Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Graveyard maintenance workers harass 15-year-old in New Zealand

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I was about 15 (I probably looked WAY younger because I’m quite small) and waiting for my mum to pick me up near a graveyard in a rural area.

A bunch of guys in their 20’s-30’s showed up to do maintenance on the gravesides. I decided to leave and as I did they began yelling sexual things at me. I kept walking but as I did one of them tried to follow me down the road. I was TERRIFIED because this was a van full of guys and I was in the middle of nowhere. I was angry scared and in tears. For all they knew I could have been visiting the grave site of a loved one.

– Anonymous

Location: Walliceville Hill, Upper Hutt, Wellington New Zealand

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Men of DC: Stop Harassing Women

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Cross-posted with permission from The 42.

Men of DC: get it together. Street harassment is really out of control here. It happens everyday all day and every night all night. Women endure catcalls, unwanted touching, name calling, assault and worse as a matter of fact. Come on, we’re better than that!

I witness street harassment A LOT. Not just in Mount Pleasant or Columbia Heights; all over DC, in all neighborhoods. Harassment truly knows no race, age, class or scene bounds. I’ve seen women in mini-dresses harassed on U Street at midnight by guys in cars and women in baggy sweatpants harassed on the way to class at 8 in the morning by other students. Harassment is more about power than circumstance. Not that circumstance is meaningless, but some men will harass women (and girls) at any opportunity because they think they’re entitled. Everyone’s definition is different, but in my opinion flirting and “complementing” are DOA excuses. Harassment is not flirting.

I’ve been trying something new, speaking up when I see it. Once, on a bus, it got a little iffy + too close for comfort. But since I’ve been cursed out before by people I actually care about, it’s no big deal getting the same treatment from some rando dude on the 54 bus. Of course this can get tricky because the offenders can get really defensive or loud & aggressive, but really, they have to be called out by other guys for this to work. Here are some strategies for bystanders I probably should have looked up before hand. I like those ideas, but part of me thinks they need to be told why you are intervening, if indeed that’s the track you decide to walk on.

Often the harassment I see is not on the street; it happens in the club: on the dance floor. Club harassment is arguably worse. You see it all the time in almost every club; over-aggressive dudes taking one too many liberties on the dance floor. It can get pretty gross.

Dancing “up on” a woman you don’t know from behind (or the front for that matter) is wrong. Some people like to grind (royalty paid to eric nies) at the club, but it should be a mutually agreed upon consensual grind. No, in this case it is not better to have to beg for forgiveness. Ask permission. Before.

Also, news flash: many people like to go to dance clubs to dance with themselves. Not you or me.

Even though no physical contact is involved, leering can be another issue. No one likes to be stared at. And less than no one likes to be sized up by drunk guy at close range. People do go clubbing to see and be seen. But not club-stalked. There is a difference. Along the same lines, if you’re trying to talk to a woman, maybe dance with her, just ask. If she says no, PEACE OUT. As in move on dot org. Leave her alone.

What I saw a lot of last weekend –which mostly inspired this post– was unnecessary touching. Crowded dance floor, you’re trying to get across to the bar, and yeah, you have to clear a path for yourself. Squeezing past flailing, dancing bodies isn’t easy. But there is absolutely no need to caress anyone’s backside on the way to the bathroom, especially a perfect stranger. It’s just gross. And it’s assault. Bouncers are often not around or lacking in enthusiasm to regulate these activities. (Some clubs do a better job at this than others.)

Look, duding out every now and then is fine. A good bro down can be therapeutic. Go watch the game, ice some other bros, play fantasy football, pre-order the new Call of Duty; whatever. But bros being bros on the dance floor is lame if it involves trying to grind on every other woman in sight because you erroneously think they like it. They don’t like it, I don’t like it, nobody likes it.

This week Stop Street Harassment is asking people to log instances of street harassment, if you see or experience it. And Holla Back DC and it’s contributors have been logging harassment daily for over two years. Be a part of the solution guys. This one is on us.
– Tim.
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Snapshot of street harassment stories, news, tweets: September 25, 2011

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Read stories, news articles, blog posts, and tweets about street harassment from the past week and find relevant announcements and upcoming street harassment events.

** NEW!: Sign up to receive a monthly e-newsletter from Stop Street Harassment ***

Street Harassment Stories:

Share your story! You can read new street harassment stories on the Web from the past week at:

Stop Street Harassment Blog

Hollaback

Hollaback Baltimore

Hollaback Buenos Aires

Hollaback Chandigarh

Holla Back DC!

Hollaback France

Hollaback Israel

Hollaback Mumbai

Hollaback NYC

Hollaback Philly

Activism Shoutouts:

* “Adventures of Salwa” in Beirut, Lebanon

* Safe Slope in Brooklyn, New York, USA

* Anti-victim-blaming marchers in Jakarta, Indonesia

In the News, on the Blogs:

* The Friendz Teen Cult.u.re, “Change the Way I Dress?! No, Change the Way you Think!“

* Alternet, “Vision: 3 Ways to Be an ‘Interrupter’ and Curb Racism, Street Harassment and Animal Cruelty“

* Jakarta Globe, “Indonesian Women Don Miniskirts in Rape Protest“

* Kat’s Daily News, “Hush“

* Hot City Blues, “How to Talk to Women and Not Be Creepy“

* Chez Trixl, “Respect our women!“

* MeriNews, “Students campaign against eve teasing in Mumbai“

* Bikya Masr, “A look inside sexual harassment in Egypt“

* Islington Gazette, “Police pledge to clamp down on sexual harassment in Finsbury Park street“

* A Blog of Stuff, “Street harassment is never nice, but usually I just find it annoying and/or get angered by it (usually resulting in a Tumblr post… here it comes again!)“

* Jezebel, “French Burqa Ban Has Succeeded In Making Things Worse“

* Mid-Day, “Chappals to beat out harassment“

* Ranchi Express, “Anti Eve Teasing Efforts Bringing Good Results“

* The WIP, “Innovative Internet-based Projects Give Indian Women Platform to Fight Violence“

Announcements:

New:

* If you are in the Washington, DC-area, participate in a week of street harassment logging, TOMORROW through Oct. 2! Info.

* Tomorrow Stop Street Harassment launches a new “Street Respect” series highlighting the type of stories we want to see instead of street harassment stories!

Reminders:

* Call for men to share views/stories about street harassment

* Sign Mend the Gap’s petition to address subway harassment in Delhi, India

* Are you in Egypt? Use HarassMap to report your street harassers

* Have an iPhone? Download the Hollaback iPhone app that lets you report street harassers

15 Tweets from the Week:

1. gunkelqnupw9 When i walked across the street to avoid your harassment why do you then think its smart to follow 4DkSWx

2. Karnythia I have a wall of tech (MP3 player + ereader), & it’s not giving me the desired result. Still getting #streetharassment

3. feministteacher: Window Sex Project responds to #streetharassment in Harlem windowsexproject.com #bcrw40 @sydmosley

4. 52stations Forgot about Piggy’s street harassment scene in Muppets Take Manhattan. With such a childhood idol, is it any wonder I turned out like this?

5. WrittenbyBene It’s bad when you have in earphones, are playing w/your phone, all to avoid being harassed by horny men

6. WrittenbyBene I don’t think you guys realize how exhausting it is to be a woman. Call your boys, nephews, sons, kids out for harassing women on streets.

7. cthulhuchick Not that street harassment is warranted because the ass looks fine. I still don’t want random guys yelling at me. Not fun.

8. ElseBell definitely wasn’t expecting street harassment in london (not sure why, but it was as bad today as it was in texas! dislike).

9. hannahkateboast walking down my road last night when a boy shouted at me & my friend to ‘suck my dick’. 2 days in my new city before #streetharassment.

10. MarthaRRobinson “Dyke” screamed at me out of a black van by Goodge Street tube. Didn’t respond. Regretting it. #streetharassment

11. sebhar No matter what I’m wearing or what time of day it is, I ALWAYS experience #streetharassment on Gilbert St. in Iowa City.

12. sammieolivia I swear I thought I was done being yelled at in the street til like April. The DHL delivery man in downtown DC says no. #streetharassment

13. femmeniste The number of gross comments I’m subjected to in a mere 5 blocks is astounding. #StreetHarassment #KeepItToYourself

14. choosler Nothing like a little street harassment as the icing on my grumpy cake.

15. mazzie @the_dp when one random street-harassment dude asked me out I told him I had a gf and he said “bring her!” YICK.

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Harassers make a park in Switzerland unsafe

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This happened few days ago in Genève. I went to a theatre, to see a really nice act and on my way there I got harassed by a bunch of men. I was walking on a sidewalk in the park, and there they were – on every single bench were sitting men wolf-whistling, gasping, saying that I am sexy, hot, that they want me to suck them up and they just carried on and on.

I was not dressed very challenging, and I had a coat on me as well, that covered my body.

It just felt like they think that they are saying whole lot of compliments. It felt like on my forehead is written – “please, fuck me!”, at least they acted if it was. And these men, they think that I should be grateful for receiving those “compliments”, that I should let all of them do me there in the park, on the bench, and be happy for it, and beg for more!

It was not just annoying or rude, I didn’t feel safe. My knees were tottering, and heart was beating like I would be running for at least an hour! I was so scared! And happy, when I finally reached the building.

– Juliet

Location: Genève/Geneva, Switzerland

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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The Advenures of Salwa (I need a red purse!)

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Feminists from the collective Nasawiya in Beirut, Lebanon, are tackling sexual harassment—including street harassment—with a large dose of creativity in their empowering campaign “The Adventures of Salwa.”

Who is Salwa?

Cartoon character Salwa, the organizers say, is “an ordinary Lebanese girl that has been selected to be the spokeswoman for the campaign,” and through Salwa, they aim “to say to women who have been subjected to harassment, that the first step to combat it, is to break the taboo and start talking about it.”

The campaign is also meant to challenge the reasons behind the harassment. On the Salwa site, Farah Kobaissy, the coordinator of the campaign says that in Lebanon, “Harassment is used in order to remind women that …Hay! You are violating the barriers set by the patriarchal system by entering spaces that are considered ‘male space’ such as work, street, education, public spaces.”

Salwa challenges such notions and a red purse she always carries represents her empowerment and the empowerment of all women.

What does the campaign entail?

There are many components of the campaign, from PSAs and blogging to workshops and handbooks. You can learn about it all on their website.

My favorite part of the campaign revolves around Salwa herself. There are several short PSAs and companion comic strips in which Salwa stops sexual harassers by whacking them with her purse. (Yes, I know, the ideal is to stop harassers in a non-violent fashion, but I’m okay seeing a cartoon act out the emotion that I’m sure many of us feel upon occasion when dealing with harassers.) In this PSA, Salwa stops a taxi driver!

Throughout September and the first week of October, Cinema City, a well known cinema in Beirut, is airing one of the Salwa PSA before films! How amazing is that?

On September 30, the campaign organizers will launch a booklet called, “Salwa’s Guide to Fighting Sexual Harassment.” Salwa will be at the launch event to sign copies! Everyone who attends—and then people who attend later events—will receive a red purse like Salwa’s and the purse will contain the booklet, a whistle, a DVD of Salwa episodes, a brochure, and a poster and stickers. Fun!

There is a companion blog called “Qaweme Harassment” (“Resist Harassment”) that allows people to share their stories and strategies for fighting harassers. A map shows where all of the stories come from.

Last, the campaign organizers hold discussions and workshops in the community and in October they will start giving lectures at universities across Lebanon.

I know this topic is pretty heavy and can get depressing in a hurry, so I really appreciate that the campaign is able to tackle the issue in an empowering and humorous way while not downplaying the seriousness of it. Congratulations to them on such an engaging campaign, and one that offers people so many ways to be involved!

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