Thank you for making International Anti-Street Harassment Week 2013 bigger than ever!

This Week Mattered!

This was an incredible week of awareness, as a visit to the photo album and the media page or #EndSHWeek or #EndSH threads on twitter will attest. Around 150 groups from more than 20 countries and 6 continents participated.

It was amazing to see:

* UN Women tweet about the week.
* Great articles about the week/issue on BuzzFeed and the Washington Post.
* UpWorthy post about Hollaback Philly’s new SEPTA ad to their millions of followers.
* The Harry Potter Alliance speak out against street harassment
* A city council woman in New York City lead a rally.
* People around the world, from Australia and Zimbabwe, to Yemen and Peru, to Belgium and Bangladesh, take to the streets to bring attention to this issue and engage their community to discuss what needs to change to stop street harassment.

Since launching Stop Street Harassment five years ago, there has been a significant shift in the number of people who acknowledge street harassment as a legitimate problem and are willing to do something about it. Awareness campaigns like International Anti-Street Harassment Week contribute to that continuing shift. Your voice matters, you’re making a difference.

Thank YOU!

In reviewing all that took place and the tens of thousands of people who were impacted by the messages, I am filled with gratitude and awe.

This week would not be possible without many volunteers, helpers, leaders, and people who care about making public places safer for everyone!

* Thanks to the approximately 150 groups, organizations and campuses that took some form of action to bring attention to this social problem that is too often invisible or dismissed as being no big deal. This includes thank you’s to the groups that led the five very successful tweet chats: Hollaback Bmore, Fem2pt0, Men Stopping Violence, FAAN Mail, Women’s Media Center, Breakthrough, Blank Noise, and Everyday Sexism.

* Thank you, Nuala Cabral (co-founder of FAAN Mail and a SSH board member) for being a key leader in planning and carrying out the week.

* Thank you, Laura Palumbo at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center who, when I met with her and her colleagues last summer, welcomed the idea of having the week fall during Sexual Assault Awareness Month and helped advertise the week to their networks.

* Thank you, SSH social media volunteers and SSH correspondents for your help spreading the word about the week and participating in it.

* Thank you, translation volunteers, media relations volunteer Katie Broendel, and graphic designer Alli VanKanegan who created great fliers for the week.

* Thank you, Zerlina Maxwell for writing a compelling article for Ebony Magazine about the connection between street harassment and sexual violence, facilitating my guest blog post on Feministing.com, and taking to Twitter a few times to generate lots conversations about street harassment among your many followers. (Note: She was nearly the only person who responded to the more than 100 pitches I sent out about the week.)

* Thank you to my partner Mark for not minding too much that I stayed glued to my computer or phone nearly every moment I was at home last week and thank you to my parents for participating and also for their encouragement throughout the week.

There were so many more tremendous individuals and groups who used their platforms/networks to spread the word and help organize events and online actions. Thank you!

Next Steps?

1. If you haven’t already, report back on what you did for the week.

2. There are two weeks left of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Find ideas for what you can do.

3. There will continue to be many outreach and anti-harassment initiatives led by local groups and other international organizations, so participate in their efforts!

4. For Stop Street Harassment, our next big focus will be continuing to fund-raise to be able to conduct the first large-scale national study on street harassment in the United States and doing the prep work to be able to launch a Know Your Rights Toolkit and helpline.

Please donate to help us with our work. You can also sign up for the monthly e-newsletter.

Thank You Again,

Holly Kearl, Founder of Stop Street Harassment & International Anti-Street Harassment Week