Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

“We can all be human rights defenders”

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Happy Human Rights Day!


I really like the Human Rights Day speech from the United Nations High Commissioner Navi Pillay. In her speech, she notes that there are many famous people who have made a difference in promoting human rights…

“But these inspirational figures could not have done what they did without the help of many others whose names we don’t know. Efforts to end slavery spanned 1,000 years, and still continue with adults and children being trafficked for sex and indentured labour. After a mammoth struggle that lasted more than 150 years, women have won the right to vote almost everywhere, but still lack many other fundamental rights.

We owe the progress we have made to the enormous efforts of hundreds of thousands of largely unsung heroes, known collectively as human rights defenders.

Human rights defenders come from all walks of life, ranging from princesses and politicians, to professionals such as journalists, teachers and doctors, to people with little or no formal education. There are no special qualifications. All it takes is commitment, and courage.

We can all be human rights defenders, and – given how much we owe to others for the rights many of us now take for granted – we all should be human rights defenders. At the very least, we should do our utmost to support those who do defend human rights. Every year, thousands of human rights defenders are harassed, abused, unjustly jailed and murdered. That is why Human Rights Day 2010 is dedicated to Human Rights Defenders and their courageous battle to stop discrimination of all sorts. We need to stand up for their rights as much as they stand up for ours.” (emphasis mine)

With 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo in jail in China and his wife and family members and friends banned from attending the ceremony today, it could not be clearer why it’s important to help the defenders of human rights when too often their opponents jail them – and in other cases murder them.

I also want to pick up on the part of the speech that I made bold: “There are no special qualifications. All it takes is commitment, and courage. We can all be human rights defenders, and – given how much we owe to others for the rights many of us now take for granted – we all should be human rights defenders.”

I feel choked up thinking about the many human rights defenders I know. I started to list them but I deleted my list because it is so long and I’d also hate to miss acknowledging someone. In one way or another, most people I know are doing something human rights-related and all of my role models are too (and that’s why they’re my role models).  They inspire me and keep me from losing faith in humanity.

Each person who shares their stories on this blog and does anything else to speak out against, raise awareness of, and work to end street harassment is a human rights defender. After all, it should be everyone’s human right to be safe and un-harassed in public spaces and to have equal access to them! So thank you for everything you are doing to make public places safe and welcoming for everyone. You inspire me to do as much as I can to make the world a better, more humane place.

If you need ideas for how you can do more to defend the human right of safe access to public spaces, check out my new blog page Do Something! which lists lots of ideas, many of them from other human rights defenders. And feel free to share other ideas in the comments section.

As Pillay said, making a difference only takes commitment and courage. Human rights are worth that effort.

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No 10-year-old should be violated like this

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This happened 6 years ago, but I haven’t forgotten it and just discovered this website so I thought I would share my story.

When I was ten years old, my fifth grade class (FIFTH GRADE) went to a play. When we were leaving the play we were standing around waiting for our bus near some adults. I didn’t see who it was, but I knew it was an adult because of the size of their hand, but someone grabbed my bottom, squeezed it, and then spanked it, hard enough for it to hurt for a while after.

At the time I was so surprised by it, but having experienced the things I’ve experienced now at 16 (having my butt rubbed, a man take a picture down my shirt, a guy shout, “I remember you from last night,” and too many more to list.  These are just the ones that have happened in the past week).

Every time I go out in public there are men leering at me, and whenever I go out without my parents they say what they are really thinking or follow me. It’s such an unpleasant experience.

It really helps to read other people’s stories. I am so amazed by the courage that so many women have shown in the face of these things, and although I haven’t had the guts to do anything about it, I hope that I will someday soon.I usually just ignore the comments/stares and walk away, or in the opposite direction depending on the severity of it. I don’t know what else to do!

– LB

Location: Northern California

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

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Standing up to street harassers for the first time

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[Editor’s Note, this story is from my mom and I am so proud of her!!!]

I have been staying in a hotel on Ocean Blvd in South Beach Florida that I stay at every winter. It’s safe and in a nice area. But because there is a vacant store next door, this year men gather in front and every time I go out, day or night, I have to pass them and hear all of their comments: “Oheee, I really like a babe in purple.” I was wearing a purple sweater and visor with my shorts. “What you doing tonight?” Whistles. Chuckles.

After two days of this I finally called the hotel and complained. They said they have had other complaints and are working with the police. But because the vacant building is an art deco building in the art deco district they aren’t allowed to put up a no trespassing sign, but actually have to have the same police officer find the same men three times before they can get arrested. “We are working on it,” the front desk told me.

I told my daughter and she said, “Mom, if it happens again, take a picture, if they are doing it to you think of the young girls.”

After calling the front desk yesterday they called the police and the men were gone for nearly 24 hours, but tonight they were back when I went out to get something at the local market.

“Hey can I talk to you for a minute?” one of the three asks. “Hey where you going?” the second one asks.

I found my voice, every other time I had just walked past them ignoring them. “I don’t want to talk to you. Please just leave me alone.”

They laughed. “What? We can’t talk to you? You too good to talk to us?”

“You are harassing me. I’m going to call the police if you are here again.”

“What? It’s illegal to talk to someone on the street?” They laughed at me like I was so stupid.

“I’m taking your picture.” I said and took out my phone.

“Hey don’t be taking our picture.” One guy covered his face the other two turned and backed away.

They stopped someone on the street while I was getting out my phone camera. “This lady is crazy she says we can’t talk to her. What the f–?”

I snapped the picture of the back of them the one guy still had his hands over his face.

My hands were shaking as I said, “What if I were your sister, would you want strange men talking to her?”

“Hell yes, she might meet a millionaire.”

“Well you don’t look like millionaires,” I said and walked away. I was gone five minutes. They were still gone when I returned.

They made me feel stupid, But what did I expect, that they were going to say, “We are so sorry. We should have respected your rights to not be harassed on the streets.”

What I thought of saying after I left was, why do you only stop women?

But I’m sure those guys would have said, “What you think we want to be thought of as gay?”

Anyway I did it and I’ll do it again. It was my first time talking back and I am scared but glad I tried and next time hopefully I’ll have smarter things and a kinder voice, not angry. When I’m angry they just get defensive. But I’m new at this–at standing up to harassers that is, not new to being harassed–sadly, so I’ll give myself some slack!

– Beckie Weinheimer

Location: South Beach, Florida

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.

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Take one minute to join a virtual campaign to help women in Congo

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Around the world, public places are less safe and welcoming for women than for men. This often is because of street harassment but it’s also because of rape or the fear of rape. In no region on earth is the reality of rape more prevalent than in the Congo, the worst place on earth to be a woman.

For the last several months I’ve become more educated about and involved in addressing the atrocities in the Congo, from participating in programs by Women for Women International and Enough,to meeting/brainstorming action with East Congolese immigrants who have lived and seen first-hand the atrocities in their communities, to reading Lisa Shannon’s book A Thousand Sisters: My journey into the worst place on earth to be a woman.

For six hours yesterday after work, I joined Lisa, who is also the founder of Run for Congo Women, and several other courageous women and men outside the State Department in Washington, DC, as part of public outcry to ask the State Department to take more action in Congo, including to create a Congo Plan.

Lisa and several others are camping out all week, 24/7 (in very cold weather: at night the windchill has been single digits) and also are orchestrating a virtual protest. They are asking individuals to take photos of themselves holding signs with messages to the State Department and posting those photos on Facebook.

12-7-10 around 8 p.m. outside the State Deptartment

Lisa is meeting with members of the State Department today and she hopes to meet with Secretary Clinton next week. Regardless of whether or not she can do this in person or will have to drop it off for Sect. Clinton, Lisa will print all of the photos from the virtual protest and put them in a booklet for Sect. Clinton so she knows how many people care about this issue.

It literally only takes a minute to join the Virtual Campaign and another couple of minutes to add your photo message if you have easy access to a digital camera and computer or to a camera/scanner/computer. (And if you want to do more or want to do something else, check out the organizations I linked to above to find out how you can become involved).

Out Cry for Congo

Here is the full information about the Virtual Campaign:

Date: Monday, December 6, 2010 – 12:15am – Friday, December 10, 2010 – 12:15am
Location: Washington, DC

With 5.4 million Congolese dead as of January 2008, it is high time to treat Congo as the emergency it is!

-The State Dept has told us repeatedly they need a public outcry in order to act.  This is it!

-Since August, we have hammered the State Department and prompted 21 members of the U.S. House of Representatives to write a “Dear Colleague” letter to Secretary Clinton urging well-vetted, stronger U.S. policies and international leadership to help stabilize Congo.

-A few dedicated women will be spending a long, cold, sleepless week outside of the State Dept. in D.C., from 6 AM Dec. 6th thru 11:59 PM Dec. 10th, demanding a comprehensive Congo Plan.  And we are calling on people across the country to join us in a virtual campaign supporting those efforts in the cold.

-For background on our well vetted policy asks, see www.athousandsisters.com/blog:   a)  Dear Colleague Letter to Secretary Clinton;  b) Eastern Congo Initiative White Paper; c) Nicholas Kristof’s 4-point plan for Congo d) anything on the Enough Project or Raise Hope for Congo websites.

-Our efforts will count ONLY IF YOU, YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS join us virtually on the internet!  Please help us create an internet firestorm of support for Congo!  The time is now! Take a photo of yourself and your message to the State Dept and upload it here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Outcry-for-Congo/166647026706786.

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“Well, that’s why you’re by yourself”

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Today, I was walking down Commercial Drive, heading home after having dinner with a friend. A group of men were hanging out outside of a sports bar. One of them ordered me to smile. Now, anyone who knows me well knows that ordering me to smile is a surefire way to annoy me. So I turned and looked at the man.

“Why?” I asked.

“Why not?” He replied.

“It’s my business what I choose to do with my face,” I said, in a calm but firm voice. Then I turned and kept walking.

“Well, that’s why you’re by yourself,” he yelled after me. I gave him the finger without turning around. I am amazed that some men feel so free to comment on a woman’s facial expression and apparent relationship status.

– Margaret

Location: Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC, Canada

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.

 

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