Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming
Groups of older guys cornering me on public transport, looking at my legs and crotch all the time while talking to me, implying that the ‘weather is hot’ while still looking at my crotch.
– Anonymous
Location: Germany
Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more ideas
Dearbhla Quinn, Dublin Ireland/Brussels, Belgium, SSH Blog Correspondent
I have never aspired to be famous, the trade off between status and privacy has always marred the fantasy in my eyes. This resolve was strengthened today as I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed and I came across a video of Jack Gleeson, best known for the role of King Joffrey in Game of Thrones, discussing the insidious nature of celebrity culture. He described how he preferred the anonymity of blending in rather than ‘teetering on pedestal on inch above the ground’ and discussed the origins and scholarly analysis of this modern cult.
Much of what he said echoed my own misgivings with celebrity culture, but I was struck by the relevance to street harassment, of one particular sentence; “You get so used to being looked at that you stop looking back”. This statement was used to define a particular celebrity affliction termed “acquired situational narcissism” and perhaps you may accuse me of the final word in that term for this comparison; however it reminded me of my own experience last month. I had a particularly unyielding week of often quite intimidating street harassment, here in Brussels, and for a while; I responded by walking the streets with my head bowed, avoiding eye-contact with other passersby, for fear of inspiring some unwelcome interaction.
While the experience of a celebrity being intruded upon by fans, bears some similarity to that of people (such as women or LGBTQ people) being harassed in the streets there is, I would argue, one key differentiator. This is that in the case of the celebrity this harassment is inspired by a deferential form of admiration, whereas in the case of sexualised street harassment, the harasser is anything but deferential, in fact their behaviour is often quite menacing.
While the celebrity may feel in that moment at the mercy of the whims of their public, they are in wider context empowered and privileged by the status in which they are held in society, a society of which they are both leaders and victims. I am reminded of Caitlin Moran’s assertion that she was not a royalist, not because she dislikes the British royal family but rather, because she sees them as caged animals that she wants desperately to release. They are endowed with every privilege, but privacy. However neither harassed woman (or members of the LGBTQ community etc) or the celebrity are being recognised as complex human beings, and this is a significant similarity. A recent series of sex abuse scandals in the Youtube ‘Vlogging’ community has prompted a discussion on sexual consent, but also of the reduction of ‘vloggers’ to their glorified online personas and the power that they glean from this endowment.
As Jack Gleeson spoke, in the familiar Trinity-esque style, and articulated ideas that echoed my own inclinations, I pondered the fact that I had chosen to watch this video of him talk; simply because he was paid ‘to pretend to be mean’ on TV. I was falling prey to the very cultural feature I so vehemently malign. Until recently I had very little exposure to this content through availing of, the filtered nature of, my own twitter feed as a news source. However, I have recently become frustrated by the escalating tendency of so many of the news and commentary outlets, I choose to follow, exposing me to a vitriol of inane celebrity gossip, the nature of which I had previously managed remain ignorant. This was an insulation I sought, not because of intellectual snobbery; but because of my own moral discomfort with the worrying culture of voyeurism that I believe such gossip fosters.
I find it particularly disturbing when feminist news outlets, which I continue to follow almost out of a habitual loyalty to their founding values, increasingly bow to the doctrine of ‘click counting’ and obediently tabloid-ise their content. It seems ironic that media outlets founded in part to critique the commodification and objectification of the female body, become, complicit in furthering its insidious bedfellow; the commodification of personality. When you reduce an individual to a media persona, constructed solely out of slogan-style values and airbrushed features; you contribute to this culture of dehumanisation. A culture in which women can be reduced to their bodies, and celebrities to the output of their marketing team; and you unwittingly further the notion, that a person can be public property.
Dearbhla graduated from BESS (Business and Sociology), in Trinity College Dublin, last year. She currently lives in Brussels, Belgium, where she has a think-tank internship working in the areas of gender, equality, and employment. Follow her on Twitter @imoshedinheels and her blogs.
Two guys cornering me and my female friend, in public, asking us to have a drink with them. We decline. they don’t stop asking as, trying to persuade us. We told them no multiple times. Then we implied that my friend and I were dating, and not interested in men, then they got angry insulted us as dirty lesbians, throwing other slurs at us and leaving.
‘Funny’ how harassers never seem to understand a ‘no’ but only a ‘claim on a women by another person’ and then they insult them.
– Anonymous
Location: Germany
Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more ideas
Last night, I – along with most residents of my city – watched our team win the NBA championship for the 5th time! Afterward, I was pumped up enough to go for a short run through my neighborhood. All around, people were celebrating with fireworks, honking and cheering out their car windows. As I ran down the street, I approached a man walking in the opposite direction, presumably heading home from a nearby sports bar. When he opened his mouth to address me, I wasn’t sure what would come out. To my surprise he simply said, “You have a great night!” and continued along. I can say, that is the first time I’ve ever passed a man while running and received that type of comment. Obviously, it was a night of good feelings and camaraderie among my fellow San Antonians.
The experience made me feel great…how amazing would it be if this were always the type of commentary we shared with strangers on the street!
What can we do create more street respect?
Keep that neighborly spirit alive! Treat each other as friends and neighbors, not as subjects for rudeness, jokes or crass commentary. Brighten someone’s day rather than dampen it. Set a good example for your friends and bystanders by treating passersby with courtesy and respect.
– Sarah
Location: San Antonio, Texas
This is part of the series “Street Respect. “Street respect” is the term for respectful, polite, and consensual interactions that happen between strangers in public spaces. It’s the opposite of “street harassment.” Share your street respect story and show the kind of interactions you’d like to have in public in place of street harassment.
Two weeks ago, Egypt passed an anti-sexual harassment law that encompasses street harassment. Sexual violence in Egypt has ironically been in the news in the weeks since….because it’s happening so much, law or no law. Here’s a round-up of some of the articles on our radar:
“There, in the middle of throbbing mass of celebrators reveling in President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s recent inauguration, a woman was stripped naked days ago and sexual assaulted by a mob of men. Her backside, as shown in a now-viral YouTube video, was bruised and blackened before her limp form was carted off to a waiting vehicle.
A TV host, who later said she was misunderstood, brushed off the assault as “fun.”
“They are happy,” she giggled. “The people are having fun.”
The video illuminated what almost every woman in Egypt already knew: Sexual assault and harassment is endemic regardless of a recent law that criminalized it. Ninety-nine percent of Egyptian women say they have experienced sexual harassment and 97 percent say men have lewdly touched them without permission. At least 250 cases of “mass sexual rape and mass sexual assault” occurred between late 2012 and January of 2014, a cadre of 29 women’s rights groups said following the recent Tahir Square attack.”
“Egyptian Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim has ordered a new department formed to combat crimes of violence against women in collaboration with the ministry’s department of human rights, a security source told Al-Ahram Arabic news website.
The source said the new department will receive complaints of assaults or violence against women and take the needed legal action, especially in cases of mass assault.
Forces of the new department should be present in crowded places, public transportation, festivals, sporting matches and other places where women are especially exposed to assault.
The decision on the new department comes after cases of mass sexual attack in Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square during celebrations of the presidency of Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. The president himself and his wife visited one of the victims in hospital, where El-Sisi apologised to Egyptian women and vowed to take strong action to confront increasing violence against women.”
“Protesters took to the streets of Cairo on Saturday to call for more protections against sexual harassment which is seen as a critical problem the country.
The marchers’ demands included stricter punishment for sexual offenders, and an end to sexual violence as well as discrimination against women.
The protest was sparked by the uploading of a recent video on YouTube which showed a mob of men surrounding a 19-year-old woman and gang raping her in Tahir Square where crowds had gathered to celebrate the election of the President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi earlier this month.
The protest movement is being spearheaded by Deena al-Shabba a student who set up the “Walk like an Egyptian Woman” campaign in response to the video.”
“Mohamed Ibrahim, the interior minister, said this week that he would create a new department to combat violence, including sexual assault and harassment, against women. But throwing men in jail must not be considered a panacea. Accountability is necessary, but we also need a societal shift that aims for both justice and respect for women. I know that will take a long time.
We must connect domestic violence, marital rape and female genital mutilation with street sexual violence and clearly call them all crimes against women. And just as we stood next to men to overthrow President Mubarak, we need men to stand alongside us now. Where is their outrage? Do they want to be synonymous with a hatred of women?”
“This is what the Sisi government and the new committee should do:
First, enact further legal reforms. The Penal Code needs a comprehensive, modern definition of rape and a clear definition of sexual assault. Article 267 of the Penal Code refers to rape as “whosoever has sexual intercourse with a female without her consent.” The term “rape” should include all forms of penetration without consent or in coercive circumstances that negate consent, including vaginal, anal, and oral penetration by any body part or by other instruments. Articles 268 and 269 of the Penal Code criminalize “indecent assault,” but do not define “indecent assault.” The government should also enact legislation on all forms of violence against women which address prevention of violence, and protection and support of survivors, including for instance domestic violence.
Second, formulate a comprehensive national strategy on violence against women to implement such legislation. This should include a monitoring mechanism to oversee implementation of legislation which reports to Parliament, and craft national protocols and strategies for all relevant ministries. The authorities should consult with Egyptian women’s rights groups and survivors when drafting the strategy and any new legislation, and coordinate with all components of society in a position to raise awareness. There should be a mechanism to fund implementation of the legislative reforms and strategy.
Third, the government needs to develop protocols on ensuring adequate medical and psycho-social support for victims of sexual assault. These should address confidentiality, dealing with trauma, referring victims for other services, and providing timely treatment. Training should be provided to police and medical officials on all such protocols and laws.
The authorities can look to the United Nations Handbook for Legislation on Violence against Women which sets out components on combating violence against women.
The Egyptian authorities are required to act—both under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, to which Egypt is a state party, and Egypt’s new constitution, to protect “women against all forms of violence.”