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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“It was unwelcome behavior based on my race”

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I work at the university and free street parking is scarce, so I left early to find a parking spot close to my building. I found my preferred spot was taken by a white truck, a trailer and three men in yellow construction vests. I found a spot a few yards down which meant I had to walk past them.

As I approached I heard one of them grunt a greeting and instinctively turned to see who had spoken. Immediately after seeing my face the 1st man asked his coworker if I was a Native girl. The second man said no. She must be African American, they mulled it over before the 2nd man settled on Cuban. They said this all while I was feet away, obviously in earshot.

At first I wanted to brush it off, but by the time I was inside I was fuming. I was uncomfortable, confused, and angry. What gave them the right to talk about me like that?

All the insecurities and fears of being a women of color in public washed over me. I struggled with what to do next. It seemed like too small an incident to report or even talk about but I couldn’t let the experience go.

I decided to call my husband who went into action. He went and collected the license plate number and the company name, and spoke with the men. Turns out they are not allowed to speak with the public. He even took it a step further and called the employer. When I learned they would be around the university on a project for a while, I filed a police report.

I still don’t know if I responded correctly. I am not one to make waves, even when it means standing up for myself. I struggled to know if my experience met the definition of harassment. I was not hurt or threatened, just ignorant men talking about my race as if I were an object.

It took time to realize that yes, it was harassment. It was unwelcome behavior based on my race. I lost 2 hours of work productivity and the feeling of security coming to and from work and that is unacceptable.

I started thinking of everyone who has experienced harassment and those who will experience it, including my daughters. Suddenly it hurt too much to stay silent.

I know others may see what happened to me as no big deal, but I decided to send the message that harassment of any degree is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Optional: Do you have any suggestions for dealing with harassers and/or ending street harassment in general?

To end harassment we need to talk about it, write it down, share your story, and educate others. We need to support those who experience harassment by creating loving and supportive spaces where we can share and discuss our experiences. By opening up we will learn what harassment looks like in all its ugly forms. If we all know what constitutes harassment we can gain courage to step in and stop those behaviors.

– AJ

Location: Flagstaff, AZ

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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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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“I often hear racist, offensive comment on streets”

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As an Asian woman living in the Netherlands, I often hear racist, offensive comment on streets when I am walking by myself. It makes me very upset and angry. Today I actually chased the offenders and wanted to tell them to stop harassing minorities on street, but I was too angry to the point I would cry and attack them verbally, so I took deep breath and walked away.

What irritates me the most is they use offensive comment about Chinese people to me and I am Japanese! I mean at least insult me for who I am and where I come from! These over-generalizations based on one’s appearance is very hurtful and offensive. Each time these street racial harassment incidents happen, I tell myself that next time this happens, I will stay calm and confront them in civilized manner; tell them what they did is offensive and disrespectful, but I get too angry and lose the ability to deal with the situation calmly.

Also it does not help that it always catches me off-guard; it happens when I am just walking and minding my own business. I wish I knew what is the right procedure to deal with this situation; report to the police, file complaint to anti-discriminatory organization, give the offenders piece of my mind?

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

I hope people will be more aware that harassing people and insulting people on street is a serious offense. I hope it will be taken as seriously by police as giving parking tickets.

– M.L.

Location: Amsterdam city center, Haarlem station and city center

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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