Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

16 Days: Day 10, Pakistan

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During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (Nov. 25 – Dec. 10), Stop Street Harassment is featuring activists who took action against street harassment this year, one new country per day.

Day #10: Pakistan

In Karachi, Pakistan, this spring, students at university SZABIST hosted a “How to respond to harassment” session, a self defense class in the spring, and they created a PSA about harassment.

One of the students wrote, “My class group members and I selected ‘harassment’ as a topic for our gender studies course. The reason we chose this topic was because it is a prevalent problem in Pakistan and almost everyone in the country encounters it on a daily basis. We wished to highlight the issue and create awareness.”

The Pakistani organization Gawaahi also addresses street harassment on their website.

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16 Days: Day 9, Yemen

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During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (Nov. 25 – Dec. 10), Stop Street Harassment is featuring activists who took action against street harassment this year, one new country per day.

Day #9: Yemen

Ghaidaa al-Absi is an anti-street harassment activist from Yemen who founded the Safe Streets Campaign. This year, the campaign has encouraged women to report their stories to their website and highlighted the issue through social media and articles like this one, published today on Open Democracy.

During Meet Us on the Street: International Anti-Street Harassment Week, held in March, there were many events held under the theme “‘Aad Shi Akhlaq” (‘Are There Still Any Manners?’), including a seminar about the psychological effects of harassment and a symposium with a lawyer about legal rights. Nearly 200 people attended the events and learned more about the issue and their rights.

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16 Days: Day 8, Afghanistan

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During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (Nov. 25 – Dec. 10), Stop Street Harassment is featuring activists who took action against street harassment this year, one new country per day.

Day #8: Afghanistan

In one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women, the organization Young Women for Change tackles many issues of gender inequality, including street harassment. This past year, they conducted a major study on street harassment (the results are pending), hosted a debate about the best ways to respond to harassers, organized an art exhibit on the subject, and created films and articles about their experiences.

“I am a human, but I live at fear from other humans. End street harassment of women!” From Young Women for Change.
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16 Days: Day 7, Azerbaijan

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During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (Nov. 25 – Dec. 10), Stop Street Harassment is featuring activists who took action against street harassment this year, one new country per day.

Day #7: Azerbaijan

Jake Winn, a Peace Corps volunteer and a youth development facilitator in northern Azerbaijan helped his male students make an Anti-Street Harassment video. The title, “Ay Gardash! Kishi Ol!”, can be translated to, ‘Hey man, be a gentleman!” Peace Corps is working on distributing the video throughout the country, along with a lesson plan and discussion questions for other volunteers to use with their own students.

Download the lesson plans: Street Harassment Lesson Plan (English) | Street Harassment Lesson Plan (Azerbaijani)

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16 Days: Day 6, South Africa

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During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (Nov. 25 – Dec. 10), Stop Street Harassment is featuring activists who took action against street harassment this year, one new country per day.

via Africa Review

Day #6: South Africa

After two teenagers wearing miniskirts were harassed and groped by a group of 50-60 men at a taxi rank, around 3,000 South Africans marched through Johannesburg in protest. The ruling African National Congress Women’s League organized the march to emphasize “that women had the right wear whatever they wanted without fear of victimization.”

During the march, Women’s Minister Lulu Xingwana warned that she would close down the taxi rank if such harassment continued. She also said, “The scourge of women abuse threatens to erode many of the hard-earned gains of the liberation struggle. It denies women their birth rights. It condemns them to a life of fear and prevents them from being productive members of society.”

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