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Ladies only at all times

April 27, 2010 By HKearl

Malaysia is launching “ladies-only” cars on the KTM Komuter train for the Sentul-Port Klang route. Naturally there are pink stickers and banners to designate the cars as ones that are “Ladies only at all times.” And unsurprisingly, this new initiative is in response to men sexually harassing women on the train.

Segregation on public transportation is not a novel idea. In fact it’s becoming a worn out one. Let’s place the blame and the action on the perpetrators, not the women who are the targets! So here are some novel ideas, brought to you by me, off of the top of my head:

Bar men who harass women from riding the trains.
Give men who harass women citations and make them sit in men-wh0-harass-women cars.
Give all women who ride the train mace to use on men who harass them.

In all seriousness though, check out the subway anti-sexual harassment campaigns occurring in Chicago, NYC, and Boston, which do not place the blame or the onus to avoid harassment on women. Let’s have more of that!

Weekly Round Up April 11, 2010

April 11, 2010 By HKearl

Stories:

I accept street harassment submissions from anywhere in the world. Share your story!

On this blog, a woman in Australia shared her first street harassment experience as a 14 years old, a woman in Ontario is told by a man that he wants to be her bicycle seat, a woman in Washington, DC, shared three street harassment stories that occurred during her commutes, a woman in NYC said men in her neighborhood often harass women and like to humiliate them, and another woman in NYC listed all the ways she is typically harassed in a week (hint: it’s a depressingly large amount).
On HollaBackNYC, a woman shared how she was harassed a lot while wearing shorts and decided not to wear them anymore but then realized the harassers had the problem – not her, and another woman wrote about how a man harassed and followed her on the subway and so she reported it to the police (who were helpful).
On HollaBackDC! a man grabbed the butt of a woman when she was unlocking her bicycle, a bystander witnessed a group of men harassing a woman in a metro station and shares advice for intervening, a man stopped a woman to tell her she was beautiful, then hugged and kissed her, and another woman told a harasser to shut up after he “complimented” her.

In the News:

“Women fend off sexual attacks downtown” in San Diego
“Sexual Harassment in Egypt“
“Harassment on the Tracks May be on the Rise” (in NYC – HollaBack NYC and RightRides are featured)

Announcements:

Check out the new Stop Street Harassment YouTube Channel
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Here are 10 activism ideas for how you can raise awareness about this widespread problem and/or help raise funds for preventative programs and resources for survivors.
Take two street harassment surveys and help researchers studying this problem.
The submission deadline for an anthology on Queering Sexual Violence is extended until May 1, 2010.
The Safe Delhi Campaign is looking for volunteers and interns.
Blank Noise in India is looking for new logo submissions
If you’re interested in becoming a RightRides driving team volunteer, email volunteer@rightrides.org – orientations will be occuring throughout April.
Share why you “Holla Back” for the HollaBack NYC website.

Events:

If you’re in NYC, come to a Vagina Monologues fundraiser for RightRides
If you’re in the Washington, DC, area, HollaBack DC! is hosting or participating in several events across the next few weeks, check out the info on their site.
Sign up for Washington, DC, based Defend Yourself’s annual class on dealing with street harassers, being held on May 22.

Resource of the Week:

A new blog about harassment in Egypt

Weekly Round Up April 4, 2010

April 4, 2010 By HKearl

Stories:

I accept street harassment submissions from anywhere in the world. Share your story!

On this blog, a woman in Kentucky told how a man tried to walk with her and her friends, a man in Bavaria, Germany, calls a woman a “fat cow,” a woman in London shares three street harassment recollections, and a woman in Virginia tells how a man harassed her while she was running.
On HollaBack NYC a woman shares how a man masturbated at her on the R subway train and she reported him to the police and a male ally spotted a man harassing women walking by while wearing his work uniform so the male ally is going to report him to his company.
On HollaBack DC! a man harasses a woman while she waits for the light to change, another man progresses from catcalling a woman on the street to stalking her in a store, and another woman got an apology from a harasser when she told him she didn’t like what he was saying.
On HollaBack Toronto, a woman tells how a man followed her after work.

In the News:

Rape reports on the Washington, DC, metro system got “lost in the shuffle”
“The nightmare of sexual harassment in Egypt“
“In Mideast countries, women feel safer in ‘pink taxis’“
AAUW’s blog Dialog has a guest post from HollaBack DC! about the history of street harassment activism in Washington, DC

Announcements:

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Here are 10 activism ideas for how you can raise awareness about this widespread problem and/or help raise funds for preventative programs and resources for survivors.
Take two street harassment surveys and help researchers studying this problem.
The submission deadline for an anthology on Queering Sexual Violence is extended until May 1, 2010.
The Safe Delhi Campaign is looking for volunteers and interns.
Blank Noise in India is looking for new logo submissions
If you’re interested in becoming a RightRides driving team volunteer, email volunteer@rightrides.org – orientations will be occuring throughout April.
HollaBack NYC is looking for volunteers with various skill sets to help them take their work to the next level.
Share why you “Holla Back” for the HollaBack NYC website.

Events:

If you’re in the Washington, DC, area, HollaBack DC! is hosting or participating in several events across the next few weeks, check out the info on their site.
Sign up for Washington, DC, based Defend Yourself’s annual class on dealing with street harassers, being held on May 22.

Resource of the Week:

SAFER (Students Active for Ending Rape) for the amazing work they are doing to make campuses safe for everyone. They have resources for: college students, alumni, parents of college students, and faculty/staff. Check out their very informative blog, Change Happens.

Metro rape reports “got lost in the shuffle”

April 2, 2010 By HKearl

I take the Washington, DC, metro to and from work every weekday, so I have general and personal outrage over this report from the Washington Post:

“There have been four rapes on Metro property this year, up from one last year, but unlike assaults reported elsewhere in the Washington area, at least two of the crimes were not immediately made public.

Metro officials gave differing accounts of why the public was not informed about the crimes. Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato said on Tuesday that the police deliberately withheld information on two assaults that occurred in the parking garage of Largo Town Center in February as they searched for suspects. However, Peter Benjamin, chairman of Metro’s board of directors, said information on the attacks “got lost in the shuffle” during the February snowstorms.”

Once there is a report, how hard is it to notify the public so they can take necessary precautions/be aware of potential threats in that area?

HollaBack DC! just wrapped up Public Transit Awareness Month in March and they have more to say on this disappointing news story.

Welcome to 2006…or at least 2009, CNN

March 30, 2010 By HKearl

Warning – Possibly Triggering

On the CNN homepage is an article about the horrible Japanese video game RapeLay. In the game, players can grope girls on the subway and rape them in various locations. I covered this disgusting game twice last year, including linking to Equality Now’s call to action to write to various groups protesting the game. I also cover this game in my forthcoming book in the context of the outrageous problem of men groping women and teenage girls on the subway system in Japan.

I’m glad CNN is reporting on this issue because it’s a ridiculous, harmful game that should not even exist. But where were they last year when women’s groups and blogs were up in arms over it, or even better, in 2006 when it first came out? I get frustrated by how little or how late or how out of context (ie not addressing the context of misogyny and gender inequality these stories take place in) mainstream news tends to address egregious stories about men’s violence against women, usually taking place in real life, but also, as this story, shows, in virtual life.

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