Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for November 2013

“If only you were older”

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I was walking back from college, only a block away by a grocery store, when a man stopped me by a bus stop. He kept asking if my eye color was real because “it’s so damn sexy” and saying that “If you were older I would be all up on you!”

This man was at least 30 years older than me (I am 18). I kept saying I had to go and meet my boyfriend who was at a restaurant by the store (I don’t actually have one but felt, as he wouldn’t let me leave when I said I was busy, he would let me go if he knew a guy was waiting for me).

Every time I tried to leave he would step in front of me and telling me how “sexy” I am and “if only you were older”. He would only let me leave when I faked a phone call from my “boyfriend.”

– KD

Location: Moreno Valley, CA

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Check out the new book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers!

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“Sexy, right. I was 12.”

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I’ll never forget the first time I was harassed in the street. I was 12 years old. I was walking to my grandmother’s house to visit her, I was happy and excited. Then a car pulls up, a man in his forties and a younger man (whom I assumed was his son) stopped to yell, “Hey, sexy.”

Sexy, right. I was 12.

Do you have any suggestions for dealing with harassers and/or ending street harassment in general?

It has to start with early education and really changing the mentality about women’s role in public space and society in general. As long as women are seen as belonging in the home, as long as we are marginalized and viewed as beings existing for the entertainment of men, street harassment will continue.

– Anonymous

Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
Check out the new book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers!

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Digest of Street Harassment News: Nov. 18, 2013

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Sarasota, FL

This is a bimonthly digest.

** Sign up to receive a monthly e-newsletter from Stop Street Harassment ***

Street Harassment Stories:

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

Stop Street Harassment Blog

Bijoya in Bangladesh

Collective Action for Safe Spaces

Everyday Sexism

HarassMap in Egypt

The Hollaback sites

Name and Shame in Pakistan

Ramallah Street Watch in Palestine

Resist Harassment in Lebanon

Safe City India

Safe Streets in Yemen

Street Harassment in South Africa

Street Harassment In the News, on the Blogs:

* Women’s Media Center, “Second-Ever City Council Hearing on Street Harassment“

* Philadelphia City Paper, “City Council hearing focuses on street harassment“

* The Guardian, “‘Hey bitch’ someone yelled out a car window. It’s what I’ve come to expect“

* The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, “Stand against street harassment“

* The Times of India, “Harassed on street? Share your story online“

* First Post, “Sexual harassment, no rights: Egypt is the worst Arab state for women“

* Morocco World, “Moroccans speak out against sexual harassment“

* Huffington Post, “Burt’s Bees ‘Let The Catcalling Commence’ Label Seems Like A Great Reason Not To Buy Their New Lotion“

* Jezebel, “Burt’s Bees Stupidly Puts ‘Let the Catcalling Commence’ on Product“

* PR Daily, “Burt’s Bees nixes packaging that encourages catcalling“

* India Today, “Girl burnt alive for resisting sexual harassment in Uttar Pradesh“

* BBC News, “India: ‘Eve-teasing’ fight-back film divides opinion“

* Huffington Post, “Listen Up Street Harassers: Enough Is Enough“

* Boston.com, “‘Street harassment’ common in Boston, advocacy group’s survey finds“

* Peru This Week, “Peru: TV presenter lands in hot water for comments about street harassment“

* Ahram Online, “Egypt women ride bikes to defy sexual harassment“

Announcements:

New:

* Save the date — International Anti-Street Harassment Week is March 30 – April 5 in 2014!

* Read about the successful Philadelphia City Council Hearing on Street Harassment on Nov. 7!

* The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence begin November 25!

Reminders:

* Donate to help fund the FIRST EVER national study on street harassment in the USA!

* Buy a copy of the new book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers! Here’s how to hold a book club fundraiser for SSH

10 Tweets from the Week:

* @audiohelkuik A construction worker yelled “Hey baby!” at me on the street. I live such a cliche life. #streetharassment #omaha

* @Midnightproblem Sometimes I feel bad for ignoring guys for saying hello but after so many years of street harassment I would rather not set myself up 4 that

* @eloise265 when are people going to understand that street harassment is NOT OKAY

* @lenubienne From street harassment to song lyrics, misogyny is everywhere, and it is debilitating.

* ‏@marciethehuman people who think street harassment are compliments: can u not

* @thesparkoflightPeople think negative attention = self worth, and when they don’t receive street harassment they consider themselves ‘unattractive’

 * ‏@_HellFrozenRain @TheRealMrWriter -i got egged on the way home once. Endured a plethora of street harassment as i had to take off my jacket

* @MegascgMastenbr man just yelled at me from inside his car, I want to lick your asshole streetharassment catcalling cc hollaback

* @TheChirpingCat New #StreetHarassment strategy: Say “Nooo Waaay” to everything regardless of content just like my favorite toddler says to me.

* @mmmariesa Nothing like good old fashioned street harassment to ruin a night before it even starts

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New Campaign in Vadodara, India

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Youth in Vadodara, India, in association with Rotaract Club of Vadodara have created a platform to girls facing harassment to share their stories at NAARI-Against Sexual Harassment.

The Times of India reports:

“Vadodara is much safer compared to cities like Delhi, Mumbai or Pune, but we cannot deny the fact that even here girls really can’t walk freely on the streets and in public gathering. Miscreants chase them on bikes, honk or stare at them making girls uncomfortable. Just using ‘the safest city’ tag does not help. We have to stop street harassment,” the youngsters are making this online appeal.

“For getting real stories, we have embedded a form where the girls can share their experiences without disclosing their real identities. Since, women residing in slums don’t have any access to internet, we will be personally visiting the slum areas and collect their feedback,” says Kush Vyas, president of Rotaract Club of Vadodara, which with its 30 young members has spread over 11,000 Facebook invitations.

“Our motive behind this campaign, which will be initially for 20 days, is to spread awareness and inspire girls to speak up. Even if it changes the mindset of five per cent population, it will act as a major step towards betterment of the city and its streets,” adds Vyas.

Stories of courage have also started pouring since the time, the drive has been started. For instance, a girl has shared her experience of how she was chased by two boys, who had made indecent comments against her when she was returning home on a two-wheeler near Jail Road. After she stopped the duo and threatened to call police, the miscreants were forced to apologize.”

H/T @KDesborough

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Sexual Violence after Typhoon in the Philippines

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In times of natural disasters, women and girls often face sexual harassment and sexual violence. Sadly the typhoon in the Philippines is no different.

Via The Telegraph:

“Just surviving in the aftermath of a major disaster like Typhoon Haiyan can be testing enough.

But amid the large scale devastation and rush to get international aid to those who need it the most – hampered so far by severe rain and damaged infrastructure – there is one other, sadly inevitable, problem that is much less talked about. And it has the British Government deeply worried.

“We are concerned about the safety of women and girls in the Philippines,” an aide to Justine Greening, Britain’s international development secretary, who is helping to coordinate the UK’s response to the crisis, said last night.

“After previous emergencies in the Philippines, we have seen an increase in violence against women and girls and in particular the trafficking of girls.”

It is unthinkable to most of us that as well as having to contend with the basic human need of finding food and water, shelter for you and your family and medicine to prevent disease spreading or treat those with wounds, hundreds of thousands of women and girls will face the very real risk of violence, including sexual exploitation and abuse, rape, forced marriage and trafficking…

Greening and the UK Government believe that violence against women and girls is life-threatening; and international aid effort should prioritise protection in the same way it would prioritise food and shelter.

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