Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Kabul, Buea, Chicago: First street harassment project updates

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Our pilot Safe Public Spaces Mentoring Program Sites in Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Chicago, USA, are about two weeks into their anti-street harassment projects and are hard at work!

Workshop at Star Educational Society in Afghanistan

In Kabul, Afghanistan, the leadership duo of Masooma and Ali have begun giving workshops on street harassment in local schools. On Friday, they gave a workshop at Star Educational Society and there was a large turnout despite the Ramadan holiday.

In Buea, Cameroon, team leader Zoneziwoh is collecting people’s street harassment stories and experiences in preparation for creating a five-hour seminar in a few weeks.

In Chicago, USA, team leader Phaydra is working with local activists to finalize the first story-board for the first of three short films about street harassment. They will film the first one during the week of Aug. 10.

Learn more about their projects and donate to SSH to help us expand this program later this year!

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BMC’s “Street Harassment Spectrum” Chart

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Brooklyn Movement Center is doing A LOT to address street harassment this summer. They’re holding regular meetings with community members to discuss the issue – and possible solutions. One of their current initiatives is working with community members to create a chart listing different types of street harassment, reasons why the harasser may be doing them, and ideas for responses.

Via Village Voice:

“On July 20, they released the first draft of their Street Harassment Spectrum on their website. It charts harassment on an “intensity score” of 1-10, from non-aggressive verbal communication at one end (“Hey beautiful”) to groping at the other. For each type of harassment — making gross sounds, staring, walking too close, non-sexual touching, following, masturbating openly like a perverted chimp with no boundaries — they suggest why the harasser might feel entitled to do such a thing, as well as potential responses from the harrass-ee.”

Here’s an excerpt of the draft (here’s the link to the full version):

Partial Screenshot of their Street Harassment Spectrum
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Talk 2 Q Radio Show: Street Harassment

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Cross-posted from SSH Board Member Relando Thompkin’s blog

This past Sunday, I had an opportunity to be a guest on the Talk 2 Q Radio Show with my colleague Holly Kearl, founder of the non-profit organization Stop Street Harassment, to discuss the issue of gender-based street harassment.

Check out our interview below, and share your thoughts in the comments. (Warning: Some language might be offensive).

Full disclosure: As a current board member of this organization, and a man who is passionate about engaging other men about this topic, I was excited to take this opportunity.

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Video: “Pretty”

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“A two minute glimpse of something that happens literally every day. I hope this inspires open dialogue about the culturally accepted ways women are treated and the real consequences of those actions. Please share this video to spread the conversation. It’s time for men and women to stand up against the gender-based violence.”  – Video by Amy West.

H/T Hollaback!

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“As if it’s their god-given right”

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These people say things I’m supposed to feel flattered about, but I still feel harassed & dirty afterwards. Sometimes the words are just insinuated, like they ‘say’ it by singing it, kind of like an indirect way of telling you what they think – as if you asked for their opinion or harassment.

I think we have a long way to go with this one, especially in the Third World, but it would be nice if this street harassment could stop at some point, hopefully soon, but definitely eventually. This harassment is something that has always bothered me, & has affected me on a considerable level. What I hate is that people feel COMFORTABLE in saying whatever it is they wish to say without thinking about things or weighing their words first, as if it’s their god-given right to just call people names or hurt them verbally.

But if they can arrest people “joking” about mass murders, then surely something can be done about verbal harassers. Maybe they can be fined, but it seems like a tricky thing to do. What if the harassers are under-age, or what if they merely ‘insinuate’ things, & won’t own up to the harassment? What about people that say this is something that is natural?

– Anonymous

Location: street, mall

Share your street harassment story for the blog.

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