Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

On July 13: NYC Area – share your stories!

By

Filmmaker Charla Harlow and researcher/author Holly Kearl (me) are teaming up to hold TWO discussion group on street harassment on Saturday July 13, 2013, in Brooklyn, NY, hosted by the Brooklyn Movement Center and we’re looking for participants.

Discussion Group 1:

Community members of the Bed-Stuy Neighborhood area are invited to share their experiences and stories with street harassment in the area, 12 – 1 p.m. EST.

Discussion Group 2:

Queer women of color from anywhere in the New York City region are invited to talk about their experiences and stories with street harassment. 2-3 p.m. EST.

Info:

The discussion groups are part of  Stop Street Harassment‘s “Documenting Street Harassment in America” initiative that includes a 2,000 person, nationally representative survey and 10 discussion groups with different demographics across the country.

They’re also part of the Harlow Project‘s Anti-Street Harassment initiative.

The discussion groups will be held at the Brooklyn Movement Center, 375 Stuyvesant Ave  Brooklyn, NY. (Directions). Light refreshments will be provided.

Note:

The sessions will be both tape recorded and then transcribed and videotaped, but to make it a safe space for participants to share their stories, they can have their names be anonymous if they would like.

RSVP:

If you can attend one of the sessions, please contact me, Holly, at hkearl@stopstreetharassment.org, by the end of the day on Friday, July 12, and let me know which one.

More info about the study:

Read more about the SSH study. I hope to complete the rest of the discussion groups this summer, conduct the survey in the fall, and release a report in early 2014.

Questions or concerns? Contact me at hkearl@stopstreetharassment.org or Charla at info@harlowproject.com.

Share

DC Gay & Bisexual Men: Share your experiences

By

If you live in the Washington, D.C. area and are a gay or bisexual man, you’re invited to share your street harassment stories and experiences during a discussion group on July 23.

The discussion group is part of  Stop Street Harassment‘s “Documenting Street Harassment in America” initiative that includes a 2,000 person, nationally representative survey and 10 discussion groups with different demographics across the country.

SSH Founder Holly Kearl (me) is teaming up with Patrick Ryne McNeil, who researches the street harassment of gay and bisexual men, to conduct it with gay and bisexual men to hear about their unique experiences with sexual harassment and sexual violence in public places like streets, parks, buses, subways, stores, and restaurants.

Info:

The discussion group will be held on Tuesday, July 23, 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Lamond Riggs library by Fort Totten Metro Station. Light refreshments will be provided.

Note:

I will tape record and then transcribe the focus group discussion, but to make it a safe space for participants to share their stories, they can have their names be anonymous if they would like.

More info about the study:

Read more about the study. I hope to complete the rest of the focus groups this summer, conduct the survey in the fall, and release a report in early 2014. Read an article about one of the focus groups I conducted in South Dakota last summer. You can contact me directly with any questions or concerns at hkearl@stopstreetharassment.org or contact Patrick at patrickryne@gmail.com.

More info about harassment of gay & bisexual men:

Washington Blade | Huffington Post

RSVP:

hkearl@stopstreetharassment.org

Share

We need national data on #streetharassment

By

Readers of this blog know that most women worldwide have experienced gender-based street harassment, including unwanted leering, “catcalls,” sexually explicit comments, demands for a smile, groping, stalking, public masturbation, and assault. Some men experience street harassment too, especially in the LGBQT community.

Despite how widespread this problem is, it’s rarely discussed or taken seriously outside of communities like Stop Street Harassment. We need solid national data documenting its prevalence and how it negatively impacts people’s lives before we will see policy changes and cultural attitude adjustments.

I plan to conduct the first-ever nationally representative survey of 2,000 women and men ages 18-30 in the USA to collect the data. I have an advisory team of PhD-level sociologists, demographers, and anti-street harassment activists who will provide feedback on the survey instrument. The acclaimed surveying firm GfK Custom Research LLC has agreed to conduct the nationally representative survey.

I strongly believe without this data, most policy makers, educators, law enforcement and the general public will continue to refuse to take this issue seriously.

If you’re tired of street harassment, please donate $10 (or more) to help make this street harassment study possible.

You can also help spread the word about the study.

Suggested Tweet:
“We need national data on #streetharassment. Pls donate 2 help fund a study that will make this possible http://www.razoo.com/story/National-Street-Harassment-Study #EndSH”

Suggested FaceBook Post:
“[your street harassment story] This is not okay. Please donate to make a national street harassment study possible so no one else has to experience this. http://www.razoo.com/story/National-Street-Harassment-Study”

More about the Study:
Once the survey is complete, I will release a short report with the study findings and recommendations. The report will also include information from discussion groups I am facilitating this fall with under-represented groups, including Native American young adults, sex workers, and transgender individuals. I started these already and flew to South Dakota to conduct two focus groups with Native Americans.

I will use the data and report to create curriculum for schools and colleges, launch targeted awareness-raising campaigns, and work with policy makers to improve the laws that can protect people from street harassment.

Let’s work together to make sure the next generation has safe access to public spaces. Thank you for your help!

Share

Snapshot of street harassment stories, news, announcements & tweets: August 26, 2012

By

Egypt, via The Egyptian Chronicles

Happy Women’s Equality Day!

Read stories, news articles, blog posts, and tweets about street harassment from the past few weeks.

** Sign up to receive a monthly e-newsletter from Stop Street Harassment ***

Street Harassment Stories:

Share your story! You can read street harassment stories on the Web at:

Stop Street Harassment Blog

HarassMap in Egypt

Bijoya in Bangladesh

Resist Harassment in Lebanon

Ramallah Street Watch in Palestine

Name and Shame in Pakistan

Safe Streets in Yemen

Street Harassment in South Africa

Many of the Hollaback sites

Street Harassment In the News, on the Blogs:

* Guardian, “Let women stand up to harassment from squids on the street“

* Lesbilicious, “Street Harassment: the taboo is finally breaking“

* Pavadanada, “I had to put an end to this“

* Women’s Web, “What Are Their Thoughts?”

* Zaghaleel, “Third Day of Patrolling against Sexual Harassment“

* Egypt Independent, “Sexual harassment wave continues for third day“

* Week Woman, “My Hijab, My Body – A Muslim Feminist on Street Harassment in Argentina“

* Egyptian Chronicles, “#EndSH : The Eid beasts are back !!”

* Egypt Independent, “In photos: Sexual harassment continues in Eid“

* Prince of Petworth, “Props to the Cops: Arrest Made in Sexual Assaults near Dupont Circle“

* The Times of India, “Stalked, abused in 1 minute, 27 seconds“

Announcements:

New:

* Stop Street Harassment recently incorporated as a nonprofit organization. Please donate so we can conduct a national street harassment study and gather much needed data documenting the problem.

* Tomorrow there is an open mic in Cairo. Share your street harassment and sexual harassment stories.

Reminders:

* Tonight in DC is a benefit concert for Collective Action for Safe Spaces

* Vote for Hollaback Philly’s transit ad project

* Activists in South Africa launched a new website about street harassment

* The anti-sexual harassment public service announcement signs are now up in several Washington, DC metro stations!

* The Stop Street Harassment book is available in paperback for $15.

* Submit art about street harassment for the VoiceTool Product exhibit in San Francisco, CA

* The Adventures of Salwa campaign has a hotline for sexual harassment cases in Lebanon: 76-676862.

* In Bangalore, India, there is a helpline for street harassment 080 – 22943225 / 22864023

* Report #streetharassment in Pakistan at @NameAndShamePk, email nameandshame@ryse.pk, SMS 0314-800-35-68 or online at http://www.nameandshame.pk

15 Tweets from the Week:

1. @mzjudge People who encourage exercise should also advocate to stop street harassment. How do you expect folks to jog when they don’t feel safe?

2. @_jenniwithani I hate that street harassment can still ruin my night.

3. @umberg: @EverydaySexism street harassment count tonight: 11

4. @oh_so_random Street harassment is real in DC though. I’m bothered by the aggressive entitled behavior by many men I’ve encountered on the streets here

5. @mirabaz Incidents of street harassment while dressed freely: only 1 in 17 months, walking past a construction site

6. @jesssolomon A few blocks N of Howard U is full of zombies, and one just literally tried to grab me. #streetharassment #dc

7. @PennyRed ‘I’m here with my mum and little sisters and you’re yelling dirty, sexist things, it’s not ok.’ They seemed genuinely shocked and sorry.

8. @MaiE_89 Hamzawy: We need legislation that targets sexual harassment specifically. #Egypt #EndSH

9. @SafeSpacesDC Props to the Cops: Arrest Made in Sexual Assaults near # Dupont Circle http://bit.ly/TZPfK9 via @popville @DCPoliceDept #vaw #DC

10. @yesgawdhunty If you catcall me, I’ll give you mean look and call you a worthless sack of shit. You’ve been warned.

11. @erindwyer Get outta ur shitbox car #dirtypervs to catcall me so I can enjoy knocking you to the ground. And teaching you some manners. #skells

12. @toridriggers Dear construction guys at McDonalds, if you catcall at me I’m not even going to give you the light of day. #Thisiswhyyour single

13. @sallyzohney AlMasryAlYoum reports 134 harassment cases in police stations over 3 days eiid holidays. These r just the women who spoke up! #endsh

14.  @MaelleP_ #VisitEgypt but with a pepper spray. Sexual harassment during Eid in pictures http://bit.ly/MMqz7v #EndSH.

15. @NihalSaad: Patrolling started at the metro #endsh pic.twitter.com/NrjGjpHC

Share

SSH Grows Up

By

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 21, 2012
Contact: Holly Kearl
stopstreetharassment@yahoo.com

Stop Street Harassment Plans a National Study on Street Harassment
The New Nonprofit Aims to Document the Problem

WASHINGTON, DC – Stop Street Harassment (SSH) today launches a fundraising campaign to conduct a national study on the prevalence of street harassment. The organization, which just incorporated as a nonprofit, will survey both men and women ages 18-30.

The few studies that exist on this subject show that at least 80 percent of women experience street harassment, especially when they’re young. Street harassment negatively affects the lives of harassed people; those who experience it feel forced to limit their activities, change their commutes, or even move. More research is needed, however, to better document the problem in the United States and to understand its causes and the impact it has on people’s lives and on society as a whole.

“After researching it for five years, there is no doubt in my mind that street harassment is a human rights violation,” said Holly Kearl, founder of Stop Street Harassment. Kearl began her work on the topic by writing a master’s thesis in 2007 and later a book in 2010. “I believe that a national study is necessary to prove once and for all that this is a problem—not a minor annoyance, joke, compliment, or the fault of the harassed person—and I am excited that SSH will undertake it.”

SSH plans to work with an advisory team of PhD-level sociologists, demographers, and political scientists as well as anti-street harassment activists to develop the survey, and GfK Custom Research LLC will conduct the nationally representative survey.

For the past four years, SSH has been a website, blog, book, and the group behind International Anti-Street Harassment Week. Its work has been cited by the United Nations, New York City Council, USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post, ABC News, and more.

Now, it moves forward as an organization focused on ending gender-based street harassment by removing barriers that make public places less safe for women and all LGBQT individuals. As a nonprofit, SSH plans to conduct research, organize awareness campaigns, create curriculum, organize conferences and seminars, and engage in global and community-based outreach on the topic of street harassment.

To contribute to the study fundraising campaign, visit the SSH Razoo page to make an online donation, or send checks to SSH, P.O. Box, 3621, Reston, Virginia, 20195.

###

Stop Street Harassment is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending gender-based street harassment worldwide. On its website, visitors can access lists of statistics, articles, films, and campaigns around street harassment as well as ideas for action. Stop Street Harassment provides people with a place to share their stories and organizes International Anti-Street Harassment Week annually.

Share