Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Two New Books

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Dr. Fiona Vera-Gray has a new book about street harassment out called The Right Amount of Panic: How Women Trade Freedom for Safety. I got to offer a review for the jacket back: “By reinterpreting women’s daily safety strategies as successful forms of resistance, this book presents fresh ideas for sexual violence prevention.”

Soraya Chemaly, a long-time supporter of SSH, has a new book out tomorrow called Rage Becomes Her, and in one chapter (“Smile, Baby”) she writes about street harassment. It is a book we all need to understand our anger and “transform it into meaningful change.” #RageBecomesHer

 

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Welcome Our New Volunteer!

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I’m excited to welcome our new volunteer social media and website manager!

Meghna Bhat, PhD (she/her/hers), a former SSH blog correspondent, will be helping SSH for the next few months, primarily managing our twitter and instagram accounts and the blog! Yay!

Meghna is a pro bono gender and social justice scholar and educator whose work is informed by being a survivor of sexual violence and street harassment, a first-generation immigrant from India, and South Asian woman. Meghna has 14 years of extensive work experiences both in campus and community settings, ranging from interdisciplinary gender violence research and writing, program administration and consultation, education, and community organizing.

She worked at the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) in the PreventConnect program for a year. Meghna is honored to have recently joined the Board of Directors at the National Girls and Women of Color Council, Inc. She received her PhD in Criminology, Law, and Justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) with a specialization in Gender and Women Studies.

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“Scared that something bad might happen to me”

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This evening, I was walking from my apartment to retrieve my car that was parked in our ‘first come first served’ lot located behind some residential buildings a couple minutes away. Just when my car was finally in my sight, I was alarmed to hear the sound of a man wolf-whistling some distance behind me. I was alone and scared that something bad might happen to me. I pretended not to hear it and did not look to see the culprit until I was safely in my car. Now I feel an immense amount of anxiety and shame when coming to and from my car.

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

Make forms of street harassment such as catcalling and wolf whistling a punishable crime. Hold residential buildings accountable for the way their tenants act towards others while on their property, such as parking lots.

– Ashley

Location: Residential parking lot located on the grounds of a BMHA (Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority) public housing building

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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“Nothing about my outfit was revealing”

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I was walking to class when a man walked out of a Rite Aid with three other people. He said, “How’s it going sugar?” I made eye contact. He proceeded with, “An ass like that make a blind man wanna see again.”

I immediately felt as if it were my fault that I was being harassed. I was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. Nothing about my outfit was revealing. It was terrifying.

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

Raise awareness of harassment and how it affects men and women everywhere.

– AJ

Location: Harrisburg, PA

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.

Share

“I have made several complaints about feeling unsafe in my neighborhood “

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I complained about an abuse that happened to me and since the complaint, I have been harassed by a wolf pack of men! I have made several complaints about feeling unsafe in my neighborhood but the men in the city protect my abuser and promote this behavior in the men.

– Anonymous

Location: NJ

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.

Share