Equality for women “remains the great unfinished business of the 21st century,” Hillary Clinton said at the UN yesterday, in her International Women’s Day speech. “No country in the world, including my own, has achieved full participation.”
This is true and street harassment is a symptom of that inequality. Women feel less safe than men in public spaces in every country and sexual harassment in public spaces (as well as in schools, workplaces, places of worship, and homes) is the main reason. The lack of safety keeps many women out of public spaces. That is not equality.
We deserve a world where everyone has equal access to public spaces and the resources and opportunities there. We must speak out and demand it and work toward it.
Here are five ways you can help make the streets safer:
1. Share your story – bring attention to this problem. If you’re not impacted by this issue directly, read the stories of those who are to better understand why this matters.
2. Plan to participate in International Anti-Street Harassment Week, March 30 – April 5. Bring attention to this issue in your community and work toward solutions.
3. Find ideas for dealing with the issue, including the toolkit Know Your Rights: Street Harassment and the Law and the new book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers
4. Become a male ally, speak out when you see a guy harassing women. Mentor young men.
5. Donate $10+ to help fund the first-ever national study on street harassment in the USA — we can better address the problem once we know more about what is happening, where, to whom and by whom.
