Archives for February 2014

SSH founder Holly Kearl is giving a street harassment presentation at Montgomery College Takoma Park Campus on Wednesday, 11 a.m., that is open to the public . 7600 Takoma Ave, Takoma Park, MD

Reminders:

* If your group, organization, or campus plans to participate in International Anti-Street Harassment Week, please contact Holly (hkearl @ stopstreetharassment.org) and we can add you to the list of participating co-sponsors.

* Do you know your legal rights? If you live in the U.S., check out our Know Your Rights Toolkit with state-by-state information about what forms of street harassment you can report.

* We’re still collecting stories about the street harassment of LGBQTAI people for a new web section — please consider sharing yours, if relevant!

10 Tweets from the Week:

* @mujer_cita_MIA: All week enjoyed harassment-freedom walking in the streets w my brother. He left today so the #streetharassment is back in full swing.

* @latentappy: Wud u want to see ur mom, sister, daughter harassed on the street, shamed for her appearance or assaulted & then blamed for it? #VAW #EndSH

* @Dontharassmebro: If I’m rushing to get to work before my 9 AM meeting, don’t stop me to tell me you want to f*ck. #streetharassment

* @taliahagerty: @StopStHarassmnt it’s come to my attention that we need to investigate Chicago Transit Authority’s #streetharassment policy

* @divinitymatovu: Feeling terrific after a 1 mile lunchtime jog. Sidenote: im so over the #streetharassment by men honking/cat-calling. Will it ever end?

* @alesiavsworld: The way men expect women to appreciate catcalls is disgusting to me…

* @Kathrynlinhardt: Women are catcalled, stared at, honked at and followed. We deserve the right to feel afraid and not be made to feel silly about it.

* @mskaytiwhite: Getting catcalled makes me feel soooooo good about myself!! Said no girl ever.

* @TheEmilyBee: Just got catcalled at while wearing spandex in Costco, men are absolutely disgusting.

* @IamNirbhaya: It’s every woman’s right to feel safe on the streets. Stop #streetharassment! #VAW

USA: Teen Dating Violence and Street Harassment

February 10, 2014 By Correspondent

Heather Frederick, USA, SSH Blog Correspondent

The month of February in the United States is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Before making the link to street harassment, let’s start with a little education about the issue from LoveIsRespect.org:

* One in three adolescents in the U.S. is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds rates of other types of youth violence.
* One in 10 high school students has been purposefully hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
* Approximately 70% of college students say they have been sexually coerced.
* Girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence — almost triple the national average.
* Violent behavior typically begins between the ages of 12 and 18.
* Violent relationships in adolescence can have serious ramifications by putting the victims at higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior and further domestic violence.
* Being physically or sexually abused makes teen girls six times more likely to become pregnant and twice as likely to get a STI.
* Only 33% of teens who were in a violent relationship ever told anyone about the abuse.
* Eighty one percent of parents believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t know if it’s an issue.
* A teen’s confusion about the law and their desire for confidentiality are two of the most significant barriers stopping young victims of abuse from seeking help.

As you can see from these shocking numbers, dating violence has a huge impact on youth culture in America.

The link between street harassment and intimate partner violence couldn’t be more glaring. Early on children are subjected to bullying, street harassment, and domestic violence. Even if they are not the ones being directly hurt by the words or actions, they are affected too.

Children can hear catcalls and see lewd gestures as easily as any other bystander, and for some women their personal experiences of being harassed in the streets start when they are still children. When kids of all genders grow up seeing and hearing such behaviors they become normalized and acceptable. Boys pull girls hair to show they like them and then we collectively wonder why grown women don’t feel they can go to the police when they are harassed, assaulted or abused.

We each have control over our own words and actions, so there is no excuse for violence. Whether in the form of street harassment or dating abuse, violence is always a choice.

Sometimes though things you experience aren’t so black and white, and it becomes difficult for people to distinguish whether or not something is abuse or harassment. The easiest rule for harassment is that if it makes you uncomfortable, it’s probably harassment. As for abuse, if it’s about power and control, it is abuse.

One thing that can help put a stop to this cultural cycle of violence is to teach children from a very early age about setting boundaries they are comfortable with, and teaching them that their bodies are their own, just as their friend’s body is his. Teaching every individual that if their boundaries are violated they have a right to seek help will not only empower those individuals to speak up for themselves, but will help all of us heal knowing that we’re in this together for a better future.

Want to get involved? There are so many fun things you can do to get involved in #TeenDVMonth! Are you wearing #Orange4Love? Post your pics on Twitter (@loveisrespect) and Instagram (@loveisrespectofficial) with #TeenDVMonth and #RespectWeek2014 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/loveisrespectpage. You can also participate in the National Respect Announcement Thunderclap on Valentine’s Day, February 14th!

If you or someone you know is experiencing dating violence you can contact Love Is Respect 24/7 at 1-866-331-9474, by chatting at loveisrespect.org, or by texting “loveis” to 22522. No one ever deserves any kind of abuse.

Heather Frederick works a Supervisor for The National Dating Abuse Helpline, www.loveisrespect.org. Her passions include intersectional feminism, reproductive justice, languages, travel, blogging at www.FeministActivism.com (@FeministSNVA) and bringing an end to human rights abuses.

Egyptian Women Fight Back

February 9, 2014 By SSHIntern

Women around the globe are all-too-familiar with the grave threat of sexual harassment. However, Egyptian women have recently been experiencing an astonishingly high frequency of sexual harassment. According to a newly-released Public Service Announcement, at least 90% of Egyptian women experience sexual harassment. A 2013 UN report estimates that the number could be as high as 99.3%. Let those numbers sink in for a moment. Keep in mind that sexual assault is a notoriously under reported crime. It is safe to believe that even those shocking numbers are being generous.

On the occasions when female victims make the choice to report the incident, they are often made to feel blamed or ashamed for their own attacks. Police general Adel Abdel Maqsoud Afifi told the New York Times, “Sometimes, a girl contributes 100 percent to her own raping when she puts herself in these conditions.”

While the government has stepped in to implement small measures to combat this sexual assault epidemic–such as training female officers how to sensitively approach victims and posting cameras to monitor harassment on the streets–the policies have been slow and ineffective.

Due to the continuing rise of gender-based violence, Egyptian women have been encouraged to take their safety into their own hands via martial arts training. Prominent self-defense campaigns, such as Aman and Inti Aqwa (You Are Stronger), have been launched with the hope that women will have both the physical ability and self-confidence to defend themselves against attackers. Kung fu trainer Tarek Hussein commented on the epidemic, “The assault on women is very high… It’s very important that women know how to defend themselves. And kung fu is a great vehicle to be able to do so.”

While the integration of such a fantastic anti-sexual harassment campaign is something to be celebrated, it is disheartening because the need for self-defense training is pivotal to women’s daily lives and safety. Many American women choose to enroll in self-defense courses “just in case” they find themselves in a horrific situation. Egyptian women cannot have the “just in case” mindset; instead they must be prepared for “when this attack happens to me.”

Rather than the Egyptian government launching serious efforts to teach men boundaries and respect, the solution is that women just have to learn how to defend themselves against the constant threat of sexual violence. This does not dissolve the sexual violence but merely delays it. In order for sexual violence to come to an end in Egypt, both men and women need to actively participate. A major shift in how women are viewed needs to take place within society.

However, until this shift within society takes place, my applauds go out to the women in Egypt that are strong enough to fight back against the continuing sexual harassment and gender-based violence.

“Men need to feel the pressure that this is punishable.”

February 8, 2014 By Contributor

This is not my story, but a friend showed me that she found this on Craigslist’s “Missed Connections.” This man’s perspective on what he can do to a woman and his thinking that she liked it is NYC street harassment epitomized. The full text has been copied below, and is also available here.

“You caught my attention when i saw you at w4 station when i was waiting for the F train. you walked by me and think you knew i was looking at you. we got in the same car n at some point of the ride i happened to be behind you. you had a hat, underneath (curly) hair parted around your neck. could see the bare back of the neck. it looked beautiful and i wanted kiss it so bad…. i couldnt. instead i blew my breath gently on it. i knew you could feel it and i think you liked it. we both got off on 2nd ave. i saw you climb the stairs cross the towards east and disappear. this is a looooong shot. hope you are reading this.”

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

I wish NYC had a campaign to raise awareness about the illegality of street harassment. Multiple times, I have responded to men who have harassed me or friends by calmly explaining that their behavior is sexist and illegal, only to be met with, “It’s a free country” followed by some derogatory term, usually “bitch” or “slut.” Men need to feel the pressure that this is punishable.

“[I] suddenly felt afraid to set foot inside”

February 8, 2014 By Contributor

When I was 12, I was at a deli paying for my items. The man behind the counter asked for my “digits.” I froze and finally said no. He persisted and wouldn’t let me check out for a few minutes. I went home, extremely shaken and told my mom what happened. She went down and spoke to the manager and he assured her it wouldn’t happen again. Even so, I avoided that store like the plague… I was scared it would happen again; I wouldn’t even look in the window. I had been shopping there all my life and suddenly felt afraid to set foot inside.

– RE

Location: Upper West Side, NYC

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