Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Street Harassment Photography Contest/Show: Enter Now!

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Calling all photographers!

In October 2009, Washington, DC, will be the site of the first annual Holla Back DC! Make DC Harassment Free day-long summit addressing gender-based public harassment, or street harassment. The conference will attract hundreds of activists, educators, and individuals from the DC Metro area (& beyond) for conversations about the problem and what we can do to make public spaces in DC harassment free.  Prior to the summit, we are hosting an opening reception where selected photographs from this competition will be displayed to raise awareness and prompt dialogue about the issue.

This photography contest is open to all individuals who can capture gender-based public harassment photographs in the DC metro area.  We encourage all entrants to be as creative and realistic as possible with their submissions. You may submit up to three photographs by midnight, August 12, 2009.  We will notify selected photographers by August 19, 2009.

Let your photographer friends and family know and encourage them to participate.  For more information and official rules, please go to: http://makedcharassmentfree.com/contest/index.htm

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(Note: I am one of the conference organizers and we are still looking for a conference site. If you have any suggestions of locations downtown DC that can hold at least 150 people and is low cost to free – so that we can keep attendence to the conference free – please contact me)

(& also, special thanks to my good friend Kira for designing the conference logo)

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Weekly Round Up – July 19

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Stories:

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.

In the News:

  • The Chicago Sun Times had a front page (online) story about how women activists in Chicago prompted changes to the sexual harassment policies of the Chicago Transit Authority!
  • A group of women in Sudan were arrested and several were flogged for the crime of wearing pants in public.
  • An article in the Miami Herald about changing attitudes in policies in Saudi Arabia highlights the attitude that if women were allowed to drive, they would experience more sexual harassment in public, so it’s better not to let them drive.

Announcements:

  • In partnership with local activist, including the facilitators of Holla Back DC!, I am helping to organize a free, one-day summit on street harassment, to be held in October 2009 in Washington, DC. We are holding a photography contest right now for photographers who capture or depict street harassment, particularly in the DC area. Selected winners will have the chance to show/sell their work at a reception the evening before the summit.
  • RightRides in NYC recently has expanded their services of a free ride home from Saturday nights to include Friday nights too! They offer this service from 11:59 p.m. – 3 a.m. in 45 neighborhoods across four boroughs. To call for a ride, the dispatch number is (718) 964-7781 OR (888)215-SAFE (7233).

Street Harassment Resource of the Week:

Gardner, Carol Brooks. Passing By: Gender and Public Harassment (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1995).

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Chicago's Transit Changes Policies Due to Women Activists

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Thanks to the efforts of the Rogers Park Young Women’s Action Team (YWAT) who have been documenting the high rates of sexual harassment on public transportation in Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is expanding its policies on how bus and rail operators deal with harassers. The YWAT surveyed 639 CTA riders and found that half had been sexually harassed on the system and 13 percent had been assaulted.

From the Chicago Sun Times (where the article is a homepage feature!):

“Before, if a customer felt she was being threatened or harassed by another passenger, the operator may just decide to ‘keep an eye’ on the situation, or tell the offender to move, or call the Control Center if they felt the situation needed an immediate response, according to Amy Kovalan, CTA’s senior vice president of safety, security and risk compliance.

‘Now, operators are instructed to ask an offending individual to stop the behavior,’ Kovalan said. ‘If that person does not cease, the operator immediately will call the Control Center and will be instructed on how to proceed.’ The rule applies to any kind of harassment — not just sexual.

The CTA also is updating its public safety tips brochure to include information about harassment, and how to report it.

In addition, the CTA is expanding its ‘If you see something, say something’ posters and audio announcements to include sexual harassment. Harassment complaints to the CTA customer service line will now have a special code, so that the agency can better monitor the problem.

YWAT just came out with their survey a few weeks ago, so to have the CTA already respond with changes is huge!! Congratulations to the YWAT. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: I really admire them and their work!

I also think this is very encouraging for people who live in other areas where there are high rates of harassment on public transportation but little being done to address it. A group of individuals can make a difference!

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Chicago’s Transit Changes Policies Due to Women Activists

By

Thanks to the efforts of the Rogers Park Young Women’s Action Team (YWAT) who have been documenting the high rates of sexual harassment on public transportation in Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is expanding its policies on how bus and rail operators deal with harassers. The YWAT surveyed 639 CTA riders and found that half had been sexually harassed on the system and 13 percent had been assaulted.

From the Chicago Sun Times (where the article is a homepage feature!):

“Before, if a customer felt she was being threatened or harassed by another passenger, the operator may just decide to ‘keep an eye’ on the situation, or tell the offender to move, or call the Control Center if they felt the situation needed an immediate response, according to Amy Kovalan, CTA’s senior vice president of safety, security and risk compliance.

‘Now, operators are instructed to ask an offending individual to stop the behavior,’ Kovalan said. ‘If that person does not cease, the operator immediately will call the Control Center and will be instructed on how to proceed.’ The rule applies to any kind of harassment — not just sexual.

The CTA also is updating its public safety tips brochure to include information about harassment, and how to report it.

In addition, the CTA is expanding its ‘If you see something, say something’ posters and audio announcements to include sexual harassment. Harassment complaints to the CTA customer service line will now have a special code, so that the agency can better monitor the problem.

YWAT just came out with their survey a few weeks ago, so to have the CTA already respond with changes is huge!! Congratulations to the YWAT. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: I really admire them and their work!

I also think this is very encouraging for people who live in other areas where there are high rates of harassment on public transportation but little being done to address it. A group of individuals can make a difference!

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If Passed, Hate Crimes Prevention Act to Cover Gender, Sexual Orientation, Disabilities

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Here’s a chance to make a difference in a few short minutes!

Thursday (tomorrow) the U.S. Senate will have a cloture vote on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S.909), which is offered as an amendment to the current Department of Defense authorization bill. From an AAUW action alert:

“Current law only allows federal involvement in the prosecution of non-federal hate crimes when the victim was targeted because of race, color, religion, or national origin. This legislation would fill a gap in the law by also allowing the Department of Justice to take on cases motivated by the victim’s actual or perceived gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.”

The more violent and hateful forms of gender-based public harassment and assault (street harassment) are what I would consider a gender-based hate crimes because the targets are selected and harassed or attacked first and foremost for being female. With all the crimes targeted at people because of their disabilities, sexual orientation, or gender, I’m amazed these characteristics aren’t already covered in this kind of law.

Here’s more from the AAUW action alert, including info on how you can help:

“The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act is necessary to ensure an appropriate response when local law authorities cannot or will not give gender-based hate crime victims the protection they deserve.  By strengthening protections against bias-motivated crimes and removing some restrictions on when the federal government can assist local authorities in the prosecution of such hate crimes, fewer of these disturbing cases will slip through the cracks.

Take Action!

To call your senators TODAY and urge them to support the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, click on the “Take Action” link in the upper right corner or copy and paste the following URL into your Internet browser.  Then, follow the instructions to call your senators.

http://www.capwiz.com/aauw/callalert/index.tt?alertid=13736846&type=CO

Read more about this legislation, see if your senators are cosponsors, and read AAUW’s position paper on hate crimes laws.”

Lastly, the House already passed a companion bill in April, and President Obama is supportive of the legislation, so contact your Senators and make a difference today!

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