Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Digest of Street Harassment News: Dec. 2, 2013

By

This is a bimonthly digest.

** 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

Name and Shame in Pakistan

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:

* Washington Post, “How should bicyclists handle harassment? D.C. area groups teach empowerment tactics“

* Mother Jones, “Meet the Woman Who Waged an Artistic War Against Her Street Harassers“

* Clutch Magazine, “#FastTailedGirls Hashtag Examines Stereotypes Facing Young Girls“

* Newsworks, “Photographer turns lens on Philadelphia street harassment“

* Women’s News Network, “EGYPT: Bike riders campaign works to stop sexual harassment of women“

 * The Jewish Daily Forward, “Who Harasses Women on the Street“

* PolicyMic, “Burt’s Bees Shouldn’t Joke About Street Harassment“

* The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, “Stand against street harassment“

* I Am Nirbhaya, “Bihar: Woman athlete assaulted for resisting harassment attempts“

* Prospect, “Sexism goes underground“

* Planetizen, “Tools to Protect Cyclists from Street Harassment“

* NYU Local, “Asking For It: NYU Local Explores Street Harassment“

Announcements:

New:

* We’re holding our holiday online auction Dec. 3-8. Check it out tomorrow!

* Our Safe Public Spaces Mentee in Cameroon, held a successful final event on Saturday with more than 20 youth.

* Our Safe Public Spaces Mentee in Chicago taped three dating commercial spoofs on street harassment.

* Holiday Shopping Guide Part 1

* We’re releasing our Know Your Rights Toolkit: Street Harassment and the Laws on Dec. 10 for International Human Rights Day.

* 5 Ways to Take Action during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence that runs Nov. 25 – Dec. 10.

* There’s a new UN report: Study on Ways and Methods to Eliminate Sexual Harassment in Egypt

Reminders:

* Donate to help fund the FIRST EVER national study on street harassment in the USA!

* Save the date — International Anti-Street Harassment Week is March 30 – April 5 in 2014!

* Read about the successful Philadelphia City Council Hearing on Street Harassment on Nov. 7!

* Buy a copy of the new book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers! Here’s how to hold a book club fundraiser for SSH

10 Tweets from the Week

* @Sabali89 I figured out why men making the first move is an automatic turnoff- PTSD from too much street harassment. Sorry fellas. I’ll initiate.

* @CSRA_prsn It’s the first day of the meteorological winter. That means it is prime street harassment season in the South. #endSH

* @mujer_cita_MIA i told a male friend that a man had shouted “lemme lick it” to me in the street & he didn’t believe me #streetharassment

* @msbrandiebrown First experience with #streetharassment as a 9 year old in The Dot, 40 year old dude drives up next to me. Licking his lips #fasttailedgirls

* ‏@DanTresOmi As men we can’t get mad at police when they harass us but give #streetharassment a pass – that’s hypocrisy

* @AwakeBlackWoman You’ve read the stories: 20, 30, 40+ years of dealing with street harassment, abuse, fending off creepers & rapists. But we #FastTailedGirls

* @AwkwardGirlLA Why is it that bc I’m wearing exercise clothes while riding my bike, men think its okay to yell at me from their car? Perv #streetharassment

* @ericadanielle89 Did I ask you if I had a cute ass? Then DON’T COMMENT ON IT. #streetharassment

* ‏@wtsnia nearly every morning these shitheads feel the need to catcall at most of the women who walk by. why. why are you doing this.

* @emmavoight walked back from other side of campus, had four black guys in a car smelling of weed catcall at me on telegraph, feels like home berkeley

Share

Harassment is a Barrier to Women’s Public Participation

By

The new report “‘It’s Dangerous to be the First’: Security Barriers to Women’s Public Participation in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen” includes a portion about street harassment. Here is an excerpt:

“In all three countries, women perceived harassment to be on the rise, becoming both more frequent and more serious….

In the face of growing insecurity – as power continues to be renegotiated throughout the Middle East and North Africa – women activists in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen have established a wide variety of grassroots initiatives to protect themselves and others against threats. Such initiatives have been coupled with powerful outreach and media campaigns at the local, national, and regional level to raise awareness of women’s security concerns.

In Egypt and Yemen a number of initiatives were formed to document accounts of sexual assaults and violence targeting women. Egyptian initiatives such as ‘Harassmap’ and ‘Shoft Taharosh’ (‘I Witnessed Harassment’) are based on the idea that documenting harassment through online and mobile technologies can help raise awareness. Using detailed maps of local incidents of harassment, volunteers talk to people on the streets about sexual harassment, challenge stereotypes and myths, and try to convince communities and the public generally to speak up and act against sexual harassment.

In Yemen several similar initiatives have developed, some of them explicitly modelled on Egyptian approaches, others reacting independently to similar problems. Such initiatives have combined with ‘citizen journalist’ footage of individual instances of harassment and assault. Through film-making and journalistic initiatives they make harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of violence against both men and women visible in novel ways. Mosireen, a video collective, for instance, are documenting violence against male and female protestors on video, acting as an archive and repository for such footage and producing short documentaries.

The combination of visual representations and awareness-raising around the prevalence of harassment with video footage of particularly shocking instances has begun to break down the prevailing attitudes of denial and excuses of harassment as harmless or natural and has been central to raising the profile of this issue and encouraging public debates about it.”

I have so much admiration for the women and men in these countries who are working hard to make sure all women and girls are safe in public places, including safe as they participate in political rallies and events. It takes a lot of bravery.

Share

Youth Event in Cameroon

By

Zoneziwoh Mbondgulo, founder of Women for a Change Cameroon and Stop Street Harassment’s Safe Public Spaces Mentee in Cameroon, held a successful final event today. More than 20 youth (boys and girls, including several youth with hearing impairment) came together to talk about gender-based violence, gender equality, and street harassment in their communities. They all wore orange as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

Zoneziwoh will write more about the event, but I wanted to post this quick note because I’m excited about how the event went and want to congratulate Zoneziwoh on her hard work!

 

Share

“Drawing as much attention as I can”

By

I wasn’t going to post originally but I guess reading other stories got me pretty angry.

I’ve had it a few times – to the shopkeeper casually calling me “sexy” whenever I go in for a redbull or whatever on the way to a lecture, to the builder “pssssshting” me when I walked past, again, on the way to University.

Those are nothing compared to past experiences which I’ll relate now.

There are three, maybe four experiences which really scared me, and still do when I remember them.

I was once waiting for a bus outside my school, at the bus stop in broad daylight (about 4pm) when a guy probably in his late teens – early 20’s, pulled up, rolled the window down and told me to get in his car.

I was obviously stunned, refused, and backed away slightly. He kept on TELLING me to get inside, and after a few minutes, called me a slut and drove away.

About a year or so later, I was waiting for a bus to work, in a different area of the city.

A car pulled up across the road, and a male in his late 30’s got out, crossed the road, and came over to try and engage in conversation.
When ignoring him didn’t work, I told him very clearly that I didn’t wish to speak to him, and he walked away and got back in his car.

In another incident, I had a male pull up, and ask for directions. When they were given, he made out that I should just get in the car and show him, and he’d give me a lift. Do I look that stupid?

Those were all a few years ago, last week, I was actually followed home – and it was terrifying.

I thought I was being paranoid at first as I crossed a road and the guy continued walking – until I came out of a store and he was lurking.
He then followed me for ten minutes, all the while saying, “hey”, “hey girl,” “miss”, and various things.

As I went inside and was unlocking my door (university accommodation, we have a guard inside thankfully), he looked back and smiled, and it infuriated me so much that I ended up hissing “freak” at him.

It’s not so much the catcalls in the street, or even the gropes in nightclubs (in which I’ve poured my drink over few men’s heads) but the more sinister experiences like the ones I’ve had.

It’s absolutely terrifying, and you feel powerless, and like a piece of meat.

After reading past stories from people, I’m not taking it anymore. I’ve been scared before and ignored it – sometimes it doesn’t work, and you get people poking you or just continually talking, but now I aim on yelling/screaming/and just generally drawing as much attention as I can, and hopefully embarrassing the idiot.

– Sarah

Location: Manchester, England

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
Check out the new book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers!

Share

“Look at the handlebar on that”

By

I was in McDonalds on Tottenham Court Rd. I was queuing to order food and there were two construction workers in the queue next to me . One of them looked at me and loudly said to his colleague, “Look at the handlebar on that. It’s disgusting. She looks like a man.”

I kept quiet and continued queuing . To be honest I was in shock. I paid for my food and went to get ketchup etc. They followed me over, laughing and repeated the same comments. They said, she must be growing it for Movember and walked off laughing I felt physically ill and so upset afterwards.

– S.C.

Location: Mc Dobalds , Tottenham Court Rd

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
Check out the new book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers!

Share