When I was 21 years old, I went to live for a year in Mexico as part of a cultural exchange. Once I took a bus to a small town and as soon as I got off the bus an older man, maybe 50ish, starting following me and saying rude things to me and looking around to make sure everyone heard him. He was feeling proud of himself. I thought he would stop after a while if he got no reaction from me but he didn’t. Eventually I’d had enough. I stopped on the street, turned around, looked at him and screamed as loudly as I could (in Spanish) ‘LEAVE ME ALONE!’
Everyone saw and heard and he was so embarrassed he slunk away. I felt great!
Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?
Raise awareness of what’s going on.
– Frances
Location: A small village in Mexico
Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea.
