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Archives for April 2017

UK: Bristol Zero Tolerance

April 28, 2017 By Correspondent

Annabel Laughton, Gloucestershire, UK, SSH Blog Correspondent

For the last in my series of blog posts speaking to activists in Bristol and the UK, I spoke to Charlotte Gage, Partnerships Officer at Bristol Zero Tolerance (BZT). This is an initiative that was set up by Bristol Women’s Commission in 2015, and its vision is to “make Bristol zero tolerance to all forms of gender-based violence, abuse, harassment and exploitation”.

BZT does not run frontline services but is working towards becoming an umbrella for all relevant services in the city, aiding coordination and collaboration. Gage works extensively with business, offering training and awareness-raising to create a safe culture and change attitudes and behaviour. BZT can also advocate for particular policy positions on gender-based abuse, something frontline organisations often don’t have time for. Local police and the local council, for example, have drawn up action plans in conjunction with BZT, who can then hold them to account.

So what’s happening specifically with street harassment? Gage recently started a street harassment campaign.  “Local women were talking about it, so I felt it was important”, she says. The campaign is in its infancy as yet, being launched in International Anti-Street Harassment Week this April. At present Gage is focusing on gathering data to get a better picture of street harassment in the city. She has a researcher collecting data via local networks and specific communities. BZT also have a filmmaker recording women’s stories of street harassment.

Where the campaign goes after that will depend on the outcomes, but de-normalising street harassment and empowering people to speak out, either as victims or bystanders, is key. Gage explained she has had discussions with the local Police and Crime Commissioner and local organisation SARI (Stand Against Racism and Inequality) about the best way to enable this. “The police always say that if it’s not reported there is no data, and therefore there’s no problem”, she says, but exactly how street harassment is recorded is not straightforward. Gender is a “protected characteristic” under the UK Equality Act 2010, but street harassment isn’t automatically recorded as a hate crime, as, for example, attacks on someone because of their race or a disability would be. Victims have to specifically request that the offence is logged by police as “other – gender”, and even that won’t tell the whole story, because gender could mean male or female, masking the fact we know the vast majority of street harassment is targeted at women.

Gage is considering if BZT might lobby Avon and Somerset police to follow Nottinghamshire police’s lead and add a hate crime category of misogyny (the #NotACompliment campaign calls for this to be rolled out by police forces nationally), but is also wary of completely relying on a criminal response. “Not everyone wants to report to police. We want to give women different options”. One of these options might be a toolkit for people experiencing harassment, and bystanders.

BZT is clearly doing incredible work, but it’s not easy. Apart from Gage, BZT has just one other paid member of staff, Gage’s assistant, and they are both part-time. The initiative is funded by Public Health as it is prevention work, but like many publicly funded services in the UK, money is running out. It’s obvious that her drive and commitment are essential to the ongoing survival and success of this important work. As we finish our chat, Gage is clear that the issue of street harassment, which nearly all women experience, is a good way into a broader understanding of violence and abuse against women. “We need to get the message out there – street harassment is part of a culture which normalises and condones gender-based violence”.

Annabel is involved in campaigns for human rights, mental health, environmental issues and social justice. She has an honours degree in Classical Studies, a diploma in counselling, and works in Higher Education.

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Filed Under: Activist Interviews, anti-street harassment week, correspondents, street harassment

USA: Stop Commenting on Women’s Bodies and Appearances

April 27, 2017 By Correspondent

Libby Allnatt, Phoenix, AZ, USA, SSH Blog Correspondent

Are you the kind of person who tells someone when they have something stuck in their teeth, or do you let it slide? What about toilet paper on their shoe?

Some things are okay to point out.

There are also areas where commentary is off-limits unless invited.

Other people’s bodies, and other aspects of an individual’s appearance, especially if they are a stranger, would be included in that list.

The motives behind street harassment are diverse. A harasser may even have no motive, simply a senseless act of disrespect or violence. But entitlement is surely an aspect – either entitlement to one’s body (as in the case of groping or physical violence, for instance), entitlement to one’s time or attention (as in the case of being followed or catcalled), or a mix a both.

It’s almost comical when street harassment crosses into the territory of feedback. What’s the point of hollering at a young girl what you like and don’t like about her appearance? Would you pass a man and yell, “It looks like you have a superiority complex and I think you should seek professional help for that”?

Some of the absurd things harassers say would be almost funny due to how stupid they make their speakers look if they weren’t so violating, degrading, threatening and downright terrifying.

After my age and young look, the most common topic of the catcalls and comments I receive center on my clothing or style.

Catcalls, sexual/sexist remarks, groping, leering, and assault. Street harassment limits people’s access to public spaces. #SAAM #stopSH pic.twitter.com/68ZZQ94TGi

— Anna M Bogdan (@AnnaMBogdan) April 2, 2017

And it’s not just the creepy perverts that lurk in alleys and on street corners. I’ve had guys I know (both well-meaning and blissfully ignorant) comment on everything from the amount of makeup I wear (too much or too little) to the appropriateness of my clothing (you’d think some men have never seen leggings before).

A male acquaintance even once asked me to grow my hair out because he “liked it better long.” Um, excuse? And I like your mouth better shut.

Don’t get me wrong. Compliments can be wonderful. I often tell women how much I love their dress or perfume. A nice comment can go a long way. But as has been discussed many times, street harassment isn’t a compliment, so catcalls from men across the street and mutters of profanity as I pass don’t fall into that category.

In addition to compliments, there’s also a huge difference between warranted feedback and unwarranted harassment. A female friend admitting she’s not a huge fan of my outfit choice when I’m picking out something to wear (and asking for her advice) is a far cry from a man shouting, “WHY DON’T YOU SHOW MORE LEG” from across the street.

I know I’m preaching to the choir. Chances are if you’re reading this, you’re someone who has either been a victim of street harassment (if you’re a woman, the chances are high) or someone genuinely trying to understand more about the issue. I doubt the men that holler at us on the street are going online to read about street harassment communities and how their actions impact others’ safety and well-being.

But there are ways we can all be aware of how our language impacts others. Laughing at someone’s outfit? Maybe they spent a lot of time picking it out and are really excited to express themselves. Hear a guy analyzing a woman’s every curve? Ask him why he thinks she would care.

If you’re a dude reading this, you need to be aware of the appropriate ways of interacting with women. Generally, commenting on her appearance won’t get you anywhere, even if you think you’re being nice. It may be “bullshit PC culture” to you. But for us, it’s survival.

I hate to break it to you, but she probably doesn’t care what you think. You might even be creeping her out. It’s not personal. But given the prevalence of street harassment and genuinely threatening experiences women have, she’s likely learned to keep her guard up for protection.

Fellas: If a girl is turned away from you, giving one-word responses, stop trying to talk to her. It’s not personal, it’s survival. #stopSH

— Libby Paige (@LibbyPaigeA) April 19, 2017

While certainly anyone can be harassed, being aware of the ways that women’s bodies are continually policed, degraded, mocked, violated and sexualized is an especially important part of the framework.

We are not zoo animals to be gawked at, or artwork to be absorbed with the eyes and critiqued.

We are people wanting to walk down the street.

Libby is a student at Arizona State University. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, she is majoring in journalism with a focus on print and she is minoring in psychology and women’s studies. You can follow her on Twitter @libbyallnattasu and Instagram @LibbyPaigeA.

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Filed Under: correspondents

2017 Anti-Street Harassment Week Report

April 27, 2017 By HKearl

Thank you again so much to everyone who participated in the 2017 International Anti-Street Harassment Week!!!

Participating groups/orgs hailed from 40 countries and 20 U.S. states (and D.C.). Even more joined in for the Global Tweetathon and three tweetchats.

Here’s the wrap-up report!!!

The photo album is also updated.

Please mark your calendars for the 2018 event, April 8-14!!

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Filed Under: anti-street harassment week, SSH programs, street harassment

“He kept filming us all the way”

April 25, 2017 By Contributor

My friend and I were sitting in the parking lot at the Topanga Mall at night talking. We noticed a man from far away filming us as he was walking. He went around the wall and started walking over to us, still filming. We backed up to leave…he was three feet away and he kept filming us all the way until we were on the street and lost him from our view. It was creepy.

– Anonymous

Location: Topanga mall / Target side, Canoga Park, CA

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for idea
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Filed Under: Stories, street harassment

“The man following me wasn’t allowed off the bus”

April 24, 2017 By Contributor

I have two stories of being followed.

One occurred when I was in college, 17 years old. The college day had finished and I was headed to big band practice. I was with my friend whose house was part-way on my route so we started the journey together. We got on the bus and all was okay until we both noticed an older guy (about mid 40’s, already on the bus when we got on) staring straight into my eyes and smiling creepily at me. That was unsettling. We communicated this through our phones to each other.

Then our stop came and we got off the bus. He followed. The stop was a university so it’s wasn’t implausible for it to be His stop. It’s what happened next that really worried me. This was the point where me and my friend went different ways. We got different buses from the same bus stop. He was still waiting at our bus stop staring at me, making me uncomfortable. My friend’s bus came first. She got on and I crossed the road. He followed. I walked and doubled back to the bus stop. He didn’t follow – that I could see. I was on the phone to my friend since the moment we split because I was feeling really uncomfortable with the situation. My bus arrived and I got on. The bottom was full but the majority of the seats upstairs were free so I went to the free seats at the back. It looked all clear and a few stops later I was feeling better.

Then He came to the top level and went straight to the back and sat right next to me. The majority of the seats were free and he didn’t even look at the empty seats. He made a beeline for me. As He sat I ran down the stairs (still on the phone to my friend) and told the bus driver I think I’d been followed. He started down the stairs too. My stop was also coming up. It was a remote area, just housing and the primary school which I had my big band practice in which furthered my worry. The driver stopped the bus at the stop and closed the doors after I got off. The driver watched to make sure I got into the gated primary school (my destination). The man following me wasn’t allowed off the bus.

I ran to the gated primary school and then to the entrance in tears to my friend on the phone. I got to my band practice and told my band leaders of the follower with a full description. All I can say is thank you to that bus driver and fellow passengers who stopped him following me inside the primary school. I’m also thankful I wasn’t headed home as he doesn’t know where I live. I got a ride home from my dad that evening. I never saw the follower again after that but it was an experience which really shook me up. Especially as a girl of 17 alone in a city. This happened in Manchester, England.

The second following incident happened when I was in University, 20 years old. I work the night shift at McDonald’s and finished my shift at 4 a.m. The streets are empty at this time and the only thing I usually have to worry about are foxes…at least they run away when you approach. I was walking home as I’d just missed the bus and had forgot my purse (I haven’t since). I was halfway down the high street when a guy asked if I had a light. I politely said I didn’t and kept on walking. He carried on walking next to me. It was an uncomfortable situation. He started talking and kept insinuating he wanted a kiss…also hinting he wanted more.

As I approached the halfway point to my way home I got my phone out and was prepared to call my university campus security to come and meet me as I approached campus and escort me home (there is an app on my phone which the university has which makes this possible). Luckily he figured out he wasn’t going to get anything from me and started walking the opposite way. To make sure he didn’t follow me home I walked around and doubled back to my route. He didn’t follow but it was still unsettling and scary. Especially as he was big enough that if he wanted to, he could have taken what he wanted and I wouldn’t have had much chance of fighting him off. This happened in Canterbury, England.

– RP

Location: Manchester and Canterbury, England

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for idea
s.

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Filed Under: Stories, street harassment

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