Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Our Latest Research is Out Now!

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To close out Sexual Assault Awareness Month, on April 30, 2019, SSH, UCSD Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), RALIANCE, CALCASA and Promundo released a new joint national study.

NORC at the University of Chicago conducted the nationally representative survey of 1,182 women and 1,037 men across February – March 2019. They used the using the AmeriSpeak Panel. UCSD’s GEH did the data analysis.

READ: Full Report | Two-Page Executive Summary | Press Release | Survey Questions | Street Harassment Factsheet

Our findings include:

  • 81% of women and 43% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime. This graph shows the breakdown of the main categories:

  • The most frequently was listed location for sexual harassment is a public space, while most sexual assault takes place in private homes or residences.
    • 68% of women and 23% of men experienced sexual harassment at a public place like a street, store, park or restaurant. When you include mass transit and nightlife venues, that statistic rises to 71% women and 28% men. In other words, nearly all women who had experienced sexual harassment and/or assault had experienced it in public spaces (as well as perhaps other locations).
  • Sexual harassment and assault cause people, especially women, to feel anxiety or depression and prompt them to change their route or regular routine.
  • While experiences of sexual harassment and assault are highly prevalent, accusations of sexual harassment and assault are very rare.
  • Most people who said they committed sexual harassment also said they had experienced sexual harassment.

While we repeated a few questions from our 2018 survey, we chose to add new questions around false accusations this year in light of the Kavanaugh hearing and Betsy DeVos’s efforts to change Title IX guidelines.

We broke down differences by demographics and included the findings that were statistically significant. For instance:

  • 35% of Black women had experienced sexual harassment in the previous six months.
  • 35% of women with disabilities experienced sexual assault in their lifetime.
  • 95% of lesbian/bisexual women experienced some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime.

Check out the full report!

Thank you to all of our donors who made this report possible!

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Walking Towards Justice

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This week, America Walks hosted an important webinar for 300 live participants about street harassment, how it impacts people’s ability to safely use public spaces and what we can do about it. Here’s the recording, with more info below.

“This is the third discussion of the new America Walks discussion series, “Walking Towards Justice” and explores issues of street harassment and creating places that are welcoming for all genders and sexual orientations. It includes guest co-host Veronica O. Davis, PE and special guest, Holly Kearl, author of Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and Welcoming for Women  Also joining the panel were nationally-known experts, Vanessa Garrison, Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman, and Rio, MAED, LCI, SCI.”

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Walking Towards Justice Webinar on April 4

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On April 4, at 2 p.m. ET/ 11 a.m. PT, America Walks is hosting a webinar discussion on street harassment and how to make public spaces safer, more accessible and enjoyable places to walk.

The panel includes myself and folks from Multicultural Communities for Mobility, GirlTrek, Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, and THINK.urban.

REGISTER.

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81% of Women and 43% of Men Have Experienced Sexual Abuse in USA

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I’m excited to share that our new study was released this morning!

In January 2018, SSH commissioned a 2,000-person, nationally representative survey on sexual harassment and assault, conducted by GfK. It found that nationwide, 81% of women and 43% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime.

While verbal sexual harassment was the most common form (77% of women and 34% of men), an alarming 51% of women and 17% of men said they were touched or groped in an unwelcome way, and 27% of women and 7% of men survived sexual assault.

This survey is the first to look at a range of sexual harassment behaviors, track the various locations where people experience sexual harassment and assault (from public spaces to homes to schools to workplaces to online etc), and identify who perpetrators are in relation to the respondents (e.g. strangers, coworkers, family members).

When the sample size allowed, the report breaks down people’s experiences by demographics like race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, household income, disability status, age, and region of the country.

READ: Full Report | Two-Page Executive Summary | Survey Questions | Press Release 

Pro bono data analysis for the survey was completed by the UC San Diego Center on Gender Equity and Health. Their team, the team at Raliance and a dozen advisory committee members offered input and invaluable help throughout the process.

Here’s the media coverage so far!

New York Times, “Numbers Hint at Why #MeToo Took Off: The Sheer Number Who Can Say Me Too.“

NPR, “A New Survey Finds 81 Percent Of Women Have Experienced Sexual Harassment.“

VOX News, “Measuring #MeToo: more than 80 percent of women have been sexually harassed or assaulted.“

Ms. Magazine Blog, “What the Numbers Behind the #MeToo Movement Show Us.“

Many thanks to our donors, board and advisory committee for helping make this happen, as well as our partner orgs!!

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We face constant homophobic harassment

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I’m a gay teenager who is trying to have a happy relationship with my boyfriend, but every night I walk him home, we face constant harassment from teenagers from 11-18, asking personal questions and threats, including Homophobic bulling. All I want is to hold my partner’s hand, and walk down the street, with no weird looks, no threats and no harassment. I know now that this is impossible, because of our society today, little kids shouting out ‘gay’ and faggot, It makes me so angry, how children/teenagers think it is okay. I’m now so scared that I won’t even have a boyfriend, if the harassment doesn’t stop!!

Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?

Add more street lights, have people on watch, have someone/somewhere to talk too, like an LGBT community group in the area or a warning to parents on letting their children out so late, or even fine the teenagers/parents of harassment

– Harry E.

Location: Maidstone, Kent, Britain, Northumberlend road

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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