Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

We Chalk Walk!

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Via the new Hollaback! Brussels Tumblr We Chalk Walk:

“On March 25, 2012, Hollaback! Brussels pre-launched with a Chalk Walk.

We were only 4 then. We were strangers to each other. And Hollaback! brought us together.

We decided that if we were gonna go for this adventure, we had to get rid of all the breaks and do some sort of initiation together.

We each wrote down a story about the street harassment we experienced, mapped it and then went back to the place where it had happened, to reclaim the spot with chalk in our hands.

We called it a ‘Chalk Walk’ and it did something to us. It gave us an energy, a new strength. Doing this action, eliminated certain fears brought on by years of experiencing street harassment, it felt like we were reclaiming a freedom we imagined we had lost.

And then we thought, EVERYONE should experience this…

This March 2013, we’re letting the Chalk Walk loose upon the world! Let’s use this tumblr to connect, to show we have each other’s back with our chalk messages from around the world…..

Your Hollaback! Brussels team: Ingrid, Jo, Anna, Quentin, Julie & Angelika.“

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On March 8, #RingTheBell

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Our allies in Delhi, India, at Breakthrough invite you to take action one week from today! Sign up today.

“Be a part of the launch of Breakthrough’s campaign to #RingTheBell. Stand up against violence: ring the bell & ring it loud.

IT’S TIME TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

This International Women’s Day, Breakthrough is calling on men and boys around the world to take a stand against violence by making a concrete promise to act to end it.

With men as leaders and partners, we can build a world in which women are safe — and in which all of us live freely, fully, and without fear. One action adds up to one million; one million add up to change.

JOIN US from wherever you are on the 8th of March 2013 as Breakthrough launches Ring The Bell, with the world’s first ever Social Media Storm. From 6 PM to 9 PM we’re going to be talking, tweeting, texting and facebooking about the issues around the safety of women and girls, how we are responsible for them, and what we can do to end this.

Believe in making a difference. Make a promise and be a part of the change. Tell us how you plan to #ringthebell.

Tweet your promises @bell_bajao with the tag #RingTheBell
Post a promise to Facebook
Email your promise to ipromise@breakthrough.tv
Support our shared vision of a safer world for all.

Be a part of the storm on the 8th of March. #Ringthebell and ring it loud.”

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Baltimore City Health Dept. Meeting

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L to R: Corey Reidy, Mel Keller & Shawna Potter of Hollaback Bmore & Holly Kearl of Stop Street Harassment

Hollaback Bmore does great work to address street harassment in Baltimore, Maryland, from bringing attention to the harassment homeless people face to helping teenagers learn ways to deal with street harassment.

I was honored to join them today as they met with the Baltimore City Health Department to brainstorm ways they could work together to address street harassment in their city. Cross promoting and sharing resources is an immediate way they plan to work together and they may also collaborate on a video project and work toward making an anti-harassment public service announcement campaign a reality.

If you have contacts with local government, it doesn’t hurt to see if they would be interested in talking about street harassment and seeing how their department or entity can address it too. Since street harassment is so complex and touches so many people, chances are there is a logical way for the issue to be incorporated into the work they’re already doing.

Need advice or help on setting up a meeting or planning talking points? Contact me!

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Resources for Talking with Boys about Gender Violence

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Trigger Warning.

With the world still reeling from the brutal gang-rape and murder of the young woman in India by six men, and with the United States divided over the rape in Steubenville, Ohio, allegedly perpetrated by two high school football players and then laughed about by other male students, the time to talk to boys about being respectful and nonviolent is NOW.

In direct response to the Steubenville incident, Chris Menning, the Editor of ModernPrimate.com, created this passionate video about rape culture. He asks: “Is it possible that these boys didn’t question what they were doing because of the attitudes of their role models in school and society as a whole? Furthermore, can pre-emptively teaching them not to be creepy also teach them not to commit rape?”

I do think conversations about healthy masculinity and consent are important, as are conversations about entitlement (someone who is trying to look attractive isn’t necessarily doing it for YOU and if you see someone too drunk to talk coherently, it’s not your right to harm them) and how not to be a creeper. I also think the earlier adults have these conversations with boys the better.

Here are a just five examples of relevant programs and resources that parents, teachers, coaches, and other adults who work with youth or can be a good influence on them can use.

1. Men Can Stop Rape‘s youth development program, the Men of Strength Club, is the country’s premier primary violence prevention program for mobilizing young men to prevent sexual and dating violence.

2. The Futures Without Violence program Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM) provides men with a playbook/toolkit they can use to talk with boys about street harassment, domestic violence, and sexual violence.

3. The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)’s Parivartan program teaches boys in India about healthy masculinity, respect for girls/women, and anti-violence through the unifying sport of cricket.

4. Roger’s Park Young Women’s Action Team compiled their work on addressing gender violence with boys in the Where Our Boys At? A Toolkit for Engaging Young Men as Allies to End Violence.

5. Jake Winn, a Peace Corps volunteer and a youth development facilitator in northern Azerbaijan helped his male students make an Anti-Street Harassment video. The title, “Ay Gardash! Kishi Ol!”, can be translated to, ‘Hey man, be a gentleman!” He also developed a companion lesson plan:  Street Harassment Lesson Plan (English) | Street Harassment Lesson Plan (Azerbaijani)

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