Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Video: Mumbai Women Speak Out Against Street Harassment

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From Aditya Pillai via email:

“[This video is part of] a social campaign against Eve Teasing. That is where Indian men just stare at you on the streets, pass really lewd comments, molestation, even kidnap and rape.

It is a horrible experience and no women should have to go through it. It is a form of public sexual harassment of women and a real problem in the Indian sub continent. This kind of violence against the women in India just has to stop. This campaign needs a lot of international eyeballs for people to understand how serious the problem is India.

The campaign includes women from all over Mumbai speaking out against these men. The more people that see this the bigger the voice for women in India.”

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Help Fund Proposed Film “Turn Around”

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“One stalking man is enough to cause fear in a woman. But how many women are needed to cause fear in a man?”

This is a question that award-winning filmmaker Aćim Vasic, who is located in Paris, France, will address in his short film “Turn Around.”

He needs YOUR help to fund it. Visit his Indiegogo webpage to learn more about the film and to donate!!

“We’re making this film in order to raise the awareness about street harassment, that is a major issue across the world and affects many, many women. Many men don’t realize how it is to be a woman walking alone, especially in the night, turning around, feeling unsafe, the feeling of being hunted, listening to whistles and calls and hearing fallowing steps.”

“Turn Around” reflects on this problem in a metaphorical and hyperbolic way, trying to create awareness and consciousness in one man (the main character), and cause him to reconsider his attitude towards women as equal human beings and not sexual objects. And I hope that this film will help in creating this awareness in men all around the world.”

Hooray for male allies! I’m thrilled he’s not only taking on this issue but I appreciate how he wants to use his film-making talents to bring other men’s attention to this pervasive problem.

Again, if you can, please donate ($10 or more) to help him create this important film.

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EVAW’s efforts to make London the safest city for women in the world

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Will London become the safest city in the world for women?

Maybe!

This is the goal of the Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) Coalition in London and they’re working hard to make it happen.

And of course, the absence of street harassment and public sexual assault is a requirement for any safe city.

I recently chatted via skype with the EVAW director Holly Dustin and found out that they are working to address street harassment/harassment on public transportation and while these are relatively new issues for them, already they’re having a lot of success because it is such a big problem for women in London.

To gather data (we always need more research!!), they conducted a YouGov poll about harassment on the London public transportation system.

They write that the poll: “revealed that more than a quarter of women in London do not always feel safe while using public transport. Many survey respondents said they wanted action on station staffing, lighting and policing. Feeling unsafe puts many more women than men off using the buses and trains at certain times, or in certain places, and urgently needs addressing by the transport authorities and as such by the mayor. We received wide London media coverage for our findings which seemed to strike a chord.”

It even struck a chord with the candidates for Mayor of London. EVAW has successfully lobbied each one to pledge to improve women’s safety if elected, including by addressing sexual harassment and assault on public transportation. Here are the manifestos by candidates Siobhan Benita, Boris Johnson Ken Livingstone and Brian Paddick. Elections are this week.

This is the 10-point plan EVAW suggests the new Mayor will need to take on in order to make London the safest city for women.

Additionally, the 2012 Summer Olympics will be held in London and EVAW is working hard on a campaign to make sure the city IS safe for everyone during it.

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Afghanistan Videos: This is My City Too

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The Afghanistan-based organization Young Women for Change celebrates its one year anniversary this week! The young women who lead the organization continue to make street harassment one of their central issues of concern (read an article by co-founder Noorjahan Akbar about her harassment experiences). Below are two new videos they produced about street harassment, with English subtitles.

They’ve conducted a 4,000 person study about street harassment in Kabul and it will be released this summer at a press conference event. This is the largest study on the topic that’s ever been conducted. If you can, please donate a few dollars to them as the funds will enable them to print women’s stories and the survey results and then hand those out to attendees and people in the streets. Most Afghans do not have computers/Internet access so print materials is the best way for Young Women for Change to spread their message.

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Snapshot of street harassment stories, news, announcements & tweets: April 15, 2012

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By a student at Carelton College

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

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

Street Harassment Stories:

Share your story! You can read street harassment stories on the Web at:

Stop Street Harassment Blog

HarassMap in Egypt

Resist Harassment in Lebanon

Ramallah Street Watch in Palestine

Safe Streets in Yemen

Many of the Hollaback sites

In the News, on the Blogs:

* Awesome Women of Twitter, “Street harassment & racism“

* Knots & Crosses, “Sexual Harassment in Egypt, A Perfectionist Ideal?“

* Better off with Ken, “Ken unveils new measures to make Londoners safer in his crime manifesto“

* MSNBC, “‘Where is justice?’ Afghans march to protest violence against women“

* Julianabrit, “Manifesto To That Guy On the Street“

* Delicious Kaek, “Street harassment in Providence“

* NY Daily News, “Manhattan groper on the loose after 4 incidents, cops say“

* Empty Nest Expat, “Breaking the Silence on Street Harassment in Istanbul“

* The Blind Hem, “Hey Girl, Hey!“

* The world according to nouns (She’s a carnival), “Adventures in street harassment“

Activism Announcements:

New:

* Activists in London have successfully pressured Mayor of London candidate Ken Livingstone to propose a campaign against street harassment

* Check out Isobel Williams’ amazing design project to address street harassment

* Men in San Jose, California, share their bystander intervention retorts for when other men street harass women.

Reminders:

* If you’re in the New York City area, take this survey about harassment on public transportation.

* Gay and bisexual men, take this survey about street harassment (you can be in any location).

* The Adventures of Salwa campaign has a hotline for sexual harassment cases in Lebanon: 76-676862.

* In Bangalore, India, there is a helpline for street harassment 080 – 22943225 / 22864023

20 Tweets from the Week:

1. @utoledoUTURN Friend working @ mtn resort, followed by drunk tourist guys yelling I hope u have pepper spray–ur gonna need it. #streetharassment #endSH

2.@HollabackBXL #ThingsThatFrustrateMe being harassed 3 times in about 10 min in the centre of #Brussels #Bruxelles #Brussel. #endSH

3. @evaholland Street harassment levels in Yellowknife are at least 2x the already irritating Whitehorse volume. This is not an endearing trait in a city.

4. @chaneldubofsky on #facebook, someone suggests that the recipient of #street #harassment take it as compliment. head exploding. @StopStHarassmnt

5. @subculturestuff #realmendont catcall women in the streets. #streetharrassment

6. @GiuliaRozzi “Damn girl, if we got together I’d love the shit outta dat ass” – catcall/new urban marketing campaign for laxatives.

7. @jennepenne Tis the season where undergrads catcall women walking down the street with their kids.

8.  @gottofly I’m NOT a CAT, I dont respond to “hisst” or anyother catcall. If you’re NOT my kid dont call me MOMMA. Ladies want MEN, NOT DOGS, or KIDS.

9.  @TheNewAnnHirsch whats worse, men who catcall you on the street or men who r trying to sell u something on the street? both r SOO ANNOYING

10. @BoozyBlondBetch I don’t know why men in the city think it’s perfectly acceptable to #catcall women #ThingsThatFrustrateMe #AreYouKiddingMe

11.‏ @marlsgastrock Excuse me, do not catcall me on west mall to try and get me to join your organization.. Definitely WILL NOT work. #degrading #rude

12.  @clairesgould Alright, seriously DC? #Streetharassment twice in one day, on the same street?! #notok #ew

13. @hollabackWY On other side of the road, just saw three 10yo boys whistle and make meow noises at a 10yo girl. She looked mortified #streetharassment

14. @RapeCrisisSth Reflecting on hustings last night – why is the response to street harassment from all mayor candidates about surveillance? #ldnsafe4women

15. @t_wit99 #WhatWeTellGirls: laugh off street harassment & take it as a ‘compliment’. #IsThisReal?

16. @cockdestroyer Tips for avoiding street harassment: Travel by jetpack.

17. @_thejam_walk to turner field complete with street harassment, Oh Happy Day Mama

18. @DoYourWarDance FUCK STREET HARASSMENT. It was an EVERYDAY thing when I worked in the Regions Bank building, walking around downtown.

19. @PoppyCollinson Be nice to see this many police in central #Bristol on a weekend evening when we are basically just left to face the street harassment

20. @sarahmerra My beautiful day is getting ruined by street harassment. Men need to be taught that there are limits, and their intrusions permanently hurt.

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