Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Perth Taxi Driver Charged with Sexual Assault

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A few months ago I wrote about an alleged sexual aggression toward a female passenger by a taxi driver in Brisbane, Australia, which prompted authorities in the area to warn females not to take taxis alone late at night (how helpful – not).

Well, now I just read about a taxi driver in Perth, Western Australia, who allegedly sexually assaulted a passenger in February and is now being charged with that crime.

“”It will be alleged the 22-year-old female victim was being driven home in a taxi from Fremantle and the driver took her to an industrial area in Malaga and sexually assaulted her,” police spokesman Samuel Dinnison said.

Mr Dinnison said it was alleged the taxi driver then drove the woman to his house and left her there.

Sex assault squad officers located the taxi driver last night and charged him with two counts of sexual penetration without consent.

He will appear in the Midland Magistrates Court on Tuesday, July 14.”

How horrible for the young woman. I hope he is charged and that his sentence deterrs any other taxi drivers from engaging in assault… Horrible horrible.

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Butt-Slapper in Brooklyn

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Since June 19, there have been nearly a dozen reports of a man slapping women on their backsides on the subway around Crown Heights in Brooklyn, NY. The cops say the women range in age from 19 to 44 years. Via wpix.com:

“The suspect is described as being in his mid-20s, between 5-feet-10-inches and 6-feet tall. He is said to weigh between 175 and 200 pounds. He has short black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS, by texting TIP577 to CRIMES, or by going to NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.”

Disgusting! How many women will he have to assault before he gets caught? Not any more, I hope…

The article also mentioned HollaBack NYC for documenting this kind of harassment every week. Go HBNYC!

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"Butt Slap Leads to Activism" Follow Up Article

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About a month ago, a contributor to this blog (Lauren) wrote a post about a recent street harassment experience she had where a teenager on a bike slapped her butt while she was jogging in her neighborhood. She said that as a result of that experience (and other experiences of street harassment) she was going to write an article about street harassment for one of her classes in her master’s program in journalism at the University of Western Ontario in London, ON, Canada. As part of her paper, she interviewed me and the facilitator of Holla Back Tononto. Well, she just sent me her completed paper and she’s considering trying to get it published , so check it out!  Way to go, Lauren!

Like Lauren, most of the street harassment activists I’ve spoken to became an activist because one day they said, “enough” and decided to do something about the harassment they were experiencing and/or saw other women experiencing.

If you’re fed up with street harassment, I encourage you to think about something you can do about it, be it sharing your story, writing an article, starting a HollaBack website, posting fliers in your neighborhood, making  a documentary, or starting an activist group, you can make a difference.

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“Butt Slap Leads to Activism” Follow Up Article

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About a month ago, a contributor to this blog (Lauren) wrote a post about a recent street harassment experience she had where a teenager on a bike slapped her butt while she was jogging in her neighborhood. She said that as a result of that experience (and other experiences of street harassment) she was going to write an article about street harassment for one of her classes in her master’s program in journalism at the University of Western Ontario in London, ON, Canada. As part of her paper, she interviewed me and the facilitator of Holla Back Tononto. Well, she just sent me her completed paper and she’s considering trying to get it published , so check it out!  Way to go, Lauren!

Like Lauren, most of the street harassment activists I’ve spoken to became an activist because one day they said, “enough” and decided to do something about the harassment they were experiencing and/or saw other women experiencing.

If you’re fed up with street harassment, I encourage you to think about something you can do about it, be it sharing your story, writing an article, starting a HollaBack website, posting fliers in your neighborhood, making  a documentary, or starting an activist group, you can make a difference.

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Screening of "BACK UP! Concrete Diaries"

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This Friday, July 10, 2009, Docs in Progress will be screening “BACK UP! Concrete Diaries,” Monique and Nijla‘s documentary about street harassment, at George Washington University, in Washington, DC. Feedback from the audience will be welcome after the screening.

“Sidewalks, street crossings, corridors, and concrete are hostile territory for women and girls who experience verbal and physical assault from men on a daily basis. This documentary explores how women deal with street harassment. It will especially look at how women are fighting back and defining their own personal and public spaces.”

Date: July 10, 2009
Time: 7 – 10 p.m.
Location: George Washington University Media and Public Affairs Building, 805 21st Street, NW, Auditorium B-07, Washington, DC
Cost: $5 suggested donation
For more information: Contact info

I hope you can attend! I’ll be there – I’m really excited to see the result of all their hard work!

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