Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Fiat Super Bowl Commercial

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Watch this Fiat Super Bowl Commercial.


Oh haha, it’s soo funny (sarcasm): he stared at her, she caught him, she slapped him and teased him. Oh but she was actually a car!

The only thing this commercial accurately captures is a man thinking it’s okay to ogle and leer at a woman he doesn’t know on the street. This – and the related behaviors of sexual comments, groping, and stalking – happens all the time in public places and we are tired of it.

So hey, Fiat: First, women are not objects. Cars are. We are humans. Second, it’s very disappointing to see you create a commercial that promotes the sexual objectification of women and makes light of the ogling street harassers that too many women face in real life without their consent.

All men need to learn to treat women respectfully and like they are humans, not sexual objects. Commercials like yours counteract that and teach them it’s okay to sexually objectify women. And that is NOT OKAY.

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Snapshot of street harassment stories, news, announcements & tweets: February 5, 2012

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Read stories, news articles, blog posts, and tweets about street harassment from the past week.

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Street Harassment Stories:

Share your story! You can read street harassment stories on the Web at:

Stop Street Harassment Blog

HarassMap Egypt

Resist Harassment Lebanon

Many of the Hollaback sites

In the News, on the Blogs:

Deoni Jones was murdered at a bus stop in DC this week. Image via Washington Blade

* Washington Blade, “Police identify trans woman fatally stabbed at D.C. bus stop” and DC Trans Coalition, “Another Violent Attack“

* Guardian, “Benefit cuts are fuelling abuse of disabled people, say charities“

* New York Times, “Shame and Anger in Cairo“

* North Baltimore Patch, “Cat Call to Arms“

* The Saudi Gazette, “A grave punishment befitting an eve teaser“

* Kuwait Times, “Sexual Harassment“

* Deccan Herald, “Public thrash youth for teasing girls“

* The Daily Star, “Support line offers safe outlet to talk about sexual harassment“

* Until I Get Married, “The Other Reason Street Harassment Is Wrong“

* Washington City Paper, “Youth of Today“

* Fueled, “Hey, Baby. There’s an App for that“

* Hollaback, “Interview: Boston-Feminist on “Why I Punched a Stranger”

* BootsnAll, “How to Deal With Street Harassment in Foreign Countries“

Activism Announcements:

New:

* If you live in the Washington, DC-area, you can testify about harassment on the Metro system at a hearing on Feb. 22. Details.

Reminders:

* What were you wearing when you got stared at or street harassed? Submit your photo

* Start planning for International Anti-Street Harassment Week, March 18-24

* Sign the Petition: “Demand Justice for Two Men Killed Trying to Stop Street Harassment“

* Read a Baltimore, Maryland, college student’s thesis on street harassment

* The Adventures of Salwa campaign has a hotline for sexual harassment cases in Lebanon: 76-676862.

* In Bangalore, India, there is a helpline for street harassment 080 – 22943225 / 22864023

10 Tweets from the Week:

1. farida904 Tonight, I had to think twice before going to the kiosk to get gum because of the group of guys standing there. End sexual harassment #EndSH

2. MsNicoleClark Searching for ways to combat #streetharassment is very empowering. I hope the person was able to find what they were searching for.

3. trapunski Just witnessed a taxi driver catcall a woman holding a baby with the line “hey mommy.” One of the skeeziest things I’ve ever seen.

4. chennaiholla Men, what would you advice your female friends to do when they encounter groping in public space, like a mall? #menagainstvaw @meIHM pl RT

5.maps4aid Know Your Rights! #StreetHarassment #India #IPC354 pic.twitter.com/yEuesaoO

6. SeraSarahSera “How would she react to this display of man’s inhumanity, embodied in a catcall toward you, her daughter? Think of that when you walk by.”

7. caulkthewagon GAHHHHH FIVE SECONDS OF STREET HARASSMENT MAKING ME HULK OUT GAHGHHHHHHHGGGGGHHH

8. woodlandtales got touched on the shoulders and back by a very creepy man while walking down the street. Feel so disgusted(ing) #streetharassment

9. LeilaLatex I’m prety sure I am incapable of not shouting death threats at people who whistle at me. #streetharassment

10. lifeofzoo #IDoNotUnderstand why it is so hard to be respectful to women and simply not catcall them on the streets

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Driving instructor harasser

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I was taking driving lessons and the instructor used to ask me to take the car towards outskirts of the city, which was quite secluded and didn’t have many people.

Once on that way, he remarked I was a quick learner and that I drove well. The next thing I knew, he put his arm around my neck and tried to touch my boobs. When I pushed myself away, he took my face in his hands and kissed me on my cheek. I froze. I didn’t know how to react and I wanted to punch him, but I couldn’t as I didn’t know how to tackle the situation after that or how to go back home. I was scared that he might rape me, there was no one around. After he kissed me, he kept asking me not to tell anyone. I just kept my mouth shut. I got back safely and got out of the car and shut it as hard as possible.

That bastard called me back the next day, but i told him I was done with the classes and I wasn’t going to attend them. He never called me back after that…I felt yucky that day. I went back home and washed my left cheek hundred times… I can still feel that facial hair all over my face.. yuck… I felt so violated…

– Anonymous

Location: Gurgaon, India

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem.
Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

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Why leering guys can be scary

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Pretty weird:

I was sitting in the tram and that guy stared and smiled at me. The whole time he was looking at me. I was pissed (because one day another guy stared at me in the tram and followed me through the city and I had to trick him like an agent or something to get him off). I left the tram and he was still behind me. OMG!

Then I had to walk a little while between 2 houses, dark with no people around and he was still behind me. Then I reached some kind of market place with a lot of people and dived into the crowed. He gave up and turned around.

A couple of days later I was reading the news online and there was a picture of him. Taken from the video camera in a tram in the night. Because he stared at a women, followed her, attacked her and tried to rape her. She could escape.

I didn’t go to the police. What should I tell? He stared at me?

– NN

Location: Germany

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem.
Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

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DC: Testify about harassment on public transportation!

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This is cross-posted from Collective Action for Safe Spaces blog…I serve on their board and I’m excited to be working on this initiative!

Sexual comments, leering, groping and public masturbation: sexual harassment happens a lot on public transportation in Washington, DC. Collective Action for Safe Spaces/Holla Back DC! has been tracking and speaking out on this issue for three years. Now we’re doing something more – testifying. And we need your help.

We need people to testify with us about the issue of sexual harassment on public transportation during the late afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 22, for a public performance oversight hearing of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) held by the Council of the District of Columbia.

We are looking for people:

1) Willing to share a story or stories about sexual harassment on metro trains and buses,
2) Who can talk about sexual harassment they’ve witnessed,
3) Who can be part of the audience to help fill the room.

Testimonies are only 3 minutes long (about a page and a half). If you want to learn more about writing and presenting compelling testimony or want feedback on a draft, we will hold an optional training on Saturday, Feb. 18, 1-3 p.m. at the Southeast Library (across the from Eastern Market metro station). Susie Cambria will lead the training.

If you’re interested in providing testimony or helping to fill the room, please contact info@collectiveactiondc.org by February 17.

If we have enough people testifying, possible outcomes could be:
*Council Member Muriel Bowser (who is overseeing the hearing and is from Ward 4) will be aware of the issue and could even propose legislation to help prevent sexual harassment on Metro.
* Council Member Bowser could question the Director of Metro to find out why our concerns have not been addressed.
* The Director of Metro could be more likely to address our concerns and take actions we recommend such as providing training for employees.
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