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Archives for April 2013

“You should look where your walking or you might fall.”

April 30, 2013 By Contributor

I was walking with a girlfriend of mine and she was not showing any cleavage whatsoever. This man turns the corner and without being discreet starts staring at her boobs. The way he was staring was so blatantly obvious, like a hungry dog. As he walks pasts us, I say really loud, “You should look where your walking or you might fall.”

He looked back and I was staring and motioned to him in a funny way like, “Look where your walking,” and my girlfriend started laughing out loud. We both could tell he felt embarrassed.

– EM

Location: Dover, New Jersey

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Filed Under: Stories, street harassment

USA: Government Policy and Street Harassment

April 30, 2013 By Correspondent

By Sean Crosbie, SSH Correspondent

Street harassment is a pervasive problem that has both public and private effects. Street harassment has psychological impact, including feelings of humiliation and worthlessness. This has negative consequences on how people interact with one another in public spaces that are supposed to be inclusive and safe for all. There is a debate on what measures local and national governments should take to combat street harassment and create the safe spaces that everyone deserves.

In a previous blog post, I wrote about how the culture of hypermasculinity creates the mentality that causes street harassment. The two women I interviewed for the post also had strong opinions on the role that local and national governments can play in alleviating street harassment. Both women agree that one of the most important initiatives any government can implement is a program of educating men and boys about the dangers of street harassment. Interviewee 1 noted the importance of local governments to fund anti-street harassment initiatives for public transportation. Here, she talks about the great first step WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) has made in preventing street harassment, but also what Metro can do to better enforce their policies:

I would like to see Metro put some teeth behind their campaign to stop harassment on the metro. …There are still numerous women who feel nothing was done in response to their complaints. I know I, personally, would probably not take the time to find a Metro employee and report “minor” harassment just because it seems like a waste of time. Until Metro employees (and police officers) truly understand what a threat this kind of harassment is, and treat it with as much respect as a mugging or assault, we won’t feel safe, and we won’t bother reporting the incidents.

Women need to feel that the government will back up anti-street harassment initiatives with effective action. The attitude that street harassment is “no big deal” or “a compliment” prevents local law enforcement from taking strong action. These attitudes cannot be reversed unless governments work to educate men and boys about the severity of street harassment. Interviewee 1 advocates for mandatory harassment training at all levels of schooling:

We also need mandatory harassment training in high schools, as well as in college. Awareness is key, so the more men are aware of how this behavior makes women feel, the greater the chance that we will see real change.

Interviewee 2 believes that this education should start as early as 6th grade:

The school district that I come from starts health education at sixth grade. Perhaps street harassment can be a conversation that starts then, too.

There is a tremendous amount that governments can do to combat street harassment. Both of my interviewees focused on reversing the dismissive attitude that some men and boys have with regard to catcalling. Since these ways of thinking begin early in men’s socialization, it’s necessary to start teaching men early on in their education against committing or tolerating degrading acts towards women. A shift in the way society views behavior like catcalling is needed for street harassment to be taken more seriously. This can also inspire government programs that are responsive and make women feel both safe and that their voices are being heard. But we need the societal shift to happen in conjunction with public policies – both are necessary for change.

Sean has written for Stop Street Harassment since April 2011.  He is a library/research assistant at a labor union in Washington, D.C. and holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from American University.

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Filed Under: correspondents, male perspective, street harassment

Harassed in Oak Park, IL

April 30, 2013 By Contributor

I am not even free from harassment in my own home. Teenagers in my neighborhood scream, “Brothel,” at all hours of the day and night.

– Laura Rizzardini

Location: Oak Park, Illinois

Share your street harassment story today.

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Filed Under: Stories, street harassment

99 Percent of Egyptian Women Experience Sexual Harassment

April 29, 2013 By HKearl

Via Daily News Egypt:

“The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women published a report showing the most recent statistics of sexual harassment in Egypt. The study shows that 99.3% of Egyptian women have experienced some form of sexual harassment.

The study indicates that 96.5% of women in their survey said that sexual harassment came in the form of touching, which was the most common manifestation of sexual harassment. Verbal sexual harassment had the second-highest rate experienced by women with 95.5% of women reporting cases.”

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Filed Under: News stories

Teen Reporters Take on Street Harassment

April 29, 2013 By HKearl

“People need to stop viewing harassment of women on the street as complimentary or, at worst, a minor nuisance, and start seeing it for what it is: disrespectful, belittling, objectifying, scary, and sometimes illegal,” wrote Margaret Heftler, a teen reporter for Youth Communication magazine.

She has a great article on street harassment in the May/June 2013 issue of the magazine (also available online). Youth Communication teen reporter Elisabet Rivera made a companion video in which she asks some men on the corner why they comment on girls’ looks as they pass by, and explains how uncomfortable–and intimidating–street harassment can be for girls.

Teenage girls face some of the most frequent and vile forms of street harassment and hearing about the issue from them directly is so important! Well done, Margaret and Elisabet!

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Filed Under: Stories, street harassment

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