Last week I drove from the Hague to Rotterdam. On the highway, I passed a man in a car, just a car from me. The man increased speed and drove next to me. After that, he followed me around into the city. I tried shaking him by pretending to take another road, but he kept following me. After a while I stopped when I saw a group of people, got out of my car and joined them, and that made him leave. I shared the whole story with those strangers and they were shocked. One man said, “I never realized how scared women get when this happens.”
Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?
It can’t. There needs to be a change in social awareness. Stop devaluing what happens, talk about it and encourage your government to make this a legal issue.
– NN
Location: Rotterdam, Holland
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.
