Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Simple Pickup REALLY Needs To Go: Breast Cancer Edition

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A few weeks ago, SSH social media volunteer Julie Mastrine began a Change.org petition against Simple Pickup.

She wrote, “Simple Pickup is a YouTube channel that features three guys as they harass, sexualize and often downright grope women on the street, all in the name of “picking up girls” and “giving you tips to help guys like you, get laid,” according to the user description. Unfortunately, the channel has over a million subscribers, and the message it sends is clear: it’s totally okay to harass women on the street, sexualize them, make them uncomfortable, and touch them without their consent.”

The petition has 30,000 signatures and asks YouTube to take down this offensive channel. (Please sign!)

Today I found out that the guys at Simple Pickup have reached a new low… they filmed themselves “motorboating” random women on the street (they pressed a woman’s breasts together and shook their face back and forth between them, to make the sound of a motorboat) and then they tried to make this offensive act “better” by donating $20 per motorboat to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Once the Foundation learned about the origin of the funds, they refunded the donation, telling media:

“We appreciate efforts to raise money to advance breast cancer research, but out of respect for the community we serve, we have asked Simple Pickup to cease all references and associations to our organization and are refunding their donation immediately.”

Good for them. As Audra at the Daily Dot writes, “objectifying women was a disgraceful way to support the cause.”

I’m really alarmed that the Simple Pickup guys continue to make offensive videos that millions of people choose to watch. Sexually objectifying women, disrespecting them, and portraying street harassment as cool and okay is problematic, harmful and needs to end. I’m also disappointed in YouTube for continuing to host and support these videos.

Please, sign the petition, share the petition and tweet at @YouTube that this channel has to go!

H/T Renee at Collective Action for Safe Spaces

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India: Take Delhi Back Cycle Event

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Cycling Protest – Via SpinLife India’s FB Page

After popular comedian and cyclist Vasu Primlani was assaulted by an autorickshaw driver in East Delhi, India, six cycling groups held a protest cycle ride last weekend called Take Delhi Back. At least 300 people cycled from India Gate to the Biodiversity Park to protest street harassment.

Via Deccan Herald:

“Ela Ghosh of Spinlife – a cyclists’ group in Gurgaon – says, ‘Women face such problems daily – on buses, in the Metro, on the roads, in colleges. Often people just see it happening, some even enjoy it, but hardly anyone comes forward to help. We need to create awareness on this issue so that no woman has to fight a lonely battle against hooligans.’

Anand Sinha of another such group Pedal Yatri says, ‘We totally understand what Vasu went through because our women members are often teased even on cycling tours. They are stared at, commented upon and even stoned. Therefore, we thought of extending our support to Vasu and the cause of protecting women in public places.'”

Via SpinLife India’s FB Page

At the end of the ride, the Gurgaon Drum Circle performed and Vasu gave a speech.

She said, “When men and women work together, even cycle together on the roads, it gives out the message that we are equal. It is important to convey this because often men who molest and rape have seen women in inferior roles only. Other than that, we want men to understand that masculinity lies not in dominating women, but in protecting them. We are hopeful that our small initiative will help in riding home the point.”

Read about a similar event that happened in Egypt last weekend and if you’re in Washington, D.C. RSVP for Collective Action for Safe Spaces‘ cycling event on Sat., Oct. 19!

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Egypt: “I Saw Harassment” and Interior Ministry Tackle Street Harassment

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“I Saw Harassment” Team. Oct. 15, 2013, via their FB page

Holidays and festivals are often rife with sexual harassment/street harassment and there are regularly targeted anti-harassment campaigns during them in places like Egypt and India.

This year, for the holiday Eid al-Adha in Egypt (Oct. 14-15), the government also got involved!

Via The Cairo Post:

“The Interior Ministry is planning to deploy criminal investigations personnel in all major public streets, squares, and parks in Egypt during Eid al-Adha to arrest any sexual harassers, a security source in the ministry told Youm7 on Monday.

Many Egyptians go out for picnics and other leisure activities during Eid al-Adha. Sexual harassment has become a rising phenomenon in Egypt’s streets in the past few years, especially the holidays.

Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim assigned the criminal investigations department to deploy forces in public areas to firmly confront any sexual harassment in an unprecedented official plan.

Many anti-sexual harassment groups have reported intolerance from the Ministry of Interior towards sexual harassment and even accused the ministry’s personnel of harassing women themselves.

‘I Saw Harassment’ is an initiative against harassment whose founders present a pressure group that works on monitoring and documenting sexual harassment crimes against women. The group said in a statement on Monday that the initiative’s volunteers will be focusing on Downtown Cairo, including Tahrir Square and the Nile Corniche, where most reports of sexual harassment are made.

The initiative’s volunteers are trained to peacefully intervene in cases of mob sexual harassment and sexual violence to rescue any victim.”

Hopefully this means the Egyptian government is changing and will begin to take this issue more seriously (and not harass people…).

Read more about the efforts of the “I Saw Harassment” Team (Arabic).

H/T Chai Shenoy, Co-Founder of Collective Action for Safe Spaces

Update:

Harass the Harasser Campaign in Alexandria, Egypt, Oct. 15, 2013

In Alexandria, Egypt, there was also a campaign over the holiday called “Harass the Harasser.”

Via Ahram Online:

“The campaigners were active within the busiest districts of the Mediterranean city, where chances of sexual harassment are high, such as San Stefano, the vicinity of the Biblotheque, Mahat El-Raml, in addition to several public parks. “The aim of the campaign is to stand against sexual harassment, which is prevalent in holidays,” Mansour Hamdy, one of the campaigners told Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website, pointing out that the campaign was active in Cairo last year.”

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Cairo: We Will Ride Bicycles!

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We Will Ride Bicycles, Oct. 12, 2013 Event

In Egypt, there is a new campaign called, “We Will Ride Bicycles,” intended to confront street harassment. Today was their first event and women and their male allies rode bicycles around Cairo!

Via allAfrica.com:

“Riding a bicycle and feeling the breeze of the air is one of our simplest dreams,” said the campaign’s event page, adding that all women should be allowed to freely ride bicycles without being harassed or judged.

The activists behind the campaign said they chose the theme of riding bicycles to promote women and girl’s rights to run errands through cycling without being afraid of attracting negative reaction in the streets.

Scheduled for Saturday, the event’s assembly point will be outside October War Panorama on Saleh Salem Street and its end point will be at Azhar Park.

“The campaign’s main objective is confronting the unjustified rejection of the community concerning females riding bicycles,” said Michael Nazeh, one of the founders of the campaign.”

What a great idea! If you’re in Washington, D.C., there will be a similar event next Saturday, Oct. 19, benefiting our friends Collective Action for Safe Spaces! Info/RSVP.

Oct. 12, 2013, Cairo, Egypt
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Day of the Girl: Educate Youth to End Harassment

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Ending sexual harassment, street harassment, and gender violence will require: ending the social acceptability of these behaviors and youth education.

I am thrilled that the United Nations is releasing new curriculum to do just that! The release coincides with the International Day of the Girl today.

Via their press release:

“A first of its kind, the Voices against Violence is a co-educational curriculum designed for various age groups ranging from 5 to 25 years. It provides girls, boys, young women and young men with tools and expertise to understand the root causes of violence in their communities, to educate and involve their peers and communities to prevent such violence, and to learn about where to access support if they experience violence.  Working with youth organizations, UN partners and governments, UN Women and WAGGGS will roll out the curriculum to young people around the world. It will be adapted to national context, translated into local languages, and reach an estimated five million children and young people by 2020.”

Wonderful.

Related, as an AAUW consultant, I am helping organize the first-ever national symposium on teaching women’s/gender/feminist studies in high schools on Oct. 26, in St. Louis, Missouri.

I believe these types of classes are essential for teenagers to take to better understand gender roles, gender norms and how to challenge things that are restrictive and harmful, and to understand women’s/girls value and respect them!

Registration is only $25 and the one-day event is perfect for educators and community activists who want to bring these lessons to their classrooms and communities.

Also, check out these resources for talking with boys about gender violence issues.

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