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New Survey: Harassment on Transit in Washington, DC

April 12, 2016 By HKearl

Today for International Anti-Street Harassment Week, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS) and Stop Street Harassment released the results of the first-ever survey on the Metro system. This is the biggest study of its kind for any transit system in the United States.

In the 1,000 person-regionally representative survey conducted in January 2016 by Shugoll Research, 21 percent of riders in the Washington, DC area had experienced some form of sexual harassment, with verbal harassment being the most common form. Women were three times more likely than men to experience sexual harassment.

In positive news, 41 percent of the riders were familiar with the latest anti-harassment campaign and those who were familiar with it were twice as likely to report their experiences of harassment. Based on the findings, WMATA, CASS and SSH are currently working on a new awareness campaign that will be released in a few weeks.

Today, during evening rush hour, we’ll be handing out materials about harassment and how to report it at five Metro stations.

Metro Center
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Tenleytown-AU
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Shaw–Howard U
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Takoma
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Clarendon
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

WMATA, CASS and SSH have collaborated for four years on an anti-harassment campaign that has included station-wide awareness posters, an online reporting form, the training of employees, and outreach days at Metro stations. All of these efforts set the tone that sexual harassment is unacceptable and is taken seriously.

Man in his 40s Harasses 9- and 11-Year-Old Girls

April 9, 2016 By Contributor

When I was 12 years old, I was walking down to the beach with my cousin who was 9 years old at the time. We were both wearing shorts with a bikini top on because we were going swimming. On our way down to the beach a man that looked around 45 whistled at us and kept on staring at me and my cousin.

At the time I only ever heard stories about cat calls and never had it done to me. When it happened, I got really scared my stomach felt like it dropped to my feet. Then my cousin asked why he whistled at us. I didn’t know what to say so I just said, “It was to someone else not us”.

That was a lie, but I didn’t want her to feel bad about what she was wearing and blame herself for that happening. I told her to not talk about it ever again. I never told anyone because I was embarrassed and felt like it was my fault for wearing shorts and a bikini.

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

I think one way to make public places feel safer would be that if you ever see anyone being cat called, make sure you let them know to not blame them-self. If you blame yourself you get an awful feeling inside that never goes away. Catcalling and harassment are NOT a compliment.

– MA

Location: Hastings, Oshawa, Canada, at a cottage

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea.

NPR Looks at Street Harassment Globally and Locally

April 9, 2016 By HKearl

What’s street harassment like around the world?

This was a question that Malaka Gharib at NPR wanted to have answered after she experienced street harassment first-hand in Egypt and the USA. I connected her to women I’d worked with, from Afghanistan to Japan, from Nepal to South Africa, and they shared their stories with her. She also kindly interviewed me and gave a shoutout to International Anti-Street Harassment Week.

The article went online on Wednesday. Here’s one story example:

India: “A growing trend is pictures being taken on mobile phones”

Women and girls are constantly stared at, groped in crowded spaces and on public transportation, catcalled, whistled and commented on regularly. A growing trend is pictures being taken on mobile phones without permission by strangers. Women and girls, through experience, either avoid certain areas, do not stay out late, limit their movements in public or wear loose clothing.

Public spaces should be safe and accessible to all, especially women and girls. It is crucial and essential if we want them to fully participate in society and the economy. If not, then choices and movements are restricted — and that in turn has a negative impact on society.

ElsaMarie D’Silva, 42, founder and managing director of Safecity

The article led to over 1000 comments to the article, on Facebook, on Twitter, and today, there’s a follow-up story highlighting some of the stories shared, from Canada to Italy to Switzerland. For example:

Switzerland: “He pushed me up against a wall”

I was 14 in Endingen, Switzerland. I was walking to school when a man working on street construction grabbed me. His friends and colleagues immediately surrounded us, laughing. He pushed me up against a wall, felt me up and tried to pin me for a kiss. The men pressed closer. I got away. I told people. I told my parents. Nobody did anything. It was kind of funny, they said, and boys will be boys. — Stephanie Nakhleh via Facebook

The amazing Noorjahan Akbar, founder of Free Women Writers, and I joined Malaka and other NPR staff in studios on Wednesday to create a Snapchat video too.

I’m so grateful to Malaka and her team for providing space for women’s stories on the huge and respected platform of NPR.

Related, the Kojo Nnamdi Show had a segment on street harassment on Monday, featuring Jessica Raven Executive Director, Collective Action for Safe Spaces, Arthur Espinoza, Jr. Executive Director, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and Brianne Nadeau Member, D.C. Council (D-Ward 1). YES!!!

100% of Women in Buenos Aires have Experienced Street Harassment

April 9, 2016 By HKearl

International Anti-Street Harassment Week officially kicks off tomorrow, but the global activism is already starting…!!

Last year, there was legislation passed in Argentina to designate an annual day against street harassment, to coincide around the time of International Anti-Street Harassment Week.

The day was yesterday and The Movement of Women of the Motherland of Latin American released a new study showing 100% of women in the City of Buenos Aires have experienced street harassment. The full survey results are available in Spanish. They include the following:

“Half the participants reported being subjected to sexually explicit comments, 59 percent reported obscene gestures, 47 percent had been followed by a man and 37 percent reported having a man’s genitalia exposed to them unasked…

87 percent reported avoiding dark or deserted streets, 63 percent won’t walk in certain areas unaccompanied and 51 percent dress in a manner that ‘doesn’t attract attention.'”

The survey is part of larger campaign launched by MuMaLá called #ParemosElAcosoCallejero (#StopStreetHarassment).

The campaigners have an up-hill battle as the country’s President once said, “All women like to be told compliments, even if if it’s something something rude like, ‘What a cute ass you have’… it’s all good,” but documenting the problem and showing the negative affects it can have is an important way to start changing public opinion.

“With or without a shirt, street harassment in San Francisco is a frightening”

April 8, 2016 By Contributor

It’s legal for both men and women to be topless in San Francisco. On the rare occasion that I exercise this freedom by myself, I am met by hoards of street harassers, slut shamers, and “well-intended” warnings about how much exposed skin warrants me being raped.

In the middle of the day as I was walking home, a man followed me very closely for 5 blocks. I told him to go away, but he kept following me. I slowed down my pace. I sped up my pace. He matched it. I started recording him. Finally I decided I had no choice but to stop and scream. When I stopped in my tracks, he backed away, circled me grinning, and finally left.

With or without a shirt, street harassment in San Francisco is a frightening, day to day reality for women. But I won’t let a few slut shamers and street harassers keep my flat chest from taking in the rare San Francisco sun.

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

Encourage women to report and record harassers.

– Chelsea Ducote

Location: San Francisco, CA

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea.

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