There’s no single day when i don’t get catcalled.

At first, i thought that maybe it’s my fault, i wear provocative clothes, i wear too short of shorts, i wear dresses, fitted shirts, etc, or maybe because i wear too much make up to the point where i attract too much attention.i tried to change myself, i tried wearing pants even though it’s scorching hot on where i live (Philippines), i wore sleeved tops, i stopped wearing shorts and dresses.

but it made no difference, i still got catcalled on our street, at my university.

it made me realize how i am not the one at fault here. i started researching about street harassment and catcalling, i made it my mini-thesis for two of my subjects, i made it my topic on almost all of my concept papers and position papers.

it was hard, why? because not much is written about sexual harassment on streets, catcalling, wolf-whistling, and other forms of it. i was devastated when i think about how i wouldn’t be able to pass my papers with very few bibliography materials. but i was more frustrated, thinking that not much people would be able to write about this. not much books to educate people about the issue. there are only few blogs here and there but we all know that it is not much academically accepted as research materials.

i may focus on how i was getting catcalled every single time i step out of our home, but i’d rather stress on the issue on how this is not being talked about. it’s not just a simple ‘offending or inappropriate comment’. street harassment is the result of normalizing rape culture, it is about the entitlement of those who think they have the right to catcall somebody. street harassment is all about instilling subconscious fear to women and men, LGBTQ people who experience it everyday or at least once in their life.

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

Put up more information about it, educate people. educate victims, specially girls, on how to protect their selves, let them know their rights, what to do when they experience these. but most of all, address the root of the problem. educate perpetrators, specially men, not only the ‘do not do this, do not do that,’ but let them know the effects of their actions. what does these kind of comments do to a victim’s brain? it instills fear, it makes them conscious of how they look, it is not seen as a compliment, it’s seen as harassment.

– D. Saunders

Location: Manila, Philippines

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.

I was walking my dog today along the same route I do every night because I find it “safer” than going around the block. About 5 or 6 guys were hanging out in front of the Dali, by the corner of Flatbush and Woodruf (Brooklyn). I was on the phone and one of the guys kept on saying “Good evening” and raising his voice because I wouldn’t respond. So I finally put the phone down and said “I am on the phone and I don’t have to respond to you talking to me on the street just because you want me to.”

He came to me as if he was going to punch me. His friend held him and my blood boiled so, I said, “What the f**k did you just do? Are you going to hit me?”

His friends kept on telling him to calm down and for me to walk. I kept on walking and he came from the side and kicked my dog. I screamed, “Did you just f**king kicked my dog???”

He pretended he was going to punch me again. His friends kept on pushing him. Then he threw some paper at me and walked. I called the police and had to wait 30 minutes. Which is absurd. His friends came back and kept on on trying to intimidate me saying I was lying, over and over. I am not sure what the police would do about it. I pointed out that the Deli had a camera but I don’t know if they bothered to look or not.

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

More police available. I have been thinking to put posters around with examples of Street Harassment. Educate men better and provide free self defense classes to women .

– Joana F

Location: Prospect Lefferts Garden, Brooklyn, NY

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.

I was walking back from the shop with my milk this afternoon, in shorts (not that that’s entirely relevant), and these two guys drive up next to me being like ‘alright, love?’ When I told them to f**k off they got all offended. I was fuming – what gives them the right to do that to random women on the street?

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

By stopping with the victim blaming and have more of a focus on blaming the perpetrator, who is actually the one at fault.

– Sara

Location: Exeter, England

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.

I was walking up a main road, and I got catcalled, I turned confused, and a guy was leaning out of his van filming me as I was walking. I felt really uncomfortable, but felt like I had to play it down, like it wasn’t a big deal, because stuff like that is happening more often now. I’m only sixteen.

– Anonymous

Location: Ringwood, Australia

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.