anti-street harassment week Archives | Page 57 of 63

ProChange distributed 2000 cards in Dortmond, Germany

March 25, 2012 By Contributor

Editor’s Note: This guest blog post is reprinted from the ProChange Facebook page about the action they took for International Anti-Street Harassment Week 2012:

[I used Google translate….see the original German text below)
The 18 March to 24 March 2012 was the International Week Against Street Harassment. Worldwide there were events and actions. ProChange joined in and participated in it.

We distributed 2000 “Red Card” against sexism, “Pink Card” against homophobia, and “Purple Card” Courage for the day. At night we shared our special coasters in pubs, bar, from clubs in Dortmund, Germany. Summary, detailed report and pictures will be published soon.

Our commitment does not end with the end of the campaign week. Sexist boundary violations and sexual violence are so long on our agenda until they no longer belong to our social system, and no one is more discriminated against and degraded or have experienced even violence.

ProChange stands for change. Without you, without you, without you, there will be no change and no change!

A movement moves only by those who follow her. No one follows, there is no change. No matter how old, no matter what profession, no matter what school, no matter what gender. We want change for all.

_____________________________________________________

Vom 18. März bis 24. März 2012 war die internationale Woche gegen Street Harassment. Weltweit fanden vielfälige Veranstaltungen und Aktionen statt. ProChange schloß sich an und beteiligte sich daran. Wir verteilten 2000 “Rote Karten” gegen Sexismus, “Pinke Karte” gegen Homophobie und “Lila Karte” für Courage tagsüber. Abends legten wir in Dortmund unsere Spezialbierdeckel in Kneipen, Bar, Clubs aus. Fazit, ausführlicher Bericht und Bilder werden in Kürze noch veröffentlicht.

Unser Engagement endet natürlich nicht mit dem Ende der Aktionswoche. Sexistische Grenzverletzungen und sexualisierte Gewalt stehen so lange auf unserer Agenda, bis sie nicht mehr zu unserem Gesellschaftssystem gehören, bis niemand mehr diskrimiert und herabgewürdigt wird oder sogar Gewalt erfahren muß.

ProChange steht für den Wandel.

Ohne Dich, ohne Sie, ohne Euch, wird es keinen Wandel und keine Veränderung geben!

Eine Bewegung bewegt sich erst durch die, die ihr folgen. Folgt niemand, gibt es keinen Wandel. Egal, wie alt, egal, welcher Beruf, egal, welche Schule, egal, welches Geschlecht. Wir wollen den Wandel für alle.

Wie?

Fan auf unseren Seiten werden, posten, Inhalte teilen und kommentieren. Freunde und Bekannte dazu einladen.

Darüber sprechen im Freundeskreis, in der Schule, in der Firma usw.

Karten und Bierdeckel verteilen

Geschichten veröffentlichen: Fast jede Frau, jedes Mädchen hat wohl schon Belästigungen, Übergriffe erlebt. Manchmal ist man wütend, manchmal hilflos. Wir wollen das Schweigen brechen. Deshalb machen wir unsere Geschichten öffentlich und schreiben sie auf. Wir schreiben, was uns passiert ist und schweigen nicht mehr.

Mitarbeit direkt: Fleißige Hände, die ab und an oder auch regelmäßig unsere Arbeit unterstützen. Einfach anfragen.

Chalk Walk: Women in Brussels reclaim the places where they were harassed

March 25, 2012 By Contributor

Editor’s Note: This guest blog post is reprinted from the Hollaback Brussels Facebook page about the “Chalk Walk” they took on March 24, 2012, for International Anti-Street Harassment Week:

Morning. Saturday. 10.30 am. The sun’s slowly coming up over the rooftops. The streets of Brussels are greeting us. All 4 of us are on ‘our way’. Anxious.

We meet up at ‘Ribaucourt, Molenbeek’. The place where Angelika was harassed. The streets still look quite empty, as if Brussels hasn’t fully woken up yet.

We arrive cheerfully to the ‘spot’, we organise, make our DIY ‘banners’, excited. Time to start. This is Angelika’s moment. With colorful chalk she starts to write on the sidewalk. People pass by glancing quickly, trying to read what she’s writing. ‘I was harassed here. I Hollaback. I reclaim the street.’ she writes strongly.

When it’s over we hug and congratulate Angelika and with our banner she goes and stands at the top of her chalk-text, reclaiming this street, this sidewalk!

Next stop: Lemonnier. The place where Anna was harassed. The tram takes us there and Anna retells parts of her story. She shows us where she went and stood trying to get away from her harasser, there, in the middle of that four-lane boulevard.

The ritual is the same. She starts to write, getting into the moment. People pass. Try to read. When it’s over we hug her firmly and congratulate her. She proudly and beautifully reclaims this spot.

And so we continue. To the Metro/Subway ‘De Brouckere’. The place where Ingrid was harassed. She walks with us and shows us where her story happened. On the staircase leading to the subway platform.

She decides to write in front of the subway entrance, on the sidewalk. It’s a busy spot. When she starts, some people actually stop to see what’s she’s writing, what’s happening. The language changes. Writing in French now.

A guy comes over asks us ‘what we are doing?’ We explain, he thinks ‘this is great, he hasn’t seen anyone do this before’.

Ingrid boldly reclaims ‘De Brouckere’.

We hug and congratulate her and we’re off again to our last stop: the bridge at the cemetery of Ixelles. The place where Julie was harassed.

Again a busy place. Cars honk their horns at us while we’re on the bridge. What are we doing? People pass.

Julie writes in beautiful French. It feels like artwork. We let her get into her moment. She writes: ‘J’ai été harcelée ici. La rue m’appartient. Hollaback’.

La rue m’appartient: The street belongs to me. Such a ‘right way’ to say this.

When Julie is finished, she goes and stands on the bridge and fiercely reclaims it. We hug her and cheer!

And that .. concludes the first part of our day! AWESOME is not even a strong enough word to describe it! EMPOWERING comes close! What we discovered was that writing with chalk on the sidewalk, on the street, on the bridge, telling Brussels: “I was harassed here’ ‘I reclaim the street’ is a powerful, liberating ritual and an amazing hollaback !

“Not sure I’m in the right bathroom? I’m not sure you are either, but I’m not going to ask you about it.”

March 24, 2012 By HKearl

For International Anti-Street Harassment Week, a few student groups at George Washington University in Washington, DC, worked with the DC Trans Coalition to create fliers to post in public restrooms about the harassment most transgender individuals face there.

The campus would not let them. Via the DCist:

“The GW Graduate Feminists has been attempting to post signs in bathrooms around campus warning against the harassment transgender people often report experiencing when using gender-specific restrooms. But to the group’s consternation, campus officials have said fliers are not permitted to be mounted in the bathrooms inside the Marvin Center, GWU’s student center at 21st and I streets NW.

Elizabeth Owens, a member of the Graduate Feminists, told DCist that given the subject matter, it would have made sense for administrators to bend the rules and allow signs warning against violence in restrooms to be mounted inside restrooms. Instead, according to an email from a university employee that was forwarded to DCist, fliers are only allowed near the Marvin Center’s elevator banks.

But given recent violent crimes around D.C. in which transgender people have been assaulted and killed, Owens feels that there ought not to be such a limitation on where precaution can be advised.

“In the context of the violence that is going on in the D.C. area and a perception that trans issues are not being highlighted—even within the LGBT community—we saw a need to bring offer some resources,” she said in a phone interview.

Owens’ fliers implore bathroom visitors to give transgender people as much privacy as they would expect from themselves. “Let transgender folk pee in the restrooms we feel safest in,” some of the notices read. The fliers also cite a 2009 survey taken by the D.C. Trans Coalition reporting that 70 percent of transgender people interviewed reported being either harassed or assaulted while using a gender-specific bathroom. These trends, the Trans Coalition’s report said, can lead to a withdrawal from public life, deeply affecting a person’s education, employment and health.”

The GWU campus paper published an article about the issue too.

I received my master’s degree from GWU and I’m disappointed they wouldn’t let the students post the fliers. While Anti-Street Harassment Week is coming to a close, that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop bringing attention to public harassment/street harassment. Here are four of the fliers they made, feel free to download them and post them wherever you can.

“Be a Hero and Stop Harassment!”

March 24, 2012 By HKearl

Breakthrough is a Delhi, India-based amazing, award-winning “global human rights organization that uses the power of media, pop culture, and community mobilization to inspire people to take bold action for dignity, equality, and justice.”

I first learned about them because of their innovative bystander campaign around domestic violence called “Bell Bajao” or “Ring the Bell.” It encourages people to ring a neighbor’s doorbell if they hear domestic violence occurring because that can interrupt the situation, and then to call the police if it continues.

I connected with a few staff at Breakthrough a few months ago (including Veronica Weis, the author of yesterday’s blog post about street harassment in Delhi, India) and invited them to participate in International Anti-Street Harassment Week. I was thrilled when they accepted the invitation and created this amazing bystander poster campaign for street harassment. Please the posters share widely!