Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming
Check out @TheeKatsMeoww‘s video on street harassment.
“April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and too often the street harassment we encounter on a daily basis leads to dangerous outcomes like sexual assault. Why wait till something terrible happens to address the gravity of Street Harassment. I share my story of street harassment and encourage you to do the same.”
Alexandra Petri at the Washington Post created a very handy guide for street harassment (see the full guide). She advised, “Consult before you yell!” She also very kindly mentioned International Anti-Street Harassment Week!
Quick news hit, more on this later —
“According to TV5, a new disturbing study has revealed that the prevalence of sexual harassment isn’t only high, it can lead to paralyzing fear for women.
Researchers from The National Institute of Statistics and Economics Studies found that 25% of women aged 18-29 reported being scared when they walked on the streets. They also discovered that 1 in 5 women have suffered from verbal harassment on the street, and 1 in 10 said they had been kissed or carressed against their consent.”
Street harassment is a GLOBAL problem yet there are few studies proving it. I’m glad there is now a study in France documenting the problem. Here are some of the other studies that have been conducted on street harassment.
Donate to help SSH conduct a national study on street harassment in the USA.
Organized by Slutwalk, today is International Day Against Victim-Blaming 2013. When it comes to sexual violence, the attention should be on the perpetrators and on a society that fosters these crimes and lets people get away with them.
Survivors need our support & love, not blame and hate.
By: Erin McKelle, SSH Correspondent
Did you know that Stop Street Harassment’s founder Holly Kearl also founded International Anti-Street Harassment Week? It takes place every spring, this year from April 7-13, and is a time where you can work even MORE actively to stop street harassment. Its purpose is to raise awareness about street harassment through active engagement and amplification.
Anti-Street Harassment Week gives you the tools to do practically anything you want to commemorate this week.
Want to go to an event? On their website, they have listings of events taking place around the world. Conduct a survey on street harassment? They have tips to show you how. Not sure what you want to do? They have a whole page full of ideas from street theatre to poster campaigns to sidewalk chalk!
Participating can even be as easy as raising awareness about street harassment to your followers on Twitter or your friends on Facebook. It’s amazing how a little awareness and education can go a long, long way. If you are posting to twitter, use the tag #EndSHWeek or #EndSH ! On Facebook, you can also change your profile picture to an image related to ending street harassment which can be found here http://www.meetusonthestreet.org/tools/.
On the tools page, there is also a myriad of content you can use in your efforts during the week! There are blank fliers that you can use to write a message on, bystander posters, logos and even pre-made fliers you can give out.
You can also support Anti-Street Harassment Week by donating to the cause! It’s a great way to show your support and is always welcomed and appreciated!
Becoming a co-sponsor is another option. The only requirements are that you advertise Anti-Street Harassment Week to your networks and participate in the week! So far, there are 128 groups in 19 countries that are participating.
Here is where you can sign up to officially participate! Anti-Street Harassment Week is important for raising awareness and doing anything, big or small, to join in is a great way to be actively partake in this work. Empower yourself and others on the street and meet us on the street during Anti-Street Harassment Week!
For more information, please visit: http://www.meetusonthestreet.org
Erin is an e-activist and blogger based in Ohio. You can find more of her work here and here.