Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

We All Want to Make It Home Safely

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This week, 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard’s remains were found in the UK after she went missing last week. She was attacked and murdered while traveling home from a friend’s house. A police officer was arrested on suspicion of her murder.

Her story is tragic — and it’s the worst-case scenario that makes so much street harassment unnerving. We wonder: which harassers might escalate their behavior and strike us, follow us, grab us, assault us and even kill us?

Her story also confirms that police officers may NOT be people we can turn to for help and protection… instead they may ignore, blame, harass, assault or even kill us.

Since Sarah went missing, thousands of women have shared their own stories of assault and street harassment by men. A new representative study in the UK released this week backs up their stories – 97% of young women have faced sexual harassment and 80% of all women have experienced street harassment.

Of course, street harassment is a global problem, a global crisis, and these figures and stories in the UK are just the latest documentation of it.

During our collective year of global health pandemic, the issue of street harassment has often become a lower priority, a lesser problem to address, but Sarah’s story shows that street harassment is also deadly. The study shows that street harassment is also a far-reaching crisis.

Share Your COVID Street Harassment Stories
Ahead of International Anti-Street Harassment Week (April 11-17), we invite you to share your experiences and stories with street harassment across the pandemic – and/or submit artwork to stopstreetharassment@gmail.com.
We’ll share them across the week to help raise awareness that this is STILL a critical issue that we must address, we must work to stop.

And we must hold men — yes, all men — accountable for the culture they directly or indirectly contribute to and benefit from that turns women into prey who cannot safely walk home.

Anti-Street Harassment Week Partners & Activities
Thank you to Safecity/Red Dot Foundation, Catcalls of NYC, Hollaback! and L’Oreal Paris as well as other partners for their help this year’s Week of Action!!

As a reminder, we imagine much of the world will still be practicing social distancing next month, and so we encourage you to engage in online action (and use the hashtag #StopStreetHarassment) or, if it’s safe to do so, take small offline actions, like go with a friend or two to chalk on sidewalks or post flyers in your community. 

If you have ideas already, you can let us know what you’ll do by filling out this form, and you can let us know if you’d like to be listed on the website as a participating co-sponsor, stopstreetharassment@gmail.com.


March 27 Event
Catcalls of NYC turns 5 years old this month and we’ll be hosting their anniversary event on our Facebook Page on March 27. More details to come!

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Join our 11th Annual Anti-Street Harassment Week

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Dear Friends, 

Happy New Year! We hope you are all staying safe and healthy and thriving as best you can at this challenging time. 

Our partner Safecity/Red Dot Foundation is helping us keep International Anti-Street Harassment Week going this April, and we are grateful for their support and leadership this year. Groups like Catcalls of NYC, Hollaback! and L’Oreal Paris are also playing a big contributing role. 

http://www.meetusonthestreet.org

So, we invite you to join us in speaking out against street harassment during our 11th year of action, April 11-17, 2021. 

Safely Take Action 

We imagine much of the world will still be practicing social distancing and even quarantining in April, and so we encourage you to engage in online action (and use the hashtag #StopStreetHarassment) or, if it’s safe to do so, take small offline actions, like go with a friend or two to chalk on sidewalks or post flyers in your community. 

Here are two other examples of how to be involved, and we’ll share more in the coming weeks: 


1. Online Training 

L’Oréal Paris has partnered with the expert NGO Hollaback! to launch STAND UP AGAINST STREET HARASSMENT: a training program to help people safely intervene if they witness or experience street harassment. As part of the International Anti-Street Harassment Week, help combat street harassment by taking the training program on standup-international.com, and then, share the word about the training in April.

2. COVID-19 Stories

We know that street harassment continues to be an issue, but it’s a problem that is getting a lot of attention right now. You could collect and share online COVID-19-related stories from your community to document the problem and raise awareness that it’s still a serious issue that many people are facing. 

Share Your Ideas & Plans

If you have ideas already, you can let us know what you’ll do by filling out this form, and you can let us know if you’d like to be listed on the website as a participating co-sponsor, stopstreetharassment@gmail.com.

Thank you!  -Holly

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“Unprintable comments from the young men”

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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.

One day while going to the shops to buy some basic needs for breakfast, i passed a narrow corridor. At first i was scared because of the number of young men lined up. The street was narrow and it was the only route i could use to access the shop. i gathered courage and walked by. What followed was unprintable comments from the young men. One tried to touch my bum but i ran off hastily until i reached the shop. The comments were demeaning and it made me feel low and dirty i almost cried.

Amidst tears i told the shopkeeper what i needed, purchased them and got ready to go back home using the same route. as i walked back i could only ask myself questions, why do young men feel great when they harass young women? what can i do to stop this happening to me and other girls? How many girls are affected psychologically because of the unprintable comments? This needs to stop.

As i approached the corridor, i was lucky enough to see the young men disappear far off into an adjacent road. i passed by quickly, not knowing whether i should tell my mother or not.

– Elizabeth Apondi

Location: Kenya

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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2020 Anti-Street Harassment Week – Day 5

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Today was Day  5 of our virtual International Anti-Street Harassment Week!

  • Chats – There was one tweet chat today – @PintheCreep hosted one on street harassment and safe mobility.
  • Trivia Night – Hollaback! Detroit hosted a trivia night this evening at 7 p.m. EST

There was continued online activism…visit the photo album and/or use #StopStreetHarassment on social media (especially Instagram) to see more.

Looking ahead:

 

 

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Join Afropunk’s IG Live Event Clappin’ Back at Street Harassment!

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Join AfroPunk’s live Instagram event on Saturday, to close out International Anti-Street Harassment Week!

Info:

This Sat. 4/25 at 4pm PST
Join musicians and activists @IndigoMateo and @RichieReseda on @Afropunk for an IG Live Event Clappin’ Back At Street Harassment

Indigo and Richie shared,

“This event comes at a time when human connection on the streets is more sparse than we’ve seen in…ever? But street harassment has never been about human connection– it’s always been (and still is) about power, a lack of equity and the absence of consent. It’s international street harassment awareness week and since most of us are in the house, it’s a great time for voices to be heard on this topic, and for street harassers to get some home training on how to approach and not approach people in the streets. We have the chance to make sure things never go back to “normal” regarding street harassment. We have the power to clap back at harassment and build a culture of consent….<3″

Indigo shared that personally,

“Even in these tough, socially distant times, we still out here getting street harassed. This event is so important to me because I’m a survivor of sexual violence as well as a lover of life and people– I love to be out in my community. Often I’ve felt like my experiences with sexual violence and harassment were invisible and I’ve been told that I’m probably just overreacting. I’ve been told that this is just the way things are. That I should be glad to get so much “compliments and attention.” Nah. No. Negative. I’m tired of people coming to rape culture’s defense.

We’re calling it all out on 4/25 by talking about harassment and sexual violence and challenging others to do better for the sake of our lives in these streets.”

YESS!! Mark your calendars and tune in!

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