Here are the stories I’ve been reading the past two weeks!
Activismo sin violencia, “An anti-street harassment group confronts an epidemic in Egypt”
“As Safe As Before” is a new anti-harassment campaign in Alexandria, Egypt. “Volunteers are split up based on gender, with the men dispersed to spot potential cases of harassment, and the women distributing information to girls and families about victims’ rights and encouraging them to report any case of assault to the police.”
PRI, “Indian Women Talk about Street Harassment”
“Nirali Shah, Ishani Dasgupta, Kaneez Surka, Ahvanya Sharma, RJ Malishka and Lipi Mehta have all been the subject of unwanted advances by strangers in public — and on more than one occasion, victims of sexual abuse.
The women recall uncomfortable and confusing instances of harassment from when they were as young as 10.”
The Guardian, “How the hijab has made sexual harassment worse in Iran”
“Sexual harassment is not flirting. It’s more like hunting, with the whole city becoming a giant hunting ground. For women, walking in the street can become an excruciating, fearful experience…
The hunting happens everywhere in broad daylight, with the tacit approval of all – including the very authorities supposed to protect women. There is no risk in this hunt.
The feeling of incapacitation and helplessness for women is overwhelming. “It gives you a feeling of powerlessness because it seems that, since they aren’t physically attacking you, you don’t have a right to do anything to them,” says Lucille.
The irony of a system that goes to great lengths to “protect women’s bodies” is that while harassers are acting freely, stalking and groping under the eyes of all, the moral police is arresting women for “bad hijab”, skimpy manteaus or tight leggings.”
The Fader, “Empress Of’s “Kitty Kat” Is The Reponse To Street Harassment That Pop Needed”
“I remember a stranger saying something nasty to me on the street while walking home,” Rodriguez explains recently in an interview with Yours Truly. “I was so mad but I couldn’t say anything back at that moment. What would be the point? When I got back I started to work on this aggressive sound on a track. As soon as I turned the mic on to record, I started to sing what I wanted to say to that guy on the street, but now I get to sing it every night in front of a crowd.”
Everyday Feminism, “8 Reasons Why the Policing of Parents Who Nurse in Public Is Street Harassment”
“Street harassment can also cause those of us who experience it to avoid certain places, or to feel shame or self-blame after we’re harassed. We may question why we were walking in a certain location or why we wearing a particular outfit, looking for ways to blame ourselves for our harassment.
People who are harassed for nursing in public experience similar things. They may stop going out in public, and, in some cases, it may even cut a parent’s nursing relationship with their child short, as nursing in public becomes too challenging for them and they can’t keep their supply up.
Or they may engage in self-blame for the harassment, thinking that they should have used a cover or gone out to their car to avoid being seen.
All of these consequences are a big deal – they have a damaging effect on the people experiencing them and affect people’s mental health, emotional well-being, and physical safety.”
Clutch, “Watch Serena Williams Flawlessly Shut Down Reporter Who Asked Why She Wasn’t Smiling”
“After Tuesday’s emotional match at the U.S. Open where Williams defeated her sister in three sets, reporters only wanted to ask about one thing–how it felt to play Venus.
After being asked the question multiple times, Queen Serena was rightly irritated, but when a reporter asked her why she wasn’t smiling during the press conference after her win she kept it all the way real.
To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t want to be here,” Williams said.”
The Express Tribune (Pakistan), “Dealing with harassment: Just a compliment?”
“We should train our sons to be respectful to women and our daughters to be confident enough to report a disrespectful man. But most importantly, we should tell men that women shouldn’t only be respected because they are some ones daughter, sister or mother but because of the fact that they are fellow human beings, worthy of it.”
Independent Northeast Illinois University, “The Power of Art: A Mural Says What I Could Not”
“A controversial new mural went up in downtown Chicago earlier this month. It tells viewers: “Stop telling women to smile.”
Brooklyn-based artist, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, created the piece to address street harassment of women. As soon as I saw her latest work, displayed near Columbia College Chicago on 8th and Wabash, I was ecstatic…
During first week of school, I was feeling a little stressed, so I walked around campus. As I walked down the street, I started trying to think of something happy to brighten my mood.
Naturally, I began to smile. No sooner did that happen did I hear a guy say, “That smile is for me, right?” I just kind of rolled my eyes and kept walking. Then, I got angry. I wanted to say, “No, my smile is not for you. My smile is for me.” I couldn’t say that though. There are a lot of reasons why, namely that I wanted to avoid confrontation and the best way for me to do that was to keep walking.
The most unfortunate part of these types of situations is they take something beautiful — a smile — and turn it into something dangerous, something to be ashamed of, something that gets patrolled. What I do or don’t do is no one else’s business. That should be respected.
So thank you, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, for publicly saying what I could not. I hope that everyone takes notice.”
“To relegate women to a special women-only social network rather than address the fundamental issue of enforcing widespread online civility is both putting our heads in the sand and blatantly, purposefully removing women’s voices from public conversations…
I propose an alternative — how about men and women alike embrace online civility and help each other loudly confront inappropriate behavior when present. A salient and creative example is Kari Traa, who recently founded Trollfighters and staged a fashion show to give victims of online harassment a venue to very publicly shame their harassers.”
The Free Thought Project, “Pervert Cop Chased Woman Down as He Masturbated, Luckily She Got Pictures to Prove It”
“On Friday, Sgt. Mason was arrested and charged with misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and engaging in a lewd act. San Jose police spokesman Albert Morales confirmed on Wednesday that Mason has been placed on paid administrative leave.”
XO Jane, “I Said No When A Man Asked Me To Smile, So He Physically Made Me”
“The other day, I declined a man’s request to smile, so he got up, grabbed my face and physically tried to make me.”
Vanity Fair, “Jewel Shares Stories of Sexual Harassment in the Music Industry”
“She recounted further tales of harassment from her time as a homeless person: “I’ve never been more propositioned by businessmen in my life. It was almost like they were sharks that could smell blood, like of vulnerability. I’d go back to my car, writing songs, and men would literally come up and proposition me. They would be like, ‘Hey, do you need rent money?’ you know, and things like that. It was pretty wild. I never took anybody up on it, but it was interesting to see this side of men that basically would prey on somebody vulnerable.”
The Guardian (Nigeria), “Sexual harassment, intimidation hinder women’s participation in election – Stakeholders”
“A coalition of NGOs and other stakeholders on Tuesday identified sexual harassment, intimidation and lack of support as some causes for the declining rate of women’s participation in elections….The coalition of NGOs and stakeholders observed that cultural norms, male dominance, high illiteracy level among women also caused the participation and interest in politics to dwindle.”
SIT Digital Collections, “Understanding Street Harassment in Jordan: A Comparative Analysis of Syrian Refugees’ and Jordanian Citizens’ Experiences of Street Harassment in Jordanian Host Communities”
“A variety of United Nations and non-governmental organization reports have illustrated that Syrian refugees are increasingly vulnerable to street harassment in host communities. Because there have been no official statistical studies on the prevalence of street harassment in Jordan, there is no evidence that the rate of street harassment experienced by Syrian refugee women in Jordanian cities is any different than the rate of harassment experienced by Jordanian women in Jordanian cities.
The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of street harassment experienced by both Syrian and Jordanian women in Jordan.”
The Fusion, “People of color are sharing powerful stories of discrimination on the #afterseptember11 hashtag”
This is another part of 9/11 we need to #neverforget and vow as a country to be better.
@brahim_san #afterseptember11 my mom was called “bin laden’s mom” on the street and God knows what else she has to endure she’s not telling me.
@niaisasquare #afterseptember11 my mom stopped wearing her hijab in public because of the profiling and looks of disgust. She literally feared her life.
Towleroad, “Ohio Gay Man Endures Gay Slurs, Savagely Beaten After Leaving Cleveland Gay Nightclub”
“The attack on Jarrell was so severe it caused his brain to swell and bleed and he lost 80 percent hearing ability in his right ear.
As murders of trans people continue to rise, discriminatory attacks and murders of LGBT people remain a consistent, stark reality throughout the nation.”
So terrible. We wish him a speedy recovery!
Mashable, “NYC woman gets street harassed during Periscope livestream”
“I used to think it was kind of flattering, and then I noticed it happening all the time. I realized it wasn’t about me; it was about these guys wanting to exert their animal prowess and dominance over women.”
DNA Info, “Queens Bike Workshops Aim to Get More Ladies Cycling”
“A group of workshops geared specifically for women will cover the basics of cycling and bike maintenance in an effort to get more ladies riding.
Nonprofit Recycle-a-Bicycle is teaming up with Rockaway Brewing Company and advocacy group Get Women Cycling to host the monthly classes for women — covering topics from brake repairs to street harassment.”
Broadly, “Would On-The-Spot Fines Stop Catcalling for Good?”
“Ultimately, fines won’t stop street harassment alone. Only structural changes—greater education in schools, publicity campaigns, more and better policing and legislation if necessary—will eradicate street harassment. Unfortunately, all of these measures are expensive, and difficult to introduce. If lawmakers view street harassment as a real crime, and commit real funds to tackle it, with fines if necessary, there’s every possibility we can wipe out catcalling in a generation. But will our governments make this a priority? I wouldn’t count on it.”
RoleReboot, “Why I Talked To My 13-Year-Old Daughter About Street Harassment”
“I remind her: If someone harasses you, fight back however you feel most comfortable and most safe—in the moment with your words, or by crossing the street. Make art that expresses your thoughts and feelings. Write it down. Educate people. Talk to your friends. Talk to me.”
The Siasat Daily, “20,000 police force deployed for 11 day festivities in Hyderabad”
“With a view on maintaining law and order in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, as many as 20,000 police personnel deployed as bandobust during the 11 days of Ganesh festival and the same forces would also be deployed for the Assembly sessions and Bakrid festival that fall on September 23 and 25 respectively.
Along with 20,000 police personnel from Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana, additional forces from Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are being drawn for bandobust, in order to maintain peace during the festivities and to curb pick pocketing,eve-teasing in the city.”
The New Indian Express, “The Politics of a Stare”
“I was so angry I could barely get any words out. We have the right to be angry when a man stares at us. We have the right to be angry when a man passes a remark about our bodies. Because no, it is not a compliment. It does not make us feel beautiful. We get to decide when a stare makes us uncomfortable. We can tell the difference between a man “appreciating our beauty”, and a man who is trying to “put us in our place” by making us feel like we don’t belong.
We all know the stare I am talking about — the kind that makes our skin crawl. The kind that makes us avoid eye contact. The kind that makes us retreat into a shell, just so that we can make ourselves invisible. So no, it is nothing remotely romantic, it is not personal, it is not friendly. It is an expression of power designed to make us feel vulnerable, to assert the masculinity of public spaces.”
Egyptian Streets, “Egypt’s First All-Women Pink Taxi: Does Segregation Curb Sexual Harassment?”
“Keeping women away from men is not the answer to sexual harassment because at the end of the day, I may not be harassed by a cab driver but I am positive that a minute’s walk down the street would result in a few unwanted words and looks,” said Sara Mohammed, a 21-year-old Mass Communication student.
“Men in Egypt need to understand that we are not inferior, and they have no right to harass a woman regardless of what she is wearing or how she’s acting,” Sara explained. “It’s time they accepted that!”
The Pink Taxi initiative does resolve a small fraction of the sexual harassment epidemic in Egypt; women no longer have to fear getting sexually harassed, assaulted, or violated by a cab driver.”
Business Insider, “A new app that lets users’ friends ‘virtually walk them home at night’ is exploding in popularity”
“Tens of thousands of people around the world are now using a free personal-safety mobile app that allows friends to virtually walk you home at night.
The Companion app, created by five students from the University of Michigan, enables users to request a friend or family member to keep them company virtually and track their journey home via GPS on an online map.
Although they can do so, the friend or family member does not need to have installed the Companion app, which is available for both Android and iOS.
The user can send out several requests to different phone contacts in case people are not available to be a companion or not with their phones at the time.
Those contacted then receive an SMS text message with a hyperlink in it that sends them to a web page with an interactive map showing the user walking to their destination. If the user strays off their path, falls, is pushed, starts running, or has their headphones yanked out of their phone, the app detects these changes in movement and asks the user if they’re OK.
If the user is fine, they press a button on the app to confirm within 15 seconds. If they do not press the button, or a real emergency is occurring, the Companion app transforms the user’s phone into a personal alarm system that projects loud noises to scare criminals from the scene, and gives you the option to instantly call the police.”
