On the 25th of every month, the UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign focuses on different types of violence against women and girls. Today they are focusing on harassment and violence in public places and how we can make those spaces safer for women and girls. This is something we at Stop Street Harassment strive to do every day and we are happy to support the campaign!
“Violence and the fear of violence reduces women’s freedom of movement and rights to access education, work, recreation, and essential services, and can restrict their participation in political life. It also negatively affects their health and well-being. Despite these wide-ranging consequences, violence against women and girls in public spaces remains a neglected area, with few laws or policies in place to prevent and address it.
At the 57th Session on the Commission of the Status of Women, governments made specific commitments directed towards making public spaces safer for women and girls.
For the first time the Commission on the Status of Women, the highest global normative body on women’s rights, during its 57th Session specifically included several clauses in its Agreed Conclusions document devoted to safety of women and girls in public spaces, and particularly, in the cities. It expressed “deep concern about violence against women and girls in public spaces, including sexual harassment, especially when it is being used to intimidate women and girls who are exercising any of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.” (23, p4)
It called on the States “to increase measures to protect women and girls from violence and harassment, including sexual harassment and bullying, in both public and private spaces, to address security and safety, through awareness-raising, involvement of local communities, crime prevention laws, policies, programmes such as the Safe Cities Initiative of the United Nations. (ZZ, p13)“
What YOU can Do:
1. Learn more about the issue, why it matters, and what you can do about it. Here is an article I wrote for Ms. Magazine’s blog about how street harassment can escalate to assault – and three ideas for what we can do to change our culture so street harassment is no longer acceptable.
2. Join the Tweet chat throughout the day, led by UN Women and UN Habitat (#OrangeDay). Our friends at the Huairou Commission are hosting it at 10 a.m. EDT.
3. Donate to Stop Street Harassment — we’re working to fund the first-ever national study on street harassment. This data is sorely needed before we can adequately tackle the problem. We also do a lot of other work that is solely funded by donations.
Update: Read what groups around the world did to speak out in support of space public spaces for women and girls!
