Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for June 2014

Street Harassment Documentary Premiers TODAY!

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One of our long-time supporters (and a role model for me) Dienna Howard has spent the last year filming and editing a documentary about street harassment. She’s worked extremely hard to learn all of the skills and components necessary to make a documentary and I’m so proud of her!

Her documentary premieres TODAY on Arlington Independent Media!

You can live stream it here : https://www.arlingtonmedia.org/programming/live-stream

Thursdays 6:30 p.m.
Saturdays 3 p.m.
Sundays 8 a.m. (Starting 6/15 due to another show being aired in that slot on 6/8)

If you live in Arlington, Virginia, you can watch it on tv, too. These are AIM’s channels: Comcast-69 | Verizon-38

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“Which story?”

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Which story? How about this one. I was 17 and leaving a mall. Walking to my car in parking lot, a young man with baggy sweatpants followed me to my car. I noticed it and head down, hurried, getting my keys ready to get in and lock up quickly. I had my 4 yr old sister with me and hurried to get her in the backseat. He leaned on the hood of my car and started masturbating. I got in, locked the doors, drove backward as quick as I could, but not before driving forward just a little bit 🙂 Just enough to knock him on his jerk off ass.

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

It’s not very common where I live – it is rather socially unacceptable for people to be harassed on the street in most parts of Canada. Didn’t stop this particular person, who, when I reported it, I found out had been doing it to others, too.

– Anonymous

Location: Calgary, Canada

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“I often just firmly say ‘NO’ to my harassers”

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I’ve lived in Upper Manhattan, in Inwood, for a year now. This is a mostly un-gentrified Dominican neighborhood. I’m a petite Caucasian woman with red hair and very fair skin; needless to say, I stand out a bit more than I’d like.

I am harassed every single day at all hours in my neighborhood. On my way to work, on my way home, getting groceries; anywhere, anytime. If I come home late at night, I specifically alter my route to avoid streets that I know to expect a lot of harassers to be loitering.

While most of my harassment consists of whistles, hisses, kissing noises, lewd remarks, and a lot of Spanish (which I don’t speak, so I mercifully can’t understand these remarks), I have also had my arms grabbed and been followed by men.

Because of the language barrier, I often just firmly say “NO.” to my harassers. The times I haven’t felt safe enough to address a group of harassers have been the times that I’ve been followed, or the harassing has become louder, more aggressive, and more degrading.

It’s unfortunate that I feel unsafe and uncomfortable in my own neighborhood on a daily basis. I do feel that my harassment is racially charged – my name is NOT “sexy little white girl,” “sexy white mama,” or any of the other horrible nicknames men have found to incorporate my race into a disgusting comment.

I am exhausted by the stress of being outside of my apartment. My plan is to move as soon as I possibly can.

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

I do plan to begin reporting men who harass me while they are working – delivery drivers, MTA employees (especially), and anyone else I can easily identify their employer. I’m also going to try the cards on the site as a way to silently respond to harassers while making a statement.

– AB

Location: Vermilyea Ave, NYC 10034

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Our New National Study on Street Harassment Found….

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
06/03/14

Contact: Holly Kearl, hkearl@stopstreetharassment.org, (571) 449-7326

Two in Three American Women Experience Sexual Harassment and Assault in Public Spaces

Stop Street Harassment Releases a Groundbreaking National Report

RESTON, VA — From “hey baby” to homophobic slurs, from following to groping, sexual harassment and assault in public spaces by strangers, or “street harassment,” is experienced by more than 107 million women in the United States, according to a study released today by the nonprofit organization Stop Street Harassment (SSH). GfK conducted the 2,000-person nationally representative survey in early 2014.

Half of all women had been harassed by age 17 and most women were somewhat or very concerned that the harassment would escalate into physical violence. Most harassed women also reported changing their lives in some way because of it, including avoiding locations where they had been harassed, no longer going places alone, and even moving neighborhoods or quitting jobs.

Some men also reported experiencing street harassment, especially men who identified as gay, bisexual or transgender. Being the target of a homophobic or transphobic comment (9%) was the most common experience for all harassed men. Half of respondents said their harassment started by age 17, and many men changed their lives because of the harassment they experienced.

The overwhelming majority of both women and men identified one man or a group of men as the perpetrator of harassment.

“It is shameful that millions of people are harassed by men simply for being in public spaces while they travel to and from school, work, stores, and events,” said Holly Kearl, executive director of Stop Street Harassment and author of two books on the subject. “If we want to see the United States achieve equality for all, it is imperative that communities — and we as a nation — address this pervasive human rights violation.”

While verbal comments were the most common form of harassment, an alarmingly number of women had faced more severe forms, too. Among all female respondents, 23% had been purposely sexually touched, 20% had been followed, and 9% had been forced to do something sexual.

“Street harassment is a pervasive form of sexual violence that has a profound impact for those who are harassed, their friends and families, and their community. Failing to address this systemic problem continues to perpetuate the belief that this behavior is acceptable,” said Michele Black, PhD, a SSH report advisor and the lead author of the U.S. Centers for Disease Controls (CDC) National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010 Summary Report. “It is important that bystanders step forward and show that street harassment will not be tolerated,” the recently retired CDC epidemiologist said.

The report also includes stories from 10 focus groups conducted across the nation as well as recommendations for what we all can do to address this problem. There are separate recommendations directed to educators, community leaders, transit authorities, law enforcement, business owners, and individuals, complete with examples of promising and replicable initiatives.

The full report and a two-page executive summary are available for download on the SSH website.

HuffPost Live will air a segment on the report at 2:30 p.m. EDT today.

 

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“Ooohh… ..I’d love to do you”

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30th of May. 3pm. I had just handed my university project in and was going home to relax. On the way home I went into Tesco’s to get some shopping. Nothing out of the ordinary.

However, as I was walking down the street a man passed by me, eyed me up and down and said, “Ooohh… ..I’d love to do you.”

I am fairly used to getting whistled at etc, but for him to actually say that really creeped me out. I ended up turning around and telling him to piss off. But it still made me feel powerless. What was I meant to do? Publicly shame him? Kick him in the nuts? (I was incredibly tempted to do this had I not been carrying six bags of shopping – haha).

But seriously, this isn’t the first time this has happened to me. The stupidest thing was, I looked like complete crap as well. I had been writing constantly to try and get my university work done and was wrecked. I was dressed very plain and quite boyishly, so I really wasn’t looking for attention. I wasn’t even making eye contact at this man, I was looking at the other side of the street.

Eugh. If I was to say that to a man it would be totally unheard of. But I wouldn’t because I’m, you know, sane. Don’t worry though, I cheered up pretty quickly afterwards, a blasting of TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’ seemed to do the trick!

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

I have no idea. I wish there was a way to end things like this happening, but it seems it has become a social norm to engage in this behaviour.

I feel ashamed that I don’t know what to do. I usually just try my best to ignore it. Granted, it won’t make the problem go away, but I feel a lot better not giving into creeps like that who just want to make others feel small or uncomfortable. At the end of the day, my happiness comes first and I just continue to do what I was going to that day anyways. I’m not going to let them change my plans just because they’re being an asshole.

– Anonymous

Location: Aldgate East, London, UK

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