl

The launching point for Stop Street Harassment was when CNN.com featured my thesis about street harassment in a 2008 article called, “Catcalls: Creepy or a Compliment?”

I’m pleased to say that four years later, they have another homepage feature about street harassment and this time the issue is taken more seriously. It opens:

“Head down, look straight ahead. Earbuds in, volume off. Walk quickly, but with purpose. Don’t make eye contact unless you need to. Look behind you every few blocks, make sure you’re not being followed. Don’t be obvious.

It’s not nighttime. You’re not in a known drug zone, or the sketchy part of town.

This is simply how many women steel themselves when walking down a city street in broad daylight, or even when boarding crowded public transportation. Why? Because many women, regardless of age, weight, or appearance, say they’ve heard something along the lines of “Hey baby, you want some of this?” or “I like what I see” or “nice ass.”

All of those statements are sexual harassment. And while some men might consider them compliments, to many women, they are a threat.”

A lot has changed in four years thanks to people around the world who are relentlessly and bravely speaking out.

Since 2008 there are now are several anti-street harassment organizations. We’ve had a city council hearing on street harassment in New York City. The United Nations launched a Safe Cities Programme in five countries. Hollaback launched their iphone app. Websites tracking street harassment popped up in dozens of countries. More than 100 groups from over 20 countries spoke out collectively in March during Meet Us on the Street: Street Harassment Awareness Week. My book came out in 2010 and since then, I’ve given 75 talks on the topic. And on and on.

In today’s CNN.com article, research is cited from a new study by Hollaback and Cornell University about street harassment in New York City. This is important data.

But we also need national data documenting the problem. Please donate today to help Stop Street Harassment undertake this important initiative. Let’s continue to move the dialogue forward with not only our stories, but also with national statistics.

Street Art: Interview with Tatyana Fazlalizadeh

October 5, 2012 By HKearl

You’ve seen, loved and shared her artwork about street harassment, now hear from the artist herself.

Tatyana Fazlalizadeh is an oil painter / illustrator whose work focuses on portraiture and social/political themes. Currently based in NYC, she exhibits her paintings in galleries nationally, while working as a freelance illustrator and muralist.

Stop Street Harassment (SSH): What inspired your art project about street harassment?

Tatyana Fazlalizadeh (TF): The project was inspired by my daily experiences with street harassment. Being harassed on the street is exasperating. I’ve wanted to do some art work on the issue for a while now, but I couldn’t figure out how to properly communicate what I wanted to say in my primary artistic medium – oil paint on canvas. Over the past year or so I’ve started working in public art as a muralist. Thinking about creating art in a public space led me to this idea of wheat pasting posters. Because what better medium to create art about street harassment than street art.

SSH: Some of the prints are up on walls around Philadelphia, right? How many did you put up and how did you select where to post them?

TF: Philly, yes. As well as other places that I’m often in, mostly Brooklyn and other parts of NYC. This project is still very new and I plan to continue it and expand it, that includes venturing to different cities. I’ve placed them in areas that receive foot traffic, areas that I’ve personally been harassed, and spots that work well for wheat paste.

SSH: What reactions have you received from people who’ve seen them in person and from people who saw them on your Tumblr page?

TF: I’ve received a lot of positive reactions from women who relate to the captions on the posters. I’ve been having a lot of conversations, and a few debates, about street harassment as a result of this. I wasn’t sure what to expect because the state of this medium is very temporary; it’s likely to put up a piece and for it to be gone a few days later. So to have the pieces captured and widely shared online was surprising but, I’m also very happy about that.

My intention with putting up these pieces was to artistically speak up for myself and other women who are harassed on the street. In the moment, you don’t always speak up for yourself. You ignore them, walk faster. So with this work, I wanted to say what I actually think when being hounded by men (though, they aren’t my exact thoughts because those usually include a lot of expletives). After having conversations with friends and women that I know, I decided to also include their words and thoughts as captions. So, the work is for women but also, and maybe even more so, for men. I haven’t received many reactions from men, and I’m trying to figure out a way to find their reactions and thoughts, if there are any.

SSH: Do you plan to create more artwork to bring attention to the issue of street harassment?

TF: I do. I’m plan to revisit this topic in my painting. I’m also looking to create some mural projects around this theme.

SSH: Please feel free to share anything else you want people to know about your project.

TF: I’m glad that the work is resonating with women. The process so far has been fun, and the art and issue of street harassment is something I’m passionate about. It’s great to put my art in the streets and make these public statements that women aren’t outside for the pleasure of men.

If you love the shirt Tatyana is wearing, you can order one too!

Egyptian Presidential Palace Protest

October 5, 2012 By HKearl

About 100 people protested outside the presidential palace in Egypt yesterday to demand a stronger sexual harassment law.

“I know I don’t have to put up with that kind of disrespect”

October 4, 2012 By Contributor

Editor’s Note: A few days ago, Jessica in Missouri posted a story about a horrible harassment incident that happened to her on a train platform. Then, when she reported it to a guard, he and his friend standing nearby dismissed it, told her it was a compliment, and then the friend of the guard asked her out! She felt forced to take his phone number because she feared he would lash out at her if she didn’t. A few concerned readers contacted the transit authority and Jessica did too. Here is her update:

I would really like to thank the reader who contacted the metro on my behalf and also let everyone know that this situation is being handled now the way it should have been originally. I did in fact talk to the head of security for metro this morning. He took what happened very seriously and apparently there has been a man they have been trying to catch that has done this other times and it may or may not be the same person.

Apparently the head of security is new in his position and really was not aware of certain things that go on like for instance that many of the guards and bus drivers are very flirtatious with some of the women that ride the buses and trains. I have been asked out by a few of them, and “complimented” about things they have no business complimenting about (ex I have nice legs) while they are on their job. He was shocked and appalled and said he would fire whoever behaves that way. It made me wish I had reported things like that long ago but I think until recently I just felt like that’s what you have to put up with if you are female. That incident last weekend was just the straw that broke the camels back for me. I feel more empowered and confident now and I know I don’t have to put up with that kind of disrespect.

« Previous Page