Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

India: Board the Bus for Women’s Safety This Week!

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In Delhi, India, this week the global human rights organization Breakthrough launched a Board the Bus campaign, which runs through March 8, International Women’s Day. They want women to know that they have the right to occupy public places and suggest that having more women in public places can help reduce harassment.

“We’re calling on women who don’t normally take the bus to board the bus with us,” Digital Media Strategist Radhika Takru says. “We’re telling women who take the bus regularly that they don’t have to go it alone. If everyone goes together, there is a very real chance we can make the bus – or any public space – safer.”

The Board the Bus website encourages people to ride the bus to “get people thinking, talking, and acting,” and to “Take back the space that was always yours.” Participants can Tweet about their experiences with the hashtag #BoardtheBus and share a photo of their ride.

If you live in Delhi, consider joining the campaign and boarding a bus. On the last day of the campaign, March 8, join hundreds of women at 4 p.m. at Connaught Place Bus Stop. Help make those spaces safer through your presence and, as necessary, bystander intervention.

If you’re not in Delhi, you can help spread the word about the campaign to those who are, and you can participate by traveling through Delhi on your own virtual bus.

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Video: S T F U! (Anti-catcalling Anthem)

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One of the best things about Twitter is that it makes it easy to connect with people speaking out against street harassment, like musician Damian Washington. He recently wrote a great song about street harassment, S T F U! (Anti-catcalling Anthem). Lyrics are found at the bottom of the post.

When we moved to e-mail, I asked him what inspired the song. He said:

“I’ve been making hip hop music for over a decade and one day my wife, who has inspired many of my songs, said I should pen a tune about street harassment.  I was up to the challenge of making something that covered as much of the issue as possible within three minutes that didn’t pull any punches, yet wasn’t overwhelmingly negative.  Just as black people didn’t get rights until white people got involved, nor gay people without the help of straight people, women need men to actively participate in the struggle for gender equality.

It’s been great seeing the conversation the song has started among my friends on social media and, ultimately, the song and video serve to expand the dialogue on what is socially acceptable and aims to contribute to the evolution of gender dynamics.”

Thank you, Damian! We do need men like you to speak out and create a culture where street harassment is unacceptable.

Learn more about Damian and his work:

Damian attended the LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts (the school depicted in the movie Fame) while doing some theater, voiceovers and commercials along the way. After getting a B.A. in Theater and Eastern Asian Religions from Middlebury College, and acting for a few years in New York City, he moved to Los Angeles.  He continues to perform in commercials and is working toward television and film appearances.  www.damianwashington.com

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LYRICS:

this type of story happens every day
men think they macks but they just harass
think it’s clever or make her day a little better
but for real she’s fed up and wish you’d shut up
it pours when it rains the commentary range
from ‘hey, pretty lady’ to straight profane
with the only confidence they only givin’ complements
but how you gonna pull a woman talkin’ that nonsense?
like “lemmie them numbers to dial”
“You put the U in beautiful, girl, you should smile”
“Got cake for days, Ma.  Nice legs!”
“You serve up fries to go with all that shake?”
every day rain or shine cold or hot
the tale of any female soon as she step on the block
think this don’t apply to you, Smooth, let me explain ya
your is words like candy
can’t take ’em from strangers

way too deep for just a song
when you holla in the street you’re wrong
be a man and understand
she give a damn what you think, dude
s.t.f.u!
just tryin’ to get to work, jerk!
s.t.f.u!!
just tryin’ to get home, homles
s.t.f.u!!
who me? yes, you!
ya heard? f.u.
just do the world a favor, man,
s.t.f.u

the peanut gallery pushes women to the brink
it’s harassment, G, no matter what you think
and when she say that much some quick to flip the script
like “Whatever, you ain’t that fly no way, bitch”
whoa, that was your boo just seconds ago
oh, your feelings hurt so a tantrum ya throw?
just told ya, Casanova, it’s disrespectful and gross
and if she had her way today would stick your head on a post
and hang it at the town gate to show the fate
of all misogynists and type preposterous when folks say
“don’t want attention wear, girl, something different”
the whole point you missin’ and blaming the victim!
she stays safe with a swift pace movin’ in silence
don’t know who’s being rude or who could be violent
put cats on blast to make this crap the past
all men ain’t gentlemen but do better than that
for real

way too deep for just a song
when you holla in the street you’re wrong
be a man and understand
she give a damn what you think, dude
s.t.f.u!
just tryin’ to get to work, jerk!
s.t.f.u!!
just tryin’ to get home, homles
s.t.f.u!!
who me? yes you!
ya heard? f.u.
For real, c’mon, son, S.T.F.U.

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“I will now constantly be wary of this black truck”

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As I was parking and about to walk up to my home, a neighbor (I assume) was pulling out of their driveway. I noticed that they stopped the car for longer than normal and immediately felt the all-too-familiar tensing up right before a potential harassment situation, and quickly moved to get my things out of my car and go inside. Of course, they pulled up and yelled, “Hey baby” out of their black truck at me and honked. I ignored them entirely and went into my house as they drove off.

I’m still a bit shaken but mostly very angry that I can’t even navigate my own neighborhood without this sort of treatment. I will now constantly be wary of this black truck and whoever lives in that house.

– Anonymous

Location: Charlotte, North Carolina

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Digest of Street Harassment News: March 3, 2014

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** 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

Bijoya in Bangladesh

Collective Action for Safe Spaces

Everyday Sexism

HarassMap in Egypt

The Hollaback Sites

Ramallah Street Watch in Palestine

Resist Harassment in Lebanon

Safe City India

Safe Streets in Yemen

Street Harassment in South Africa

Street Harassment in the News, on the Blogs:

* New Age Online, “Metro cop accused of harassment“

* New York Times Blog, “Share Your Stories of Street Harassment in New York City“

* Telegraph, “Stop telling women to ‘smile’: New York street art says it how it is“

* Frontier Post, “India’s incessant Pak bashing“

* AsiaOne, “HK survey: 1 in 3 air stewardesses sexually harassed last year“

* Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Services, “Ignoring the reality of street harassment“

* Business Standard, “Women eve-teased, three family members injured“

* Emirates 24/7, “Kangana on a mission: Talks rape, eve teasing and gender bias“

* New Indian Express, “Mint Area Tense After Eve Teasing Row“

* Philadelphia Magazine, “In Philly, in the Dead of Winter, Men Will Still Catcall You“

* Daily Nexus, “Take Back the Night Begins Week-Long Campaign“

* Philly.com, “Those catcalls aren’t cute. They’re harassment“

* The Guardian, “Women should not accept street harassment as ‘just a compliment’“

* Fusion, “Fighting Street-Harassment with Art“

Announcements:

Reminders:

* Stop Street Harassment is moving forward with the national street harassment study but we still need to raise a bit more money to cover the costs of producing the report. Please consider donating $10 or more to make this happen.

* If your group, organization, or campus plans to participate in International Anti-Street Harassment Week, please contact Holly (hkearl @ stopstreetharassment.org) and we can add you to the list of participating co-sponsors.

10 Tweets from the Week:

* @vampishly: street harassment is my number one reason for not wanting to go outside :/

* @reemelhussainy: Street harassment is no more about compliments than rape is about sex.

* @bikemamadelphia:@katebikemom @StopStHarassmnt my friend was recounting why she stopped riding so much. Guy slapped her ass from car in center city

* @bonesauce94: Day 7254 of being a girl: I discover that applying even the dullest of Chapstick is somehow erotic, and a warrant for catcalls. Fascinating

* @MonaBassel: 15 year old boy verbally harassed so I shouted and told him to come so he ran, slipped, and fell. Goes to show how harassers are cowards! #EndSH

* @anniebiggins: It must be spring. Outside for 4 minutes and already enjoying some fantastic street harassment!!!

* @Vidyut: Speak with 1o maids in your area. Ask them what is the most difficult about being a woman in India. Count how many say street harassment.

* @scarriewhite: nothing like starting by day by getting disgusting catcalls yelled at me in my walk to the subway

* @tangomangooo: someone pls explain to me why I can’t go anywhere without hearing catcalls or being whistled at

* @KHolmMN: Yo dudebros. You do realize that catcalling (esp. during the middle of the night on city streets) is generally terrifying and won’t work?

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Chile Combats Harassment

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By Kendra Corbin, SSH Intern

Prior to becoming involved with Stop Street Harassment, I was under the impression that harassment on and off the streets was an isolated issue that took place in the United States. I now have a global perspective as it relates to street harassment. This disheartening issue impacts the lives of women and girls around the globe. Recently, I had the privilege to reach out to a new group dedicated to fighting street harassment in Chile. The Observatorio Contra el Acoso Callejero Chile (OCACC) was gracious enough to consent to answering a few of Stop Street Harassment’s questions in order to spread the word to our global readers.

SSH: Can you briefly describe OCACC?

OCACC: OCAC Chile is the first non-profit organization in the country aimed at stopping street harassment. Our main objective is to raise awareness and understanding about this issue, so that it can be clearly understood as a form of gender-based violence. We intend to achieve this through cultural and educational activities.

SSH: What does your organization hope to accomplish?

OCACC: Our long-term goal is to create legislation to end street harassment. However, we first need to help society understand what constitutes street harassment, and that this is a form of gender-based violence. We want to promote social reform not only through new legislation, but at a cultural level.

SSH: What kind of feedback has OCACC encountered from society?

OCACC: Since we started back in November, we have received a tremendous amount of support and encouragement, particularly once we were featured on several media outlets. So much so, that our current activities run solely through the support and goodwill of our adherents. At the moment we don’t have any kind of financial backing, so the contribution from our supporters cannot be understated; they keep us motivated to push harder than before.

It all started with the idea of providing a space through which to bring consciousness about street harassment, to help people understand that this is a social problem that needs to be reformed. Initially we did photo shoots and posted anonymous stories from women willing to tell us about the harassment they suffered. As we garnered support, psychologists, lawyers, artists, illustrators, musicians and others willing to help us joined our cause, which has allowed us to expand the scope and reach of our activities.

SSH: In what ways do you feel society allows continued violence against women, including street harassment?

OCACC: Just as in most of South America, there is much to be desired in the way that Chile has managed gender equality policies. As a country we have a very limited view as to what constitutes gender-based violence: femicide, rape, and domestic violence are the commonly accepted interpretations. Chilean society as a whole has been unable to take accountability for many of the forms of gender-based violence that exist to this day, since this severely restricted perspective has allowed many other facets of this type of violence to remain unchallenged. Our country promotes a sexist culture, from our media (TV, radios, newspapers and publicities) down to our education system, which is why it’s hardly surprising that so many different aspects of gender inequality and violence remain unquestioned to this day. About a month ago we were invited to talk about street harassment on several media outlets, and even though it allowed us to introduce this topic to the public eye – to promote the idea that women were in fact not fond of being harassed out on the streets – it was disheartening to engage with many interviewers, most of whom showed a complete lack of understanding and maturity when discussing this topic.

This type of violence keeps recurring because we are not yet capable of recognizing the many facets of gender-based violence. In Chile, street calling – as well as making out-of-place comments – is seen as cultural heritage, and we must challenge this perspective to bring to light the fact that women do not want to suffer and be subject to this type of treatment. That we as a society can change.

SSH: Can you offer any advice to men about how to approach women in a healthy, safe manner?

OCACC: It’s important to note that street harassment is not a way to approach a woman (such as when cat-calling or making clearly lewd comments). There is no desire in the harasser to establish any type of relationship with a woman; a man that does this is doing so with a specific intent to exert violence through a socially accepted ritual. Men who want to approach women with an honest intention have nothing to worry about – flirting and harassing are not the same. We sincerely believe that men and women are capable of creating beautiful and healthy relationships with each other if they both have respect and consent from each other.

Kendra Corbin is senior at Shenandoah University. She is majoring in Mass Communications and minoring in Women’s Studies.

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