Correspondent, Author at Stop Street Harassment

Canada: How to Make Cities More Inclusive and Safer for Women (Part 1)

October 24, 2016 By Correspondent

wci_4 — *The photos are from Women in Cities International’s 2016 Anti-Street Harassment Week activities*

A talk with Kathryn Travers from Women in Cities International on Street Harassment and Urban Development

Alexandra Jurecko, Montreal, Canada, SSH Blog Correspondent

“Montreal is a lot safer than other cities, for women in particular,” says Kathryn Travers, “I can walk home alone, be at the office late, go by myself, and that’s a real privilege and freedom I have here.” However, daily forms of street harassment, such as catcalls and unwanted comments, are still a common occurrence. “We all know it. It starts off as a comment but where does it go next? It’s that quick moment when you think you’re given a compliment that, if the expectation that comes with it is not met, turns into anger and could quickly turn into violence.”

wci_2 Kathryn is the executive director of Women in Cities International, a Montreal-based international network promoting gender equality and inclusion in urban environments. With a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Sociology and a Master’s in International Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, Kathryn says she’s always been interested in gender issues. Then, while working at the International Centre for Prevention of Crime in Montreal from 2004 to 2006, Kathryn was introduced to Women in Cities International (WICI). In 2008, she officially joined WICI’s ranks and has stayed ever since: “The thing with working on gender issues, and specifically on women’s safety issues and street harassment is once you open your eyes to it, you can’t close them. Your understanding of what in our culture enables those things becomes broader and broader and then you just get more pissed off.”

wci_1 WICI knows the importance of documenting street harassment. As part of their Gender Inclusive City Program (2009-2012), the organization has collected some of the first data on street harassment as it relates to the lack of women’s safety in urban contexts. “That was ground-breaking and really quite alarming,” says Kathryn. In looking at contributing factors of gender exclusion in urban contexts, WICI highlights women’s experiences of sexual assault and harassment in public spaces.

“In Montreal, street harassment seems more subtle than in some places, but definitely, there are a lot of comments. During International Anti-Street Harassment week this year,” remembers Kathryn, “I walked into the metro and this guy with his hands down his pants told me ‘Smile, Beautiful’, and I was like, ‘Really? On this day of all days?’ It was like scripted”.

wci_3 Street harassment starts at a young age. During the 2014 Anti-Street Harassment Week, WICI conducted workshops with elementary school girls in Montreal. According to Kathryn, “much of the conversation was about street harassment. They were in grade 5, so about eleven years old, and all of them had stories. It was pretty shocking actually.”

“Being followed, not feeling safe, walking alone. Everyone has their own techniques, like crossing the street when you see someone walking your way, keeping your phone in hand or your keys. Virtually all women have a series of things they do, but men don’t and never even think about it,” explains Kathryn stressing that talking about these experiences can be eye opening.

*Noémie Bourbonnais, Lucie Pagès and Kathleen Ellis from Women in Cities International interview Montrealer’s on their experiences with street harassment during the 2016 Anti-Street Harassment Week*

“One thing we usually do with this kind of work, even with adolescents, is we separate boys and girls for this conversation,” says Kathryn. Afterwards, the points of discussion are shared within the entire group, and the boys are shocked: “They have no idea that how they speak to girls makes them feel the way it does. There is a huge disconnect. The sense of vulnerability that girls and women feel isn’t something that is shared by many men and boys.”

Kathryn sees many of the reasons for sexual harassment grounded in our culture: “I feel like we almost teach this to our kids. The whistling, for example, that’s even in cartoons. There is a level of ignorance there, but I think it’s cultural. I think it is the way our culture is and it’s by not speaking about these issues, by not making people aware and by not making people understand how others feel as a result of them”. For Kathryn, opening the conversation and introducing issues like street harassment into the dialogue is vital: “Acknowledgement is the first step. Of course, there is much work to do. It’s everywhere in your everyday, even in a city like Montreal.”

Alexandra is a freelance writer and recent graduate of Heidelberg University in Germany, where she earned a BA in South Asian Studies and English Literature. Having moved across the pond to live and work in Montreal, she now focuses on refreshing her French skills while volunteering her time to various community-outreach programs. You can follow her on twitter @alexjurecko.

USA: New Orleans Takes A Stand Against Gender Violence

September 30, 2016 By Correspondent

Sequoya La Joy, Louisiana, USA, SSH Blog Correspondent

As a woman, street harassment is nothing new to me. I can remember being whistled at in the Chicago suburb I grew up in when I ran into the gas station to get cream sodas and my mother pumped gas. I can remember being on road trips with my mother and watching her dodge the strange men at rest stops and road side cafes who tried to talk to us both. I commuted to and from work and school for four years via foot, bike, or city buses. Men have groped me as I have gotten on and off the bus, followed me to my job, followed me to my stop, and screamed at and touched on the bus and the street. However, just a few months ago, I bought a car.

I was delighted at being able to get to one place and the next without having to look up bus times, call a cab, or wait for the street car. I felt so protected in my 1998 navy blue Mercedes Benz, surrounded by metal, glass, and old leather. I was in my own bubble in the beginning. As the summer progressed and the temperatures rose, I rolled the windows down instead of waiting for the AC to kick in. I had a sunroof for the first time and I often drove with the sunroof and front windows open. However, rolling the windows down removed a thin but very real barrier to the outside world. Less than one eighth of an inch of fiber glass separated me in my bubble of leather, metal, and glass and all of the motorists and people that occupied the streets of New Orleans.

Men came up to me when I was stopped at traffic lights to ask for my number or ask for money or a ride. I men yelled from their windows asking for my snapchat name was or if I had a boyfriend. They may have been doing this all along, but when I rolled down the windows, I erased the barrier that kept me oblivious to what these men were saying.

I was in the passenger seat of my father’s car this summer at a stop light when I noticed a man who had been begging walking up to a SUV next to me. A woman was driving and what looked like her young teenage daughter sat in the passenger seat. I thought it was interesting that he was walking up to the pair and wondered if he were a family member they were picking up. I watched the man reach for the door handle and try to rip the door open. It was then, I realized this wasn’t a family member and the women weren’t there to pick them up. I watched the mother scream and reach over and shut the door as my father noticed and honked his horn. The light turned green and they drove off. It was then that I started to make sure my doors were locked when I started driving my car and only rolled down my drivers window and cracked the passenger’s window.

Since I’ve been driving, I’ve also been harassed by other motorists even with my windows up. Just this past weekend, I was on the interstate driving to a relative’s house and heard a car beeping at me. I ignored the beep as I could see a man in a muscle car out of the corner of my eye and didn’t want to engage. The man continued to beep five more times and I looked over, thinking I may have left my gas tank open or that something was wrong with my car, just to see the man making a lewd gesture with his tongue at me. This was the first time this had happened on the highway. I honestly feared that another car could have hit me or I could have hit another car during this interaction. I had no idea why this man felt entitled to slow down the entire interstate and do this. My windows were up and I was supposed to be wrapped in my protective bubble of glass, metal, and leather and yet I felt very unsafe.

New Orleans is a city that is not always safe for women.

In fact, this summer, Erica Davis, a young black woman in the LGBT community was murdered on her way to work. Weeks later, Devin Diamond, a black trans woman was found murdered and burned alive. Street harassment and gun violence run rampant in this city and it can be a dangerous place for all people but women and gender nonconforming and LGBT folks are at a very high risk of violence in this city.

On October 27th, local organizations and universities will join forces and celebrate New Orleans’ 25th Annual Take Back The Night Event. Take Back The Night originally started in protest of the murder of young microbiologist Susan Alexander Speeth, who was stabbed to death one block from her home while walking home alone at night. The event will start at Loyola University New Orleans and there will be community organizations set up and offering resources, a speech, and then a candle light vigil and march that will take participants onto Tulane University’s Campus for a open mic.

Take Back The Night is a international event that has happening for over 40 years and is an event that aims to end gender violence and violence of all kinds and aims to make the night a safe space again for women and other victims of violence.

This event is to honor those who have experienced violence and assault and to empower survivors. The New Orleans Take Back The Night march will involve Loyola University, Tulane University, Dillard University, Holy Cross, Xavier University, University of New Orleans as well as organizations like New Orleans Family Justice Center, Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, Metropolitan Center for Women and Children, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners and Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response. If you have experienced street harassment and would like to share your story, you can submit your story and also find a list of resources such as hotlines,
counseling, and events.

Sequoya is a Native American and Italian woman from Chicago who fell in love with New Orleans. She’s currently a Sociology Major at Loyola University New Orleans and supports her higher education habit by slinging drinks to the masses. She aspires to attain a PhD and write a best seller. She currently operates a small blog.

India: Sanitation and Sexual Assaults

September 29, 2016 By Correspondent

Suchita Kotnala, Texas, USA / India, SSH Blog Correspondent

Trigger Warning – Rape, Murder

With the ‘World Toilet Day’ approaching on November 19^th, it’s time to turn our focus on the sanitation facilities, or lack thereof, in India, especially the rural India, where it is estimated, that nearly 65% of the population defecates out in the open. The lack of good sanitation practices not only poses a grave health risk to the vast population in general, but, also adds the risk of bodily harm that women have to face and live with everyday.

Although India is modernizing and evolving rapidly today, a significant chunk of its population has been lagging behind in terms of social and economic advancements, and women have been paying the biggest price for it, with their freedom. The fact that numerous women fall prey to sexual predators while on their way to attend to the nature’s call during the silent and dark hours between sunset and sunrise in the rural areas, paints a grim picture for the developing ‘superpower’ India. Every now and then, a high profile gang-rape story shakes the nation out of its reverie, but the sad truth is, that only a fraction of the sexual assaults even get reported, due to the existing caste and gender biases within the police force. In 2014, two teenage girls were found murdered, in Uttar Pradesh, India, after they went missing on the prior night, when they had gone out to relieve themselves. It is alleged that they were raped and strangled, but the police investigation failed to offer any clear answers. More recently, on the night of 31^st July this year, a 20-year-old woman was brutally gang-raped and murdered by two men, when she stepped out to answer the nature’s call, in Tamil Nadu, India.

Although strengthening the law and order and increased sensitization of the masses towards gender based violence is vital to bringing about a change for the better, the importance of providing privacy and security to the women while they perform one of the most basic rituals of life can’t be disputed. No one should have to plan their entire day around activities of daily living, fearing for their life or well being every time they stepped out of their house.

The Indian Govt. has stepped up on its efforts to build more toilets lately, spending millions. The initiative might be of greater consequence, if coupled with efforts to educate the society and change the culture and attitudes of the people towards good sanitation practices.

The Indian society cannot hope to progress and prosper if a significant portion of its population continues to struggle on a daily basis, merely to stay safe and alive every morning.

Suchita was raised in western India by loving and supportive parents who helped her and her sister to grow into strong, independent and career-oriented women. She’s a registered general practitioner in India and is currently preparing to obtain medical residency in the United States. She is passionate about women’s rights especially because she has had firsthand experiences of harassment and sexist behavior at public spaces, school and work.

Ireland: Misogyny On The Streets And In The Schools

September 28, 2016 By Correspondent

Grace Gageby, Dublin, Ireland, SSH Blog Correspondent

Trigger warning: Sexual assault

Street harassment is always an unpleasant experience. Catcalls, whistles, instances of being followed or grabbed in public places, inevitably leave victim feeling scared, threatened or embarrassed. What is perhaps even more disturbing is that most women experience street harassment for the first time as children. Young people often fall victim to a particularly malevolent form of harassment because of their increased vulnerability: they are more likely to be startled by a passing car screaming obscenities, more likely to be rattled by a sexist or degrading comment, and more likely to be coerced by a man who won’t take no for an answer.

Speaking to friends about their experiences of street harassment, a common theme appeared: the perpetrators did not care about the age of the girls they were bothering. All experiences detailed here, including my own, are from girls aged 16-17.

Dixie*: “I was on the bus, and a man aged around 50 was staring me up and down. I put earphones in and moved seats to avoid him. He ‘coincidentally’ got off at the same stop as me. He followed me, caught up to me and asked how old I was. He said he liked my hair, and I ignored him and crossed the road. He called me a bitch and threw a plastic bottle at me. I was 15 and wearing my school uniform. “

Ada: “I was standing at an ATM and two drunk men approached me asking for oral sex. I was eleven.”

Anne spoke of being harassed by four men in their thirties while she walked home with friends younger than herself. In her own words, “It was clear we were underage. One of the men shouted ‘green hoody!’ at me, in reference to what I was wearing. He started grinning at me in a weird manner, and we kept walking. We could hear him and his friends shouting at us, and we had to run down an unlit road only to find they had followed us.”

Polly was getting the bus home from school, when an older man aggressively demanded she smile for him. “The next time I saw him, he initiated a conversation. He asked me what I was doing after school the next day. The next time I saw him he honked at me from his vehicle.”

One of my own most recent experiences of street harassment happened at a train station. I was approached by a man 30 years my senior, who would not leave me alone, even when I made it clear I did not want to speak to him. He persisted with requests for a phone number, and details of my home address and school. Upon telling him I was 16, he replied, “I don’t care. I think when you like the look of someone, age is not important”. When I contradicted this, he laughed and said, “Maybe it is important for you.” He then pulled my arm, insisting I go “for a walk” with him. He did not leave me alone until my train came ten minutes later.

Clearly these harassers were deliberately targeting minors, not in spite of their age, but because of it. I think predatory men are more inclined to proposition people who lack the confidence to assert themselves. A pivotal part of tackling street harassment is empowering young women to stand up for themselves. This is difficult, as girls are socialized from a young age to be polite, to not make a fuss, and to set aside their comfort for the egos of men.

When I discuss street harassment with girls my own age, “not wanting to be rude” recurs as a reason for not defending ourselves, which may seem ridiculous to be people who have not been in our position. However, several factors in these situations prevent women from asserting themselves. First, small instances of harassment always come with the threat of escalation. I have read countless stories of women being assaulted, or even killed, for confronting harassers. Secondly, the anxiety harassment evokes causes many women to freeze up, and thirdly, while this may mystify many men for whom it seems the obvious solution, telling a cat caller to “f**k off” is not a magical solution to harassment. While this might feel very satisfying, at the end of the day, what does it actually accomplish? It does not prevent the man from bothering another woman. Swearing at him will not suddenly make him realise his behaviour is inappropriate, as he probably knows this, and is unconcerned with the negative toll his action takes on women.

I think part of tackling street harassment is to improve sex education. Where I live, in Ireland, most schools are run by the Catholic Church. Abstinence-only education is common, and issues of consent are not really discussed. Part of stopping street harassment should be challenging the sexist and entitled attitudes which go hand in hand with the topic of consent.

Rape culture is perpetuated not only by older men who bother young women on the street, but by teenage boys who spend 8 hours a day in school where (in my experience) sexual assault, harassment and misogyny are not only trivialized and normalized, but joked about. Again, I turned to my friends to ask about their experiences. When I shared one story of being groped and having incessant inappropriate comments directed at me for being the only girl doing running as a sports option, everybody had a similar story. The sheer quantity and normalization of harassment and assault was horrendous.

Dixie: “A boy repeatedly made fun of me for my weight and used the fact that I developed early as an insult”.

Anne tells a story of a girl being tackled to the ground, as a boy in her class tried to finger her. “We had been telling a teacher of the situation for ages, but she did absolutely nothing. She said she would have a ‘word’ with him, but the situation continued, and the same boy pulled the girl down a lane and tried to force himself on her. He would not take no for an answer.”

I was also told endless stories of drunk girls being assaulted at parties, as if these were normal and inevitable occurrences, and not criminal offences. “Slut-shaming” and other attempts to denigrate female sexuality seem to be an epidemic also. A large contributing factor to this behaviour is the trivialization of violence against women. Recently, a boy in my class shared a video on facebook of a woman falling to the ground after being punched hard in the face. The boy captioned the video “when she says she wants equal rights”. The video received many ‘likes’ and comments laughing at it, and at feminism in general.

Candice told me about a class discussion on feminism, in which the Brock Turner case was brought up. When the teacher remarked on his light jail sentence, one boy commented “fair play, my man!” (Irish slang for “well done” or “good job”).

Candice said “The teacher didn’t say anything. I was completely dumbfounded and the boys were all laughing”. This same boy is extremely vocal about his hatred of feminism, and has claimed “If women in Saudi Arabia don’t complain, why should women here?”

Recently a video of Emma Watson addressing the UN about campus sexual assault went viral.

This video received the comment “dykes” from another vocal misogynist I am in school with. This is the disturbing reality of using your voice to speak about violence and rape culture: you are subjected to slurs which are merely a pathetic attempt to silence women, to make women afraid to challenge a status quo of objectification and degradation.

To the boys who make schools an unsafe space for girls I say this: girls are in school to receive an education, and not one in how to bite their tongues when assaulted, because it’s “just a laugh”, not an education in how to smile and say nothing when a life-ruining rape is joked about, not an education in how to view being sexually assaulted while incapacitated with alcohol as normal.

And to the men who harass girls and women on the street: women deserve to walk through the world with the same security men have. Public spaces belong to all of us, and women don’t exist for your entertainment. What may seem like a “laugh” to you, seriously damages women’s confidence, makes them feel threatened, and essentially creates an environment where women are viewed as objects, with which you can do what you want. When you set this example to teenage boys, think of the vicious cycle you are perpetuating, and think of the women who have their lives destroyed by sexual assault. In essence, think before you speak.

*Names have been changed

Grace is a student. She writes regularly for her school newsletter and yearbook, and has been published in Inis Magazine. Grace is currently involved with the socialist feminist group ROSA (for Reproductive rights, against Oppression, Sexism & Austerity), and their campaign for abortion rights in Ireland.

Spain: Using Festive Events to Tackle Violence Against Women

September 28, 2016 By Correspondent

Alice C.R., Barcelona, Spain SSH Blog Correspondent

Trigger Warning – Sexual assault

For many people, Barcelona is the sunny, party city by the sea. And it is true that the city offers a large range of activities throughout the year (and not only parties and night clubs, by the way), but some events are bigger than others.

This last weekend, for instance, has been one of the most festive of the year in Barcelona. Every 24th of September the city celebrates La Mercé, the Patron Saint of Barcelona and the city holds a four days street festival in her honour. Concerts, exhibitions, street arts, dance, fireworks and the traditional Castells (human towers, catalan tradition delared Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010 by UNESCO) attract thousands of both local people and tourists. This kind of big celebration is also a good opportunity to tackle street harassment and assaults by making people aware of these issues and their dangerousness and offer appropriate support to the victims.

This is crucial. And for good reason. Recent news remind us almost every single day how sexual assaults are shockingly common and how stereotypes and myths about them are still deeply ingrained.

We have all heard here about the San Fermin rape case and sexual assaults. Especially the one where five men gang raped a young woman. The police arrested one of them while he was sleeping in his car and the others were enjoying a street party. And this was not the first time it happened. Every year, the San Fermin counts at least with one case of rape.

Another case made the headlines recently in Barcelona — a city councilwoman reported a sexual assault attack by night in a zone where people use to go out.

These are just two examples where one occurred during a big wild and controversial festival and the other happened at night to a public figure. And that is an issue by itself. It seems that only specific assaults are revealed and discussed, those that happen at night, during wild parties when we perfectly know that assaults can also (and mainly) occur by day, on the way to work and can be committed by an acquaintance. It is important to recognize that the stories in the media about sexual violence are only the top of iceberg.

Unfortunately, both in the articles and in the comments left by readers, there was body shaming, slut shaming, incredulity, and doubt about the facts described by the victim. We learned, for instance, that the gang rape victim might have given a kiss before being raped. How is that relevant!?

That is why initiatives like Sanfermin sin agresiones sexuales , LaMercé anti masclista and Bcn Antimasclista are vital. In a world where victims are blamed for being assaulted, where they are revictimized, information and support must be provided.

I was out celebrating for La Mercé and I must say it was quite comforting to see two stands where I could get information about all the different associations of the city and which one I should contact in case of sexual assault, domestic violence, physical and/or psychological abuses, where I could get a hotline number in case of emergency, where I could report any incident. When looking all the leaflets and ask for general information I could speak with someone who asked me if I needed some specific information or help and where I could make a test to see if I were in an abusive situation and which organization I should contact if so. I know these organizations and I got help from some of them. They are doing a wonderful job but not everyone knows them and this makes the issue visible and makes it easier to speak out.

There is still a long way to go. This summer, the city of Tarragona launched a campaign about consent called Respetame (respect me). Of course a man thought it would be very appropriate to write an article about how women say “no” as a game and that all they want is to get the harrasser trying harder. He compared it to the business law of market where a man’s goal is to turn a “NO” into a “yes”. The city councilwoman who has been assaulted pointed out some failures in the process of reporting an attack.

It is still very common to hear victim-blaming and victim-shaming comments.

But by using event such annual festival to give basic information about how to recognize a situation of abuse, to provide addresses and contacts to seek help, to give the opportunity to speak out, we are on a good way to tackle sexual violence. Hopefully.

Hotline Assistance 24/24 in 124 languages : 900 900 120
http://dones.gencat.cat/ca/ambits/violencia_masclista/recursos_atencio/telefon_900/

Alice likes researching, analyzing and writing about Women’s Rights, gender bias, and intersectionalism with a special focus on sexual violence, rape, rape culture, the impact of street harassment and how the media deals with these issues. She is currently working on a new project focused on how some media participate in the revictimization of victims. Follow her and her projects on her Facebook page and via Twitter @Alyselily.

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