Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Snapshot of Street Harassment Stories, News, & Tweets: November 27, 2011

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

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

Street Harassment Stories:

Share your story! You can read new street harassment stories on the Web from the past week at:

Stop Street Harassment Blog

HarassMap Egypt

Resist Harassment Lebanon

Many of the Hollaback sites

Activism Alert:

* Hollaback West Yorkshire (UK) is undertaking the first ever survey of street harassment in West Yorkshire. If you live in the area, take it by Dec. 10.

* Young Women for Change (Afghanistan) launched Poster in the City. All Afghan artists are encouraged to submit their art work that focuses on women’s rights, gender equality, and the elimination of violence against women. It can be in any form such as drawing, water painting, black and white charcoal drawing- or digital pictures. Full details available online.

* In India, Must Bol is running a Men Say No Blogathon for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

In the News, on the Blogs:

* New York Times, “Women Take a Stand in Kabul“

* Haaretz.com, “Vast majority of Tel Aviv women report sexual harassment, survey finds“

* Young Feminist Wire, “‘Reaching out’ in Sri Lanka“

* BARCC Blog, “Street Harassment & Comedy“

* Jezebel, “Can Parents Be Convinced To Want Baby Girls?“

* Hindustan Times, “Street plays to educate people about eve-teasing“

* The Hindu, “Young man stabbed as he objects to eve-teasing of cousin“

* Women’s Views on News, “HOLLABACK! West Yorkshire launch survey into street harassment” and Yorkshire Evening Post, “Hollaback! West Yorkshire: Women at war on street insults“

* Hindustan Times, “Sexual harassment to be non-bailable in state, says govt“

* The Globe and Mail, “Bloody scenes from Tahrir: ‘It is horrible,’ says Egypt’s only female presidential hopeful”

* Poynter, “Women journalists confront harassment, sexism when using social media“

* The American Prospect, “The Internet Miniskirt“

* Storyful, “Female Egyptian protesters highlight sexual harassment“

Announcements:

New:

* Togo’s sandwich shop in California (USA) pulled an offensive television ad after an email campaign launched on this blog.

* During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, Stop Street Harassment is featuring 16 names women do NOT want to be called by strangers on the streets. Ending the social acceptability of men calling women these names takes us one step closer to creating a culture where gender violence doesn’t happen.

Reminders:

* You can purchase the Stop Street Harassment book for 50% off right now!

* Sign the Zero Tolerance Campaign’s petition calling for stronger enforcement of laws banning street sexual harassment in India.

* Watch the new anti-street harassment video from The Adventures of Salwa folks and download their guide for fighting all forms of sexual harassment

* Sign the petition to tell Toronto Police to stop blaming victims for street harassment and sexual assault!!

* Contribute to the Monday “Street Respect” series that highlights the type of stories we want to see instead of street harassment stories!

15 Tweets from the Week:

1. AlyaaGad @haivri Sir, sexual harassment happens every minute of the day in every street, workplace & sometimes house. How can we stay safe like that?

 2. harassmap If you would like to volunteer to secure the square plz come at Bena2 tent next to Omar Makram, discuss ideas how to face harassment #tahrir

3. Rouelshimi Girls: Make a scene when someone harasses u in #tahrir. #endsh

4. Leglessfrog @cairowire we need to battle harassment everywhere in Egypt not just tahrir!enough is enough!#EndSH

5. sallyzohney All females in #tahrir, pls share with me ANY harassment or assault, I am doing a report on this! very important !! #women #EndSH

6. hollabackWY Street harassment response no.2 describe harraser&behavior loudly for others to hear. e.g “Tall man in blue hat,stop touching my arse”

7. @morninggloria will know I finally look and sound like a grown ass woman when strangers stop calling me “sweetheart.” #iamanadultdammit

8. monaeltahawy #Tahrir & every other square rising up in #Egypt needs women & men. We all must fight sexual harassment so that our revolution succeeds..

9. End_Harassment #takebackthetech RT @Saba_Imtiaz Walked down the road. Cars that stopped – 0 Suggestive comments-2 Leers-4 Car drivers offering lifts-2 #VAW

10. hollabackWY Possible street harassment response no.1 ask harasser if their mum/partner/sister knows they speak to women in the street like that? #16days

11. SuzeMorrison Seriously though! Why do men still think its okay to catcall profanities at me out their cars!! What would your mother say if she saw you!

12. abzzyy What’s with the all the violence that’s been targeting women in the streets? both Verbal and Physical. #EndSH #Lebanon

13. steffingnie Whenever guys whistle/catcall/otherwise try to holla at me, I’m tempted to tell them I’m 13 and see if they still think I’m so attractive!

14. jillogc HarassMap = brilliant idea that empowers women to speak out against street harassment harassmap.org @harassmap

15. JEVastyan After being in SS, I realize that while I miss some things, I don’t miss the street harassment and get why my ex would not live here

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Sexual Harassment in Tahrir: “Let’s keep the square safe for the women of the revolution”

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Street harassment and sexual assault are in full force at Tahrir Square in Egypt as tens of thousands of Egyptians rally and call for military rule to end before parliamentary elections are held. Here is a disturbing account of it, via Storyful.

“An increasing number of women have become victims of sexual harassment and assault at protests in Egypt over recent weeks. While some claim the attacks have been organised by the military and police to intimidate female protesters, others blame it on supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood. International female reporters have also been among those targeted, with French correspondent Caroline Sinz assaulted for 45 minutes in Tahrir Square by youths on November 24. One website has started mapping reports of sexual harassment around Cairo and is calling for women to step forward and tell their story.

The events of recent days, in which both activist and journalist Mona El-Tahawy and Sinz were sexually assaulted, have prompted women to speak out about endemic sexual harassment in Egypt….

On Thursday Sinz and her cameraman were reportedly mobbed by youths, as they walked down Mohammed Mahmoud street. They were dragged to Tahrir Square, where they were separated, and she was assaulted. Afterwards Sinz recalled: “Some people tried to help me but failed. I was lynched. It lasted three quarters of an hour before I was taken out. I thought I was going to die.”…

The feminist activist, journalist and blogger El-Tahawy claimed she was beaten and sexually assaulted by police officers on Thursday, after she was arrested on Tahrir Square. After her release she tweeted details of her assault on Twitter: @monaeltahawy 5 or 6 surrounded me, groped and prodded my breasts, grabbed my genital area and I lost count how many hands tried to get into my trousers.”

If you’re in Tahrir, this is for you:

@sallyzohney All females in #tahrir, pls share with me ANY harassment or assault, I am doing a report on this! very important!!

No matter where you are, here is an important article by @Rouelshimi about the current state of street harassment/sexual harassment in Tahrir Square and why this is NOT okay.  An excerpt:

“In Egypt, sexual harassment has been an issue for quite sometime. Women can’t walk down the street without being harassed whether verbally, physically or just by inappropriate looks….

So yes it has been a problem. Today though, was out of the ordinary; even for a huge Friday protest. More than one girl I’ve spoken to personally today has had horrible (and multiple) sexual harassment experiences. Not to mention the amount of complaints on twitter just from today. Personally, I had a very negative experience with harassment today with much groping and verbal abuse.

So this got me thinking; why today? The square is different this time around. There is much more tension in the air. Sadness over the lost and injured. Giving food and supplies became more of a business; even if there is still a big dependence on donations and sharing. Anger from SCAF’s brutality. All of this with hope and faith in a bright future.

So why today? Today, there was also a pro-scaf rally in Abbasiya square reported at about 15,000 people participating. There was also a ceasefire with the police, after the army built a concrete wall (oh the irony!) between the protesters and the police following 5 days of fighting and breaking of ceasefires from both sides. Today was also the day that had the most sexual harassment. It got so far that Media rights group Reporters Without Borders advised media outlets to stop sending female reporters to Tahrir Square, in light of continued reports of sexual violence against female reporters covering unrest in the square.

And why are there so many cases with this intensity today? Is it because of the amount of people there? Or maybe even army or police insiders in the square trying to make women uncomfortable? Is it because it was full of people who were not there for the protests, but are just going to Tahrir because its cool? I’m not sure. But something definitely was up and we need to fight it.

If women are being chased away from the square after terrible experiences, and if fathers and husbands start making their daughters and wives stop going, it weakens us. It weakens our revolution and our cause. Stand up for sexual harassment, whether you are male or female. Don’t let it go unnoticed. Whether you are male or female. Speak up to it, make a scene. Lets deal with this whether through street justice or organised awareness and policing. Let’s keep the square safe for the women of the revolution.”

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83 Percent of Tel Aviv women experience street harassment

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Tel Aviv - from Wiki Travel

A new study of women in Tel Aviv found that 83 percent had faced street harassment, adding to the growing number of studies that show that at least 80 percent of women worldwide experience street harassment sometime in their life.

Here are some of the fascinating findings, via Haaretz.com:

“Before various forms of harassment were described to them, 45% of the women surveyed reported being harassed by a man in the public sphere. However, when they were asked directly about whistling, knowing looks and suggestive remarks, the number almost doubled and reached the 83% finding regarding women attesting to having been sexually harassed. According to researchers who carried out the survey, the numbers suggests that some acts of harassment are not thought of as such by women in the city.

The group reporting the highest incidence of harassment included women aged 22-39. The most common forms of harassment are whistling in the street (64% of all respondents reported experiencing this ), cars beeping horns (61% ), knowing looks (45% ), suggestive remarks (40% ), inappropriate proposals (22% ), touching (21% ) and stalking (18% ). Also, 6% of respondents reported that they were victims of sexual abuse.

The most frequent venue for harassment is the street. 96% of women who report being harassed refer to harassment experienced on the street. 45% say they were sexually harassed on public transport; 30% on the beach; 20% in a park or public garden; and 19% in an open market area.

95% of respondents who report being harassed say the harassment occurred at least one time during daytime hours, and 64% reported incidents occurring after dark.”

The survey was sponsored by the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality’s committee for advancing the status of women, with help from shelters for survivors of sexual assault and the Shatil organization.

This is my favorite paragraph of the news story:

“Tamar Zandberg, chairperson of the Tel Aviv Municipality committee for the status of women and municipality council member, says that these survey findings are disturbing, but also not surprising. “We deliberately checked the topic of harassment on the street; up to now, this form of harassment has not been considered serious. As in any campaign, the first step is to learn all the facts, and see what picture they create,” she explains. “The big picture here is clear – the street is neither safe, pleasant nor comfortable for women. The days when this could be ignored are over,” Zandberg declared.”

This is wonderful. This is what every country, every city, every community needs to do. Start talking about street harassment, survey women on the topic, and stop ignoring the fact that this happens to most women and that we don’t like it, even if we haven’t yet thought of it as sexual harassment/street harassment.

Way to go, Tel Aviv Municipality committee for the status of women, for bringing this issue to light in your community.

 

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Way to go Togo’s

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I wish I was in California right now so I could buy a sandwich at Togo’s.

This evening, the marketing project manager for this California restaurant chain sent me the following email:

“I am writing with regard to your post regarding Togo’s TV commercial on the Stop Street Harassment site. It was never our intent to trivialize sexual harassment. We appreciate your dedication to  stopping harassment of women and want you to know that the ad is no longer running.”

Thank you, Togo’s, for taking our complaints seriously when we contacted you about how your new television ad trivialized the problem of men who flash women on the streets, a form of street harassment. Other companies can learn from your prompt response to customer concerns.

A special thanks goes to California resident Dr. Wendy Stock for her guest blog post about the ad and the information she provided on how to contact Togo’s after she saw the ad on television. This evening, Dr. Stock wrote to me saying, “This is a victory, and an example of the importance and efficacy of speaking out against sexual harassment and sexually degrading media.”

Absolutely, and as Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world,” one small change at a time.

Thanks again, Togo’s!

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Snapshot of Street Harassment Stories, News, & Tweets: November 20, 2011

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

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

Street Harassment Stories:

Share your story! You can read new street harassment stories on the Web from the past week at:

Stop Street Harassment Blog

HarassMap Egypt

Resist Harassment Lebanon

Many of the Hollaback sites

Activism Alert:

* Contact Togo’s sandwich shop to tell them their new ad trivializing street harassment is not okay!

* If you’re in Mumbia, participate in the Stop Harassing Me campaign (ends Nov. 21)

* Watch the new anti-street harassment video from The Adventures of Salwa folks and download their guide for fighting all forms of sexual harassment

In the News, on the Blogs:

* Good Men Project, “6 Ways to Help Your Daughter Deal With Sex-Based Harassment on the Street and In School” & syndicated: AlterNet.org, “6 Ways to Teach Girls How to Deal With Idiots That Sexually Harass Them on the Street“

* Jezebel, “Police Searching For Bronx Man Who Groped Six Women In Six Hours“

* Rooted in Being, “Street Harassment“

* Youth Change Global, “Egyptian women fight sexual harassment“

* Human Rights First, “Women Carving Out New Role in Egypt“

* Occupy Patriarchy, “Women Have The RIGHT To Occupy (W)all Street(s) Without Fear“

* The Times of India, “Girl assaulted, father loses his life“

* In These Times, “The Girl’s Guide to Staying Safe Online“

* Elucidated Perspectives, “Street Harassment: On taking my Power back“

* Gossip-Monthly, “Scousewives star Elissa Corrigan: Girl About Town Shouting at women in the street is not acceptable!“

* The Times of India, “Victims’ families to rally support for Zero Tolerance“

Announcements:

New:

* You can purchase the Stop Street Harassment book for 50% off right now!

Reminders:

* Sign the Zero Tolerance Campaign’s petition calling for stronger enforcement of laws banning street sexual harassment in India.

* Contact the California sandwich chain Togo’s and tell them that trivializing street harassment in their television ad is NOT okay.

* Street harassment is not okay: Watch a new 2 minutes cartoon about street harassment

* Sign the petition to tell Toronto Police to stop blaming victims for street harassment and sexual assault!!

* Contribute to the Monday “Street Respect” series that highlights the type of stories we want to see instead of street harassment stories!

10 Tweets from the Week:

1. Ssebaye7 #EndSH My harrasser today kept on saying sorry while running away..THEY R ALL COWARDS..وعلى فكرة ماكنش بدقن #Nov18

2. rickileek #streetharassment drunk dude in elevator put arm around me, pissed when I shove him and say NOPE. xcuse me, YOU violated MY personal space.

3. maps4aid Any Activists/NGOs Fighting #StreetHarassment in Delhi? Like to team up with maps4aid 4 Delhi – Stop Harassing Me! Online Reporting Site?

4. Taniaaaaa Reporting a street sexual harassment incident. (@ NYPD 115th Precinct) 4sq.com/sJLQDV

5. Salencita Oh street harassment. It’s been two whole days since I’ve seen you.

6. FeministGriote What will it take for us to take sexual harassment & sexual abuse against women/ children seriously in this society?!

7. maps4aid Today- Drunk youths molest girls going to school and flee, angry locals set liquor shop on fire. maps4aid.com/reports/view/6… #StreetHarassment

8. aliciasanchez just got a dose of #streetharassment at the colubia heights metro @hollabackdc. but the guy handing out express papers, tristan was an ally!

9. HadeelG Being at the street after mid night does NOT mean am a prostitute #endsh #egypt

10. hkearl “Stares”: Spoken Word by Philly Youth Poetry Movement Members stopstreetharassment.org/2011/11/stares/ #streetharassment

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