Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for January 2018

Nigeria: Ending the Deafening Silence on Street Harassment

By

Adetayo Talabi, Lagos, Nigeria, SSH Blog Correspondent

“I was walking from my Ikeja Local Government office after my weekly community development service as a Youth Corp member when a young man between the age of 30-35 years walked close to me [and began talking]. I thought with his responsible look, I should hear him out, but then he asked if I was married and talked about how sexually appealing I look, [said] very irritating sexual words about my body shape, body features etc. I felt so embarrassed and angry. I had to increase my walking pace, but he kept walking faster and the disgusting words made me run…” (Itote)

“Someone grabbed my boobs. Another time, a man touched my face. Another time a man boldly told me that he wanted to give me oral sex on the street.” (Lu)

“It happened in school (University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State)… I had a rosette on my hair as I walked past the area where the young men were. One of them said I was trying to show to the world that I’ve been de-flowered, because of the rosette I had on my hair. I ignored them and kept walking.” (Oluwatobiloba)

“A male colleague once told me that if he took me into a room and touched me sexually, all my hidden features would come out.” (A. Oluwaseun)

“I was once walking home and some boys were saying, ‘Baby how are you?’ I ignored them and they called me a prostitute.” (Opeyemi)

These stories reflect the routine experience of women — not from India or the United States — but from Nigeria. They shared their experiences in an online survey I conducted about the prevalence of street harassment. I undertook this research because, in preparing to write on the topic, I discovered there was no existing study for my country. After I created the online survey, I shared it via Whatsapp groups; Facebook and Twitter while also encouraging close friends to take it and share it with their contacts.

What my survey showed is that street harassment is not peculiar to any country; in fact, it is part of  Nigerian women’s everyday live. From the seemingly innocent “hello” to vulgar, obscene suggestions, and in some cases outright threats of (sexual) assault, it is no easy task being a woman in Nigeria, especially in the major cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port-Harcourt.

Out of 105 women who responded to my online survey, I found that about 92 of the women (88 percent) had experienced street harassment. Among them, 52 had been physically touched (50 percent) and 89 had been verbally harassed (85 percent). When I asked some men I found indulging in such despicable acts, they were quick to assert that their goal is simply to acknowledge and complement the qualities of the woman. On the other hand, some said that most women “ask” for the harassment by the way they dress. In response, I did not hesitate show them the Twitter post by Fauziyah.

There is no need denying the fact that street harassment dehumanizes women, by reducing them to sexual parts and functions, and it is an invasion of privacy which reminds the victims of their gender and vulnerability. It is also a dangerous public issue.

In Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, street harassment thrives. The city was recently named by Thomson Reuters as the eighth most dangerous megacity for women in the world. It was clear from the survey that the markets are particularly bad. One of my survey respondents, Oluwaseun, said she tries to mentally prepare for her visits because, according to her, “Every time I go to Yaba market, harassment is certain.”

Unlike in Nigeria, street harassment incidents are presently, openly and publicly being tackled in various countries in North and South America, Asia and Europe. I believe the fact that this issue is at the forefront of public discourse in these countries will mean that societal behaviour and attitudes on this issue will be changed in a fundamental way.

The same needs to occur in Nigeria. Nigerian women should have the inalienable, basic right not to be eve-teased, cat-called, groped or fondled against their will or be subjected to inappropriate comments based on their gender, be it on the street or in the workplace.

Given that women are overwhelmingly the victims of this assault, Nigerian women must be at the forefront of the push for change. Nigerian women should not isolate themselves from the trending global #MeToo movement but must take advantage of this and other anti-harassment initiative to make our country safe for everyone, irrespective of his or her gender.

But women should not have to work alone to stop street harassment. Nigerians, irrespective of their gender, as global citizens, need to individually take steps towards creating awareness about why street harassment is harmful and not allow it to continue to fester in the “public” shadows. Indeed, I agree with Olamide Abudu that it is ultimately up to all of us to come together to change the culture of pervasive harassment in Nigeria. As a nation, we need to do more than just sit and fold our arms in akimbo wishing the menace away; we need to work hard to get the discussion about street harassment started.

I believe this medium is just a starting point, but it should not end here. It begins with you, reading this piece.

Adetayo is a Judicial Assistant/Law Clerk to Justices of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeals. He volunteers with several Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) that focus on legal aid, domestic/gender-based violence, gender equality and human rights. You can reach him by mail here or follow him on twitter at @TalabiJ_

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“I am still a child and I am being sexualized”

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First of all, I am thirteen. I was walking my dog around the block and a car filled with young men, possibly 16-22 whistled and shouted, “Damnnn” as I bent over fix my dog’s harness. I felt extremely violated and I still do. People comment on how I am so lucky to have larger hips, butt and thighs. But I am still a child and I am being sexualized. This needs to stop.

– Anonymous

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 ideas.

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I said, “Please respect yourself.”

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I was heading home from school while wearing my Universal Camouflage Pattern ACU uniform because I am in the JROTC program. On my way, I faced a group of guys walking my way about 150 ft away. They start yelling, “Yo are you in the air force?”

Then they nudged each other and laughed, then repeated it all over again. From that, I learned that they just wanted to mess around, so I ignored them.

However, as I passed by, one of them said, “Look at them big juicy tits,” followed by “That ass should hop on my dick.”

And let me remind you, I was wearing an army uniform meaning that it is no way “sexual” or even appealing. Anyways, I continued walking because the words hadn’t registered in my mind yet. But once they did, I turned around and to my shock they’re standing right in their place looking back at me. So, I said, “Please respect yourself.”

They acted like they couldn’t hear and laughed. So, I turned around and continued on my way home and I balled my eyes out. I regretted my decision to speak back at them. I wished that I had ignored them.

Once I was home, I felt like I wanted to cry again, but I was just too tired. Instead of studying, I just sat on my bed thinking of the scene over and over again. Thinking of what I should have done and what should I do now. It’s the worst feeling on the planet. I told some adults, but all I received was “sorry”s and “shrug it off”s.

Actual help?

Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?

Teach boys not to sexualize women

– Anonymous

Location: Right outside school

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 ideas.

 

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Brazil: How Feminists are Changing Street Carnival

By

Yasmin Curzi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, SSH Blog Correspondent

Credit: Marcelo Valle

“Street carnival” in Brazil can be defined as an open encounter for all kinds of people in public spaces, such as streets, corners and squares, across hours (or days).

Each neighborhood has its favorite blocks, blocos, and during Carnival in early February, there will be nearly 500. It’s the only moment during the whole year when people actually stand in these spaces; during the rest of the year they only serve as transitory spots.

The fact that people can remain in the city in order to celebrate life, dancing, drinking, flirting, wearing costumes (many of them with political themes) contrasts with a certain vision of a “blasé” city, that serves only to reproduce capitalism. Street Carnival, therefore, is a political manifesto by itself.

Carnival brings a general feeling of freedom – and that is a beautiful thing. But too much freedom, with our cultural issues such as misogyny, can lead to an increase in harassment and sexual violence cases. Men can turn really aggressive in their approach toward women and it’s almost impossible, as a woman, to go anywhere alone without being vulnerable to these aggressions. Thus, in order to try to stay safe, women worry about their behavior, what they should or should not wear, what amount of alcohol to ingest, and how they’ll get to and from places. Of course, these are all the things that most of us women worry about everyday in order to avoid sexual violence (a study by Think Olga showed that of almost 8,000 respondents in Brazil, 98 percent of them had faced street harassment) – but during Carnival, we pay even more attention. In contrast, men are free to do anything they want in the blocks, with their only  fear perhaps being pickpockets.

Despite these situations, Carnival in Rio is one of the most wonderful spectacles we have. The city is always colorful and there’s an inexplicable magic in the air that everyone can feel. Its energy reaches even the grumpiest person. Carnival itself is not a problem; the violence that occurs during it is the problem that we want to eradicate. But we can’t do that without a profound cultural change. Therefore, feminists are organizing campaigns, safe spaces and blocks to enable equity in Carnival.

In Rio, the journalist and activist Renata Rodrigues started a “safe space” samba street block named “Mulheres Rodadas” (Women Who Get Around). The name was in response to a viral post of a man with a sexist sign reading, “I don’t want a woman who gets around.” This feminist Carnival block “Women Who Get Around” attracted thousands of followers and supplied much more than street samba. It built a whole network of support to battered women who can learn how to play instruments. It serves as a support group. Also, they promoted an awareness-raising campaign for a harassment-free Carnival with the hashtag “#CarnavalSemAssedio” (#CarnivalWithoutHarassment).

Image via Minas de Vermelho Facebook page

Last Carnival there was also a campaign called “Minas de Vermelho” (“Girls in Red”). Women wear red lace on their arm to symbolize solidarity with other women, so if one girl or woman suffers or is afraid of suffering an aggression, she can search for women wearing these laces to find safety.

These are examples of how feminists are tackling sexism in Carnival and transforming it from being more than just a party, but a disruptive demonstration. This is one hell of a way to advocate for women’s right to the city and produce cultural changes.

Yasmin is a Research Assistant at the Center for Research on Law and Economics at FGV-Rio. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences from PUC-Rio where she wrote her thesis on street harassment and feminists’ struggles for recognition. 

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USA: A Defense of #MeToo

By

Dovie Jenkins, Detroit, MI, USA, SSH Blog Correspondent

#MeToo has been a boon to those seeking justice for the victims of sexual harassment and assault. However, celebrities and regular people alike have recently criticized #MeToo and other anti-harassment movements. One species of criticism claims that the individuals accused of harassment are merely exercising their expressive freedoms, like freedom of speech or the “right to pester.” The basic argument works like this: “Pesterers” have a right to exercise expressive freedoms, even if some find the exercise of these freedoms offensive. Constraining the exercise of these freedoms is an injustice. The #MeToo movement and others like it constrain the exercise of these expressive freedoms. So, the #MeToo movement and others like it, are unjust.

I assert that this particular indictment of #MeToo fails: it is perfectly possible to exercise one’s rights in a way that warrants moral condemnation and sanction, and #MeToo is a reasonable response to these kinds of moral wrongs.

To understand this, consider the following hypothetical person. Jones enjoys saying whatever cruel thing pops into his mind. He tells a cashier that the cashier is a loser. He informs the bank teller that she is a fat idiot. When a Facebook acquaintance loses a parent, Jones comments “hahahhahaha.” It’s hard to deny that Jones has a right to say these things, but it’s also clear to most of us that Jones is doing something morally wrong. If the recipients of Jones’ cruelty started #JonesisaJerk to call attention to the abuse they’ve suffered at Jones’ hands, we’d think this is reasonable. Furthermore, if Jones’ cruel behavior resulted in a hostile workplace, many think that it would be appropriate to sanction Jones. Like Jones, pesterers exercise their expressive rights in ways that make others feel hurt, afraid, uncomfortable, ashamed, and undervalued. We generally think that comments that cause needless harm are morally bad. The #MeToo movement calls attention to these comments, and like #JonesisaJerk, this is a reasonable response to moral wrongs. Furthermore, like the Jones case, it’s reasonable for others to react negatively to pestering behavior.

One might worry that there are two important points of dis-analogy between Jones and the pesterers: (1) Jones intended to be cruel, whereas pesterers intend to compliment the objects of their pestering; and (2) the content of Jones’ comments is insulting, whereas the content of pestering is complimentary, even if these compliments are sometimes phrased in vulgar ways. These differences, one might argue, are morally relevant. However, both objections fail for similar reasons. (2) presumes that the content of a comment is what makes the comment morally acceptable. “Fat idiot” is an insult, and therefore is morally wrong. “Hey beautiful” is a compliment and should therefore be regarded as morally acceptable. This attitude in fact ignores many of the experiences recounted with #MeToo, but even if we assume that the content of pestering is not overtly insulting, this objection doesn’t succeed. Imagine that Smith is particularly sensitive about her appearance. Jones knows this. However, since Jones is a jerk, he sarcastically comments “hey beautiful” as she walks past. As predicted, Smith feels uncomfortable and self-conscious as a result. Though the content of Jones’ comment is superficially complimentary, the intent to cause Smith discomfort is enough to make Jones’ comment wrong.

This brings us to (1). Some claim that, unlike Jones, pesterers do aim to compliment pesterees. They argue that sometimes these efforts are misguided and miss the mark, but #MeToo and other anti-harassment initiatives ultimately penalize individuals for well-intentioned gestures. However, one of the following must be true: either pesterers know that the objects of pestering resent these “compliments” or the pesterers do not know this. If the pesterers know that these “compliments” are unwelcome and cause distress, then the pesterers don’t have benevolent motives. If the pesterers do not know how individuals respond to their comments, then they have failed to be a responsibly informed citizen (there’s considerable evidence that these comments cause distress), and this is a moral failing. In either case, (1) doesn’t cut it.

#MeToo and other grassroots anti-harassment initiatives raise a number of important questions about what should be done about harassment. However, I have shown that an appeal to the expressive rights of harassers/pesterers is not a satisfactory moral objection to anti-harassment movements. Sexual pestering is morally wrong for the same reason that bullying is wrong- it causes needless distress in its targets. The moral wrongness of pestering/harassment is compatible with the exercise of expressive freedoms. Most importantly, given that pestering is morally wrong, #MeToo and other anti-harassment initiatives rightly call attention to this abuse.

Dovie is a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where she is currently pursuing an M.A. in Anthropology and Philosophy. Dovie’s academic interests include the evolution of moral reasoning, moral psychology, ethics, and epistemology. She is also interested in public philosophy, specifically issues relating to gender equality.

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