Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming
Small children yell at me for being a long haired male whenever I leave the house.
– Anonymous
Location: Bridgeport, PA
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.
A lot of black women feel as if Italy is a place where their “beauty is celebrated.” Unfortunately, there are a lot of prostitutes in Italy who are women of color from Brazil and Nigeria. That said, living here can be uncomfortable.
The mention of street harassment conjures up many different experiences.
I remember when I first arrived, I refused to go to the store alone after always having men slow down in passing cars.
I remember walking out of my house and having a group of Italian females in a passing car, make a “fellatio” gesture in an attempt to taunt me because they assumed I was a prostitute- based on brown skin alone.
Two days after the birth of my child, I was released from the hospital but my child needed clearance from the doctors. I returned to the hospital. I was wearing my husband’s Adidas warm up suit with my hair in a bun. As I walked, I heard someone whistling as if whistling for a dog. It was an old 60 something year old wrinkled man, trying to get my attention.
I could go on, but such is life for me everyday. It’s a beautiful country but there is no peace when you are a woman of color. That is, if they don’t know that you are American. If they look at you and think you are any other type of woman of color, the assumption is that you are “working’ the streets.
– Anonymous
Location: Italy
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.
In 2009 I made the mistake of walking down the street past the local TAB. A drunk guy standing outside decided that I, in my school uniform, must simply be there because I wanted his attention. He followed me down the street and across a set of traffic lights, talking at me. When I ignored him, he started getting angry. At that point I ran into the office of the local Member for Parliament, where I’d done work experience a few months before. Unfortunately, the man was between me and the door. I had to get past him in order to get in. Luckily he didn’t try to grab me.
I waited inside for about ten minutes for the guy to go away. During that time a woman came in because she’d been driving down the street and had seen what had happened, and wanted to make sure I was ok. She also wanted to call the police, but I wouldn’t let her or the person on duty in the MP’s office do so, because I felt like it would be a waste of police time. After all, what could they really charge him with?
– Anonymous
Location: Midland, Perth
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.
I was outed as a Female-To-Male transsexual by two men with a megaphone going down the road in a dirt-caked jeep, by making catcalls.
– Anonymous
Location: Philadelphia, PA
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.
I was walking up to my boyfriend’s house. I was wearing a dress which actually suited me 🙂 but it was a little breezy and my dress kept blowing up a bit. I tried to hold it down. I had a few leers from men but what annoyed me the most was when a van honked at me just as my dress blow up again. Perv.
– Clarice
Location: North Cornelly, Wales
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.