Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Let’s Catch up to Egypt and Yemen

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Dear Stop Street Harassment Supporters,

Every day I comb the news and social media for information about street harassment, and I often find inspiration from other countries, like Egypt and Yemen.

Both Egypt and Yemen have had national studies on street harassment (83% and 99% of women experienced it, respectively) and activists are successfully using the statistics to galvanize the media, the public and their governments to support anti-harassment initiatives. Just Monday, the Egyptian Prime Minister said a new law against street harassment was in the works.

Rampant Problem
The USA does not have a national study yet and no national government officials are addressing the issue. From stories shared online, however, we know that street harassment is a rampant problem in the USA. Women are evaluated by strangers, masturbated at, rubbed against, told to smile, asked if they want a boyfriend if they’re in public alone, told to do sexual acts, and sexually assaulted. New research shows it’s a problem most men who are gay or bisexual experience. Transgender individuals face some of the most violent forms of harassment – including murder.

We need national statistics to help us better understand the issue and to prove to policy-makers, law enforcement, and educators that this is a serious issue that must be addressed. We also need statistics to help us craft new policies. My master’s program in public policy included a course on statistics and that’s because it’s often stories + statistics + public support that = policy changes.

Donate Today to Fund a Study
Stop Street Harassment is now a 501c3 organization. Up to this point, I have self-funded all of the work of SSH. But now I am asking for YOUR help. Please donate today so that the USA can have its own nationally representative study. (Learn more about the survey.) The survey firm I plan to use is very reputable and in my day job at AAUW, we used them for a 2011 national study on sexual harassment in schools, which the white house recently called a “gold standard” for studying the topic.

While I have sent out letters of inquiry for a few grants, most places specify “no research” for what they’ll fund, so I am very reliant on the donations of people like you. The Razoo campaign ends in one week, so please donate today. (Scroll down to see what you get for donating and to learn how the data will be used.)

Thank you for all of your support,
Holly Kearl
SSH Founder

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What You Get for Donating:

 How the Study Data Will Be Used:

  1. The study findings will be published in a research report. There will be a media strategy to spread the information widely.
  2. Any group or person who cares about ending street harassment will be able to use the findings to support why their program/view point/initiative is valid and needed.
  3. SSH will use the findings to craft programming, inform campaigns, and propose new policies, trainings for transit workers and police, and educational curriculum for colleges.
  4. I also hope the data will help SSH get grants to do all of those programs!!!
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“Rub against me and I’ll expose you”

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Phase Two of the Ad Campaign

Last February, during a DC City Council Hearing, several brave Washington, DC commuters shared their experiences of being sexually harassed on the Metro buses and trains. At the same time, many of us – led by Collective Action for Safe Spaces – pressured the Metro into taking action on this issue (with lots of support from area blogs). Thankfully, the DC transit authority responded to the stories and campaigning. Among the many changes they’ve made, launched an anti-harassment public service announcement campaign in April.

At first the ads were on buses and subway platforms. Now they’re also on Metro cars and tonight, on my way home from work, I looked up and saw one! New ads will continue to be rolled out every few months to keep the content fresh.

I am very excited that commuters can see this ad and know that sexual harassment isn’t tolerated on the Metro system and that there is a way to report incidents that happen.

The Reports Are In

Here’s another piece of news about the campaign — One change we suggested the transit authority make was to start tracking ALL types of sexual harassment, not just types deemed criminal offenses (e.g. sexual assault). They agreed to do this and even created an online form to make it easier for people to report harassment incidents.

Recently, they released information about the number of reports they’ve received through September: there were 78 reports, including 39 incidents that were criminal. It’s impossible to compare numbers to the previous year since the tracking criteria and system is different but we now have a starting point to which we can compare future numbers.

I think this is all great progress and I’m really grateful I live in an area where I can look up during my commute and know that action is being taken to make the Metro system safer for everyone.

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Hateful men set Sharmeka Moffitt on fire

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Image via Clutch Magazine

UPDATE: In a weird twist, the FBI just announced that Sharmeka staged the whole thing. She set herself on fire. I still wish her a speedy recovery, both physically and mentally. 

Imagine going to the local park for a run/walk, happy and healthy, and then leaving the park in an ambulance, with 60 percent of your body covered in burns because three men in white hoods set you on fire.

It’s horrific to imagine, let alone to live through. Sharmeka Moffitt, a 20-year-old woman in Louisiana, would know.

On Sunday, this happened to her. Not only did the three men set her on fire, they also wrote the initials “KKK” and a racial slur on her car. She is now in critical condition at a hospital.

Via CBS News:

“A Winnsboro Police officer who responded to her 911 call found no suspects or vehicles at Civitan Park where the attack allegedly happened, and the park has no surveillance cameras. Lewis said the state crime lab was analyzing several pieces of evidence.

Franklin Sheriff Kevin Cobb called it “a horrific event” and said authorities would “follow the facts and seek justice.”

Otis Chisley, the president of the local branch of the NAACP, said he was in touch with Moffitt’s distraught family. He said he was waiting for more facts before drawing any conclusions about what happened and that “everyone wants to move with caution.”

Regardless of the investigation’s outcome, Chisley said that racism and KKK activity remain a fact of life in the state.

“It’s prevalent throughout Louisiana,” he said. “It’s hidden but it exists.”

We do NOT live in a post-race, post-gender society. We live in a society where racism, sexism, and hate rear their ugly heads on a regular basis.

Crunk Feminist Collective has a powerful piece about this attack and its context as well as the following:

“And for all the folks who think Black women don’t use public parks for exercise because we want to maintain our hair styles, let this be an object lesson. Maybe Black women with modest resources who can’t afford to go to the gym  don’t use public parks because those spaces are unsafe. 

As of this point, the coverage of Moffitt’s attack has been minimal. I knew about it only because folks back home were posting info from local news sources. I guess it is left up to social media to convince the world yet again that violence against Black women matters. And I hope Black folks remember, too, that Sharmeka’s life deserves the same energy that we gave to the Jena 6 and to Trayvon Martin. 

Sharmeka, you are not invisible to us. We stand with you in your fight.”

Amen. The Stop Street Harassment community stands with Sharmeka and wish her a fast recovery.

 

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Digest of street harassment news: October 21, 2012

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By Allan Cavanagh

Read stories, news articles, blog posts, and tweets about street harassment from the past few weeks.

** Sign up to receive a monthly e-newsletter from Stop Street Harassment ***

Street Harassment Stories:

Share your story! You can read street harassment stories on the Web at:

Stop Street Harassment Blog

HarassMap in Egypt

Bijoya in Bangladesh

Resist Harassment in Lebanon

Ramallah Street Watch in Palestine

Name and Shame in Pakistan

Safe Streets in Yemen

Street Harassment in South Africa

Many of the Hollaback sites

Street Harassment In the News, on the Blogs:

* Global Press Institute, “Women Break Silence About Sexual Harassment on Nepali Buses“

* Bloomberg Businessweek, “Egypt to Fight Sexual Harassment by Broadcasting Attackers“

* CASS, ““Putting in the effort to catch him wasn’t just for me – it was for all of us who are subjected to disgusting behavior day in and day out””

* Brute Reason, “On Men Who Think Street Harassment Would Be Awesome“

* My Fox DC, “Website helps stop harassment on Metro“

* Gawker, “Unmasking Reddit’s Violentacrez, The Biggest Troll on the Web“

* Alakhbar, “Video Experiment Gauges Public Response to Sexual Harassment“

* Sydney Morning Herald, “‘Shocked’ Sonia’s Tahrir Square ordeal: mob gropes TV reporter after live broadcast“

* Prodigal Magazine, “His Words Burned Into My Skin.”

* The Ferrett, “Can I Buy You a Coffee?“

* Random Musings, “The Argument Over Street Harassment“

* Egypt Independent, “Are you man enough? Men on both sides of fight against harassment“

Announcements:
Reminders:

* Stop Street Harassment welcomes and announces its new board of directors!

* Stop Street Harassment recently incorporated as a nonprofit organization. Please donate so we can conduct a national street harassment study and gather much needed data documenting the problem.

* There are new anti-street harassment groups in Australia and Nepal

* Read an interview with Tatyana Fazlalizadeh about her beautiful art work against street harassment

* What did street harassment look like in 1945?

* @Shefunionwomcom We are collating stories of women’s experiences of street harassment. If you have a story please email it to womens.committee@shef.ac.uk

* METRAC released a free “Not Your Baby App” to provide responses you can use when experiencing harassment

* The Adventures of Salwa campaign has a hotline for sexual harassment cases in Lebanon: 76-676862.

* In Bangalore, India, there is a helpline for street harassment 080 – 22943225 / 22864023

* Report #streetharassment in Pakistan at @NameAndShamePk, email nameandshame@ryse.pk, SMS 0314-800-35-68 or online at http://www.nameandshame.pk

15 Tweets from the Week:

1. @LatherRinseRpt  Apparently it’s never too early for some street harassment. I’ve had enough of this, I am not an object and I will fight back with a lecture

2. @sallyzohney: Since our dear government &police r watching us suffer #EgWomen r fighting back by spraying harassers w/colored spray #EndSH

3. @gnomesdeplume Street harassment: turning me into a frightened 13 year-old girl since…well, since I was 13. What a shitty way to end the night.

4. @maha_ia  Thank God Egyptian women are finally speaking up. #EndSH

5. @DianaShh  Street harassment is NOT a compliment. #Jordan

6. @SharkDancing We need to stop making this excuse ” Street Harassment is unfortunate, but completely normal. You just have to deal with it”. #Fem2 #Cdnpoli

7. @Sharon_Haywood  Torcuato González Agote breaks Argentine law by taking secret photos of women on #BsAs buses & posts them w/out consent http://bit.ly/QwmNyq

8. @cairowire  as much as #egypt needs effective mechanisms to #EndSH, sanctioning CCTV surveillance without proper regulation is a recipe for disaster.

9. @MaiE_89  Ridiculous. 2010 survey in #Egypt: 80% males & 73% females agreed that a woman who dressed provocatively deserved to be harassed #EndSH

10. @ivanvector  This. MT @RespectTO: @SharkDancing Street harassment is NOT normal. It already is illegal in several US states. http://bicycling.com/blogs/roadrights/2012/08/08/no-more-bullying/ … #BikeTO

11. ‏@BLifela  Today was a rough day!Plus crazy street harassment! Professional attire turned into a site of male pleasure while walking to my research job

12. @Qatato  Stand against street harassment in Amman. Share this photo or make it your cover photo and let everybody know… http://fb.me/1WQqifJ0p

13. @CallOutCatCalls  @isitis Currently wearing miniskirt; have leggings in bag in case of #streetharassment on my late night train. I feel your pain. 🙁

14. @sw_inku  Commute street harassment tali: stranger greeting: 1, politely complimented: 1, yelled at from across the park: 1

15. @mase_430  “@ninasophia81: Big mistake wearing a sweater dress today. Let the street harassment begin. SMH!!! #longleggedgirlstruggles” ~Werk!!

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French Reporter Groped on Camera at Tahrir Square

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Men began groping Sonia Dridi while she was on camera. Image via SMH

On Friday, a French television reporter was at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, when a group of men attacked her.

Via AFP:

“Sonia Dridi, a correspondent for France 24, said a mob of mostly young men surrounded her on Friday while she was on the air and then began to grope her. The attack lasted several minutes before a male colleague managed to pull her out.

“I was groped everywhere. I realised (later), when someone closed my shirt, that it was opened, but not torn off,” she said.

“I avoided the worst because I have a good belt” and a friend helped her out, said the reporter, who eventually found refuge in a fast food restaurant.”

Via The Sydney Morning Herald:

“More frightened than hurt,” wrote Dridi in French on her Twitter page on Saturday.

Referring in English to a colleague, she tweeted: “Thanks to @ashrafkhalil for protecting me in #Tahrir last nite. Mob was pretty intense. thanks to him I escaped from the unleashed hands.”

Later she wrote: “Thks everyone for support, shocking but I’m OK. Could have been [worse]. Crowd out of control, guys took advantage of it but kept my clothes on.

I am so sorry to hear about this and I hope she will be okay.

Sadly, this type of attack is “normal” in the area. Since the Revolution of 2011, women like journalists Lara Logan, Mona Eltahawy,  Natasha Smith, and Caroline Sinz, Egyptian actor Sherihan and the “woman in the blue bra” have all survived horrific mass sexual assaults on the streets of Cairo. Such attacks are cowardly, scary, and unacceptable.

Many Egyptians will not stand for this behavior in their country. Protests and creative efforts to draw attention to the issue to stop it happen nearly weekly.  Just this week, there were theater/video experiments on the streets led by the BuSSY Project and the National Council for Women announced it will launch a campaign that includes videotaping attackers and broadcasting the images.

Street harassment, sexual assaults, gropings, women-hating must stop!

 

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