Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

“One of them slapped my butt and sped away”

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I was walking towards my college after helping a friend. It was around 7 pm. It was a little dark road and I was walking alone. There were people behind me and in front of me. And then this motorcycle comes from the back with 2-3 people on it and one of them slapped my butt and sped away. I just couldn’t understand for a second what happened. And I felt shaken and powerless and I couldn’t move. I feel so disgusted with myself. And I just keep thinking about how I could have done it differently. How I could have taken a different route. Or taken a cab. But I didn’t. And I feel so dumb. I don’t feel my butt is a part of my body anymore. There’s this weird tingling feeling that won’t go away. I don’t think it ever will.

– Anonymous

Location: Chennai, India

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

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

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2018 Anti-Street Harassment Week is Four Weeks Away!

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From April 8-14, Stop Street Harassment is organizing the eighth annual International Anti-Street Harassment Week.

Will you be joining us again this year? Please let us know so we can include you on future e-mails and list you as a co-sponsor on the website.

As a reminder, the Week is a chance for us to join together in solidarity and amplify each other’s voices so that the world listens, as well as to raise awareness in our local communities.

Women deserve to be safe everywhere.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

    1. Tell Us What You’re Doing!
      We want to know what you’re doing! Please either complete this form, or e-mail me, Holly, with info at StopStreetHarassment@Gmail.com. Thank you for your help.
    2. Ideas for Action
      Do you still need ideas for what you can do? Here are several. Also gain ideas from the 2017 wrap-up report or 2016 wrap-up report.

      We especially hope to see offline discussions involving diverse community members of all genders and backgrounds. It will take EVERYONE to truly create safer communities.

      But at minimum, any individual can participate through simple acts like telling their street harassment story, writing chalk messages, and sharing information online.

    3. Tools
      We have a selection of shareable images and downloadable fliers on our website and will be adding even more in the next two weeks. If you have ideas or want to offer translation help, please email StopStreetHarassment@Gmail.com.
    4. Write a Blog Post
      If you’d like to write a blog post for Stop Street Harassment (or have an entry cross-posted from your blog) that would be great! It can be for the week itself, or you can advertise what you’ll be doing for the week and why. Just reach out to Holly, StopStreetHarassment@Gmail.com, with a short pitch about what the blog would cover and the preferred date or time range you’d like it published.
    5. Tweet Chats
      April 10 will be our global tweetathon. Tweet about street harassment using #Endsh throughout the day (from whatever time zone you’re in, using whatever language/s you want). We are in the midst of scheduling the daily tweet chats — If you are planning to host one but haven’t been in touch yet, please reach out and I will add it to the official list.

Feel free to reach out anytime with questions, suggestions, or information!

Thank you for agreeing to Meet Us on the Street as we work to create safe public spaces for everyone!

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“He wanted to take my undergarments and eat them”

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I was biking home from work and while stopped at a busy stoplight, a man on the street began yelling at me. He started by saying I looked like a very nice little girl who probably got good grades. When I did not respond, he continued to walk closer to me, and became increasingly aggressive and vulgar. He began talking about all the sexual/violent things he wanted to do to me, and that he wanted to take my undergarments and eat them. He got nearly within an arms reach of me before the light changed. I felt scared, violated, and disgusted at his actions. I felt disappointed that the people sitting safely in their cars around me looked away when I looked at them for support – men and women.

– AS

Location: Columbus, OH

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

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

Share

“Catcalling is not flattering”

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There is a construction crew next to my apartment, which is close to my school. I bike to and from school and my place, and twice while riding to school, I have been catcalled by the workers. The first time they called out, “Hey, bonita! (Hey, beautiful)!”

I ignored it. The second time just happened, and as I rode past them, one of them wolf whistled at me. I’m scared because they can probably see where I live because my apartment is within their eyesight. I’m scared that if I respond, or even if I don’t respond at all, one of them is going to get mad enough to follow me home.

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

For construction crews, I would like to know how to contact their manager so I can tell him or her that the crew is being paid to work, not to harass people who pass them – especially women who are young enough to be their daughters. Catcalling is not flattering, it doesn’t make men look “macho,” it just makes them creepy.

– MB

Location: Dallas, Texas – Snider Plaza

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

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

Share

What Could Women and Girls Achieve If They Were Safe

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Many, many studies demonstrate the myriad ways that women are discriminated against and unequal in countries world-wide. In the United States, our latest nationally representative study, done in partnership with Raliance and UCSD Center for Gender Equity and Health, adds to the stark picture.

For just a few of the many alarming data points:

  • 81% of women nationwide have experienced sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime.
  • 51% of women nationwide have reported being touched or groped without their permission.
  • 27% of women nationwide are survivors of sexual assault.

Among women who experienced sexual harassment and/or assault:

  • 57% said their first experience of sexual abuse occurred by age 17.
  • 88% said they’d experienced sexual harassment or assault in multiple locations.
  • The #1 location for experiences of sexual harassment was a public space and the #1 location for sexual assault was a private residence.

How can women and girls ever hope to achieve equality with men and boys when we are disproportionately harmed, and harmed across many spaces of our life (private homes, public spaces, schools, workplaces, online, etc.)?

And what could women and girls collectively achieve if we were not worrying about staying safe? If we were not regularly practicing avoidance strategies to try to reduce encounters of harassment and assault? If we were not being harassed as a tactic to exclude us from decision-making and leadership positions? If we were not coping with the aftermath of trauma from sexual harassment and assault?

Would world hunger be solved? Would climate change not be an issue? Would gun violence be reduced?

We expend so much time and energy just dealing with the threat of, the actual experiences of, and the aftermath of sexual harassment and assault that it robs us of valuable time and energy that we could use in more productive, fun and useful ways. We lose. Our community loses. The world loses.

This International Women’s Day, the theme is #PushforProgress. What will you do to push for the elimination of sexual harassment and assault?

Whatever you choose to do, you can make a difference and help ensure that the world becomes a more equitable place for women and girls.

And if you have the means, you can be our hero by making a tax-deductible donation today and help fund our initiatives (like national research, International Anti-Street Harassment Week and transit campaigns). Our work is made possible by generous individual donors.

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