Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Bulgaria: Running while female

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Diana Hinova, Sofia, Bulgaria, SSH Blog Correspondent

Sofia boasts several large parks: the South, West and North Parks (no joke on those names), Boris Gardens, and Hunting Park, for instance. For three weeks this autumn, the Runners’ Survey collected information from runners in Bulgaria about their perceptions of safety. The running community is growing here, thanks in part to initiatives like 5km Free Run which hosts organized runs every weekend in several Bulgarian cities. Running is a great, cheap activity that many people can rely on to keep in healthy shape – when the environment allows it. And since we seem to have the infrastructure, and the community, the Runners’ Survey aimed to investigate whether personal safety concerns prevent people from doing so.

Women runners cite personal safety much more often than men (22 percentage point difference) as a leading factor for the selection of where to run. For 12% of women runners this was the sole factor determining where to run (and for 5% of men runners), and not convenience to home or office, or safety from road traffic.

The forms of harassment described by the survey (since the general is not widely familiar in Bulgarian) included unwanted attention in the form of comments, whistling, gestures; attempts to touch; attempts by strangers to introduce themselves; a stranger following the runner; and physical assault. When asked specifically about instances of any of these forms of street harassment while running, 15% of men and 51% of women report having experienced it.

Logically, men runners use harassment avoidance strategies less frequently than women by orders of magnitude. Women runners most often rely on the selection of route and timing of their runs (31%) to avoid street harassment and other threats to their safety.  Another common strategy is running with a phone and headphones (22%), although the role of headphones in runners’ safety is interpreted differently by some respondents:

“When running in areas that seem dangerous (eg. Borisov Garden in the dark), I take my headphones off in order to react more quickly if needed.” (w)

“I don’t wear headphones and I scan the surroundings when running” (w)

“I typically run with some friends and don’t pay attention to others in the area. If alone, I would be hesitant to run in an area with no one around or in parks at nighttime, even if there is lighting.” (w)

Women runners also often change their clothing choices (18%) and to a lesser degree rely on group runs, or carry self-defense aids like pepper spray, to avoid street harassment and more serious safety threats. These themes and strategies echo the recent #RWsafety twitter chat, where (mainly US-based) runners shared their experiences, concerns, and hope for change. An additional concern specific to Bulgaria turned out to be the sizable stray dog population.

It is important to consider the effect street harassment, which disproportionately affects the choices of women runners (and potential runners), has on women’s ability to equitably use of public space for healthy activity.

The results of the Runners’ Survey will be communicated to Sofia municipal and local government, officials in the Ministry of Physical Education and Sport, and other interested parties. The full summary of the Runners’ Survey results, along with graphics, can be accessed via the One Billion Rising Sofia Facebook page in English and Bulgarian.

Diana has a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University and works as a consultant to INGOs. Follow her on Twitter @dialeidoscope or letnimletni.blogspot.com.

 

България: Да си тичаща жена

София се гордее с няколко големи парка: Южния, Западния и Северния, Борисовата Градина, Ловния Парк. тази есен за три седмици Анкета на тичащите събра информация от ентусиастите на бягане в България за усещането им за безопасност. Общността на тичащите се разраства, благодарение отчасти на инициативи като 5km Free Run, които организират безплатни седмични бягания в четири града. Tичането е страхотен, евтин начин за много хора да поддържат добро здравословно състояние – когато средата го позволява. Изглежда имаме инфраструктура за него, и изградена общност, за това Анкета на тичащите цели да разбере дали съображения за безопасност спират някой хора да се възползват от тази възможност.

Тичащите жени много по-често (22 процентни пункта) изтъкват личната си безопасност като водещ фактор при избора къде датичат от мъжете. За 12% от тичащите жени, това е единственият фактор определящ къде да тичат (и при 5% от тичащите мъже), а не удобство до дома и работата или безопасност от автомобилен трафик.

Формите на уличен тормоз описани в анкетата (тъй като цялостното понятие не е  твърде познато в България) включват нежелано внимание изразено чрез коментари, подсвирквания, жестове; опити за докосване; нежелени опити за запознанства; следване; и физическо нападение. Запитани дали са били обект на тези проявления, 15% от мъжете и 51% от жените споделят че са срещали уличен тормоз по време на тичане.

Тичащите мъже прилагат стратегии за предпазване от нежелано внимание в пъти по-рядко от жените. Тичащите жени най-често прилагат внимание при подбор на маршрут и час за тичане (31%) за да избегнат нежеланото внимание и други опасности. Друга често срещана стратегия е тичането с телефон и слушалки (22%), въпреки че ефекта от носенето на слушалки при тичане предизвиква противоречиви мнения:

“При минаване през места, които ми се виждат опасни (напр. Борисовата градина по тъмно), свалям слушалките,  за да реагирам бързо при нужда.” (ж)

“Не нося слушалки и се оглеждам докато бягам” (ж)

“Обикновенно тичам с компания и не обръщам внимание на околните. Ако съм сама бих се притеснила да тичам на обезлюдено място или в парковте особено на тъмно, дори и мястото да е осветено.” (ж)

Тичащите жени също често внимават в избора на облекло за тичане (18%) и в по-малак степен на тичането с придружител, или носене на защитни средства като спрей, за да избягват нежелано внимание и тормоз. Тези теми са паралели на дискусията в туитър #RWsafety, където тичащи жени (предимно от САЩ) споделиха свои преживявания, притеснения, и желания за промяна. Допълнителен фактор в безопасността на тичащите в България се оказват и бездомните кучета.

Важно е да си дадем сметка за ефекта, който нежеланото внимание оказва предимно върху жените, които тичат (или биха искали да тичат). Това е въпрос на равноправие да се ползват обществените пространства за лично здраве.

Пълно обобщение на резултатите: Анкета на тичащите 2014

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UK: 10 Hours of walking in NYC as a woman in Hijab

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Siel Devos, London, England, SSH Blog Correspondent

By now, everyone has seen the video of a woman walking around New York for 10 hours and getting harassed over a hundred times.

But did you also know there has been a response in the form of a video of a woman walking through New York wearing hijab? The first 5 hours she is shown walking without hijab, experiencing harassment similar to the original video. However for the next 5 hours, when she does wear the hijab and niqab, she is miraculously not subjected to harassment at all.

The video says “you be the judge” implying that it is obvious to see that the only way to be free from harassment is covering yourself up. Once again, women are shamed and blamed – by both men and women – for bringing harassment upon themselves, merely by what they are or are not wearing. Once again people fail to acknowledge the real issue that is street harassment: the ingrained idea of entitlement and power over women and the fact that harassment is so normalized in both Western and Middle Eastern culture.

Victim blaming happens often when addressing sexual crimes and harassment, and even more in the cultural and social context of Islamic societies where women are seen as sexual creatures who are to blame for inciting men’s sexual urges. The idea of modesty and the concept of honour and shame regarding women’s bodies as a means of protecting women does nothing to solve the problem, rather it reinforces rape culture by always putting the blame on them.

The underlying meaning of this ‘modesty’ is that “good” women are those who cover up and belong to a man, “bad” women don’t cover up which implies that they are available to all men. In other words, respect for women depends mostly on their way of dressing as expected and imposed by men. Victim blaming and slut-shaming are very close related when talking about harassment. The notion of the male gaze becomes crucial here, and I very much agree with what the (anonymous) blogger behind A Sober Second Look says about this:

“What we didn’t notice was that regardless of whether we were measuring ourselves against a more or a less restrictive check-list determining “proper hijab,” we were nonetheless forever measuring ourselves in terms of an imagined male gaze, which we had internalized. We told ourselves that this had nothing to do with the male gaze, because what we were concerned with ultimately was obeying God. But coincidentally enough, the gaze that those check-lists had in mind was the male gaze. According to those check-lists, a woman has to always be aware if her clothing is “too” tight, “too” bright, “too” short, “too” fashionable, “too” eye-catching, “too” insufficiently Muslim… mainly, in the judgment of men—the generations of male scholars who had debated and determined these matters, and the male leaders of our community—and to a lesser extent, of a censorious and judgmental community generally.”

Going back to the message of the hijab video, “you be the judge” which implies that the hijab functions as a kind of invisibility cloak that magically protects against harassment and the male gaze. Problem solved then? Not really. How do you explain that 99.3% of Egyptian women experience harassment, when the majority of them wears the hijab?

The Qur’an and Hadith suggest that both women and men dress modestly in order not to incite sexual urges (an inherent natural aspect of human beings, both men and women). Maybe men who are shaming women for not wearing the hijab and saying this is required by the Qur’an haven’t read the Qur’an properly, as in the same chapter it is recommended that men lower their gaze. Other chapters in the Qur’an encourage men to respect women and treat them kindly. So why are we not addressing this blatant violation of Islamic doctrine? When are we going to focus on changing men’s behaviour and attitude instead of simply blaming women’s appearance and modesty?

Siel is a master’s student in Middle Eastern studies with a major in contemporary Islam at SOAS University in London. Find her on twitter and instagram under @mademoisielle.

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“The first time I experienced street harassment I was 9”

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Over the last few weeks alone:

* A boy no older than 10 pulled my top down in a public park.
* An elderly man groped and verbally harassed me on the bus
* Men of varying ages have repeatedly leered at and catcalled me on the street (I am 16)
* When serving at the pub where I work upon occasion men have told me to ‘smile darling’, ‘show some more skin’ and ‘get back in the kitchen’ (I’m a waitress)

The first time I experienced street harassment I was 9, in a junior school uniform and it has not stopped since.

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

Educate men, there is a widespread culture that passes off any harassment towards women as ‘banter’, its not ‘banter’ it is a jail worthy offence.

– Anonymous

Location: Consett, Newcastle, UK

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

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“It’s horrible to be made to feel vulnerable when doing something perfectly normal”

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I was travelling for work in Basel, walking down the street in the evening looking for a suitable place to get dinner. For no particular reason that attracted several stares/ leers from the passing blokes. There does not seem to be many women on their own in this town. I was then followed down the street by a bloke hissing something at me under his breath. It scared me, I turned around and walked away as fast as I could, ignoring him. I saw another woman getting harassed by a different man on the way back. At home I might be tempted to say something but here in another language I don’t feel confident. It doesn’t help that every second shop window has sexy lingerie on display or there are lap-dancing bars on street corners. I’m a 40 year old professional woman and it’s horrible to be made to feel vulnerable when doing something perfectly normal.

– Anonymous

Location: Basel, Switzerland

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

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Suspect Charged in Spears’ Murder

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Trigger Warning!

Via Huffington Post

“A suspect has been charged in connection with the death of Mary “Unique” Spears, aDetroit woman shot to death after allegedly rejecting the man’s sexual advances.

Mark Dorch, 38, was charged with first degree murder and assault with intent to murder, among other charges. His trial is scheduled to begin February 9….

Though the circumstances that surround Spears’ death are not entirely clear, her story has been shared frequently online at a time when street harassment has been at the forefront of feminist conversations. It’s served as an extreme example of the danger women can face when they receive unwanted attention from men, and a powerful refutation of the argument that such harassment is harmless.

Writer, activist and social worker Feminista Jones began using the #YouOKSis hashtag on Twitter earlier this year in an effort to shine a light on black women’s experiences with street harassment and discuss solutions, namely non-confrontational intervention from bystanders. She told The Huffington Post that Spears’ tragic death also illuminates racial disparities in conversations about street harassment and its consequences.

“Often, black women and women of color are subjected to more harsh or harsher forms of street harassment,” Jones said. “I think that black womanhood has been devalued so much that we are more likely to be treated as property or as objects than maybe other woman, [though] that’s not to say that other women aren’t treated that way.”

Spears had a fiancé and three sons, ages 8, 4 and 1.

“I hope that her family finds some sort of reprieve from this tragic, tragic death that should never have happened,” Jones said. “No woman should lose her life because she declines a man’s advances.”

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