Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

It’s International Anti-Street Harassment Week 2020!

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Today marks the first day of International Anti-Street Harassment Week, and it’s our 10th year of organizing global action.

Even though most places around the world are under stay-at-home orders to combat the coronavirus COVID-19, it does not mean that street harassment has completely stopped. So, even now, our efforts to raise awareness and call for its end remain relevant. It also means now is the time to plan for a better future.

Here’s information on each topic, as well as a preview of some of the virtual actions for the week that you can join.

COVID-19 Stories

Eliza who runs Cheer Up Luv in the UK posted about street harassment on her Instagram account and gave me permission to post it on our blog here. In part she wrote, “For some, it seems the new restrictions are giving a freedom to harassers to do whatever they please, and not face the repercussions of their actions.”

Everyday Sexism Founder Laura Bates said they received an increase in street harassment during quarantine stories globally recently and wrote about it for the Telegraph.

“‘We are literally in the midst of a global pandemic and I just got catcalled TWICE while enjoying my one allotted trip out of the house today. Priorities people.’

Unbelievably, this was just one of many comments recently sent in to my Everyday Sexism Project, which collects testimonies of gender inequality… even during a pandemic lockdown, the reports have not stopped.”

In Argentina, Acción Respeto: por una calle libre de acoso began receiving stories and are currently collecting more this week. One story read:

“Malas experiencias las pocas veces que sali, como no hay nadie en la calle, la hacen peor y se te matan de la risa. Siento mucho mas miedo. Fui hasta un cajero y me cruce con un tipo que me seguia con la mirada y se daba vuelta a ver que hacia. O van de a dos caminando ( cosa que no se puede) y se te rien porque ellos van siempre en ventaja.”

(English approx translation via Google: “Bad experiences the few times I went out, as there is nobody on the street, they make it worse and they kill you laughing. I feel much more afraid. I went to an ATM and came across a guy who was following me with his eyes and turned to see what he was doing. Or they go two by two (which is not possible) and they laugh at you because they are always ahead.”)

It is unfortunate that street harassers still feel emboldened to harass, harm and scare people during what should be a time of global solidarity as we work to contain the virus and keep everyone healthy and safe.

Plan for a Better Future + Educational Information

One of the most effective ways to combat sexual harassment, including street harassment, is for witnesses to it to stand up and speak out when they are safe and able to do so. This can help make street harassment socially unacceptable and reduce the number of future incidents.

This week, Sayfty and Hollaback! are teaming up to offer two important virtual offerings on the topic.

April 20: Sayftychat will take place with Sayfty and Hollaback! on Twitter at 3:30 pm UTC/11:30 am EST, “Bystander Intervention During This Pandemic.” Use #SayftyChat

April 24: There will be a free virtual Zoom training on standing up to harassers offered on April 24, 4pm UTC/12pm EST in English. You must pre-register. Organized by Hollaback! and Sayfty.

You can also find information on our website about bystander intervention and responding to street harassers in the moment and later.

And we have books with information on responding to harassers in our books, such at 50 Stories About Stopping Street Harassers. One reader of this book said, “Thanks for sharing these stories – they are really empowering. And thanks for the ideas – some of them are just brilliant.”

To learn more about street harassment overall, check out our book Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and Welcoming for Women and learn about the global campaigns that have helped shape the current movement to stop it in the sequel Stop Global Street Harassment: Growing Activism Around the World.

You can also learn about street harassment in the U.S. in our national study on street harassment, which also has a section on solutions.

Creative Awareness-Raising Efforts

Across this Week, you will find many virtual creative awareness-raising efforts, from videos in which people describe what they would do if there was no street harassment, to street harassment bingo, to sharing messages/stories about street harassment in photos, to discussion groups about TV episodes that contain street harassment situations.

Here is a photo album with highlights.

You can join the Global Day of Online Action on 21 April and share street harassment stories, facts, and activism ideas across the day. Use #StopStreetHarassment.

There will also be a few tweet chats across the week, with a schedule listed below.

April 20: @IBVMNGO and @pinthecreep will host a tweet chat on “Street harassment from a youth perspective” at 12 p.m. UTC/8 a.m. EST and 5:30 p.m. IST. Use #StopStreetHarassment

April 20: Sayftychat will take place with Sayfty and Hollaback! on Twitter at 3:30 pm UTC/11:30 am EST, “Bystander Intervention During This Pandemic.” Use #SayftyChat

April 21: @CatcallsofNYC and @PintheCreep are hosting a tweet chat on “Street harassment and responding in real time” at 12 p.m. UTC/8 a.m. EST and 5:30 p.m. IST. Use #StopStreetHarassment

April 21: Paremos el Acoso Callejero is holding a tweet chat en Espanol, 3-5p.m. Use #SinAcosoYo

April 22: @IGHomelessness and @PintheCreep will host a tweet chat on “Street harassment and homelessness” at 12 p.m. UTC/8 a.m. EST and 5:30 p.m. IST. Use #StopStreetHarassment

April 24: @NGOsonFfD and @PintheCreep will host a tweet chat on “The role of financing – Ensuring safe, inclusive streets for all” at 12 p.m. UTC/8 a.m. EST and 5:30 p.m. IST. Use #StopStreetHarassment

We are grateful to our partners Safecity/Red Dot Foundation and Catcalls of NYC for overseeing many of these efforts.

Please plan on joining us this week in whatever capacity you can! Now is the time to work to stop street harassment.

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Cheer Up Luv’s Pandemic SH Story

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This is a post for International Anti-Street Harassment Week and is shared with permission from Cheer Up Luv’s Instagram Account. They are based in the UK.

Is anyone else feeling slightly less safe on the streets lately – or is it just me? Obviously we should all be staying at home and going out as little as possible at the moment. But the few times I have popped to the shops, or been for a walk/run I have felt very vulnerable and visible in what were once extremely busy streets.

We are living in an especially strange time. As well as the rates of domestic violence increasing there has also been a slightly odd feeling on the streets. The fact that the streets are empty is a good thing, don’t get me wrong. But I have been hearing a lot of similar experiences lately of sexual harassment on the new deserted streets.

I was harassed the other day by a passing van, and there was no one around. Maybe the driver felt as though he could get away with it seeing as there was no one in sight? Maybe it was just like any other day and he didn’t think twice about it. Either way it left me thinking about it for a lot longer than I had to, and got me questioning a different kind of safety in this new time we are living through.

This isn’t the first kind account I have heard of this nature. For some, it seems the new restrictions are giving a freedom to harassers to do whatever they please, and not face the repercussions of their actions.

– Eliza Hatch, founder of Cheer Up Luv

Do you have a story about street harassment during the global COVID-19 pandemic? Share it here and we’ll post it for International Anti-Street Harassment Week, April 19-25.
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Two Days Until Anti-Street Harassment Week!

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Dear Friends,
Even though many of us are minimally in public spaces right now, it doesn’t mean street harassment isn’t happening. In addition to a rise in anti-Asian, xenophobic harassment in parts of the world, when gender-based street harassment occurs right now, it can feel even scarier.

This Washington, DC, woman articulates it well in the personal story she told about a man following her down an empty street, “As a woman who has lived in big cities for most of my life, I’m used to street harassment. Street harassment during this pandemic is a whole ‘nother thing — there’s the extra fear of someone getting close to you, more fear when there aren’t witnesses, more fear when you can’t rush into an open store for help because most of the stores are closed.”

Activists in places like the UK, France and Argentina are suddenly getting an uptick in these kinds of stories too and are collecting more for our 10th International Anti-Street Harassment Week, April 19-25.

We, too, are collecting stories to share on our blog next week to raise awareness that even during a pandemic, street harassment occurs! Share yours here.

Planned Actions!
Share your planned actions here!

Here are some preliminary actions shared with us.

For instance, Paremos el Acoso Callejero and PLAN Peru will hold a virtual forum “Sexual Harassment: Neither Street nor Virtual” (in Spanish) on 18 April, 10 am. to 1 p.m. UTC. More Info.

Participate!
Participation in the Week is, as always, open to your ideas. Here are four virtual options to do, starting in just TWO DAYS, on Sunday:

  1. Go online to share your stories and information about street harassment using the hashtag #StopStreetHarassment across the week! Join the Sayfty tweet chat on April 20 at 11:30 a.m. EST / 3:30 pm UTC. #Sayftychat

  2. Create a short video completing the phrase, ““If street harassment didn’t exist, I would….” and post it online, tagging @StopStHarassmnt and @CatCallsofNYC. Let us know what a world without street harassment would look like to you.
  3. Use chalk outside your home or pen/paper to write anti-harassment messages / pro-respect messages, take photos of the messages and share the photos online, tagging @StopStHarassmnt and/or using #stopstreetharassment.
  4. Review information about standing up to street harassers, produced by Hollaback! and L’Oreal Paris. There will be a free virtual Zoom training on standing up to harassers offered by them and Sayfty on April 24, 4pm UTC/12pm EST in English. You must pre-register.

You are not alone right now – we are together.

In Solidarity,
Holly Kearl

Stop Street Harassment Founder & CEO

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Street Harassment During a Pandemic

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Do you have a story about street harassment during the global COVID-19 pandemic? Share it here and we’ll post it for International Anti-Street Harassment Week, April 19-25.

Today, I went for my afternoon walk in the neighborhood as usual. My eyes for a second met the eyes of a young man wearing headphones who was sitting on the stoop. I immediately thought “I hope he doesn’t think I’m interested because I glanced at him.” He stared at me hard and then jumped up from the stoop and started walking in front of me. I slowed down to put distance between us.

He turned around to face me and started walking towards me. He was acting a little off, moving erratically and pointing at me. I crossed the street instantly, he followed me, this time less than a foot behind my body. & now I was scared. He punched a sign we walked by making a large bang. He was saying something to me, but I couldn’t hear anything, just fear ringing in my ears because the streets were empty and no one was around. I was thinking about running but could I outrun him, was looking for another person walking, or an open store – but only houses.

I finally got to an open corner store a couple blocks from my house and darted inside. He did too. Then I told him to fuck off and stop following me. He slammed the iron gate in a way that shook me. I rushed in — feeling the urgency to be around another person, but the store was empty. I saw the shop owner at the back and rushed towards her, but kept my 6ft. Exchanging a look between women that we all know too well.

She had seen the man follow me in and asked if I was okay. I burst into tears. She asked where I lived, locked up her store and walked me home. I wish I could’ve hugged her in that moment.

As a woman who has lived in big cities for most of my life, I’m used to street harassment. Street harassment during this pandemic is a whole ‘nother thing — there’s the extra fear of someone getting close to you, more fear when there aren’t witnesses, more fear when you can’t rush into an open store for help because most of the stores are closed.

But today, all I’m grateful for is Nani, a shop owner in my neighborhood who was ready to protect me and showed me the kindness I needed to rule out the fear. Stay safe, ladies. XO

Location: Washington, DC

– Anonymous

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.

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Two Weeks Until Anti-Street Harassment Week!

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Dear Friends,
With much of the world confined to their home due to the COVID-19 virus, we are moving most of our activism for our 10th International Anti-Street Harassment Week online. (Though if you can get outside and want to take action there – you are welcome to!)

While there are far fewer people in public places right now, before long, we will be there again and now is the time to advocate for a safer environment for everyone, one where street harassment does not occur in the future. Further, when people are in public spaces now, there is a lot of anti-Asian and xenophobic harassment going on – and that is not okay.

So, between 19 to 25 April, please take some kind of action to promote safe public spaces!

Participate:
Participation in the Week is open to your ideas. Here are four virtual options:

  1. Go online to share your stories and information about street harassment using the hashtag #StopStreetHarassment across the week! Join the Sayfty tweet chat on April 20 at 11 a.m. EST / 3 pm UTC.
  2. Create a short video completing the phrase, ““If street harassment didn’t exist, I would….” and post it online, tagging @StopStHarassmnt and @CatCallsofNYC. Let us know what a world without street harassment would look like to you.
  3. Use chalk outside your home or pen/paper to write anti-harassment messages / pro-respect messages, take photos of the messages and share the photos online, tagging @StopStHarassmnt.
  4. Review information about standing up to street harassers, produced by Hollaback! and L’Oreal Paris. There will be a free virtual Zoom training on standing up to harassers offered by them and Sayfty on April 24, 4pm UTC/12pm EST in English. You must pre-register.

Let Us Know:
If you are organizing any online or offline actions or events, please complete this form or email StopStreetHarassment@Gmail.com with the information, and we will post it on our Events page. If you are at an organization/group, we also will list you as a Participating Co-Sponsor.

Thank you, and I hope you and your family are safe and healthy right now.

Also, this coming week, Hollaback! is offering three free bystander trainings on how to intervene and stop anti-Asian American harassment which has been escalating during the #COVID19 pandemic. Consider taking it if you’re free!

In Solidarity,
Holly

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