Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

European Harassment

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I studied abroad in Paris for a semester, and I was shocked by the amount of harassment I experienced. I’m from a major U.S city, and i have never been treated like this until I lived in Europe. Riding the metro every day to school meant that men would follow me, try to kiss me, grab my ass, or just verbally harass me. I’ve very very fair and blonde so I don’t look very French, so people always asked me where I came from…I soon learned that pretending to speak neither French nor English really helped. I always said that I was Russian (which they believed) and that I only spoke Russian. That certainly shut them up quickly.

I never had any problems in London or Dublin, but Brussles, Paris, and any Italian city (even the Vatican of all places) were prime sources for lewd comments and whistles. The most shocking form of harassment was in Marrakech where my super white skin and platinum blonde hair stuck out like a sore thumb. Men constantly catcalled and finally one man came up to me and just started fondling my boob. I finally just pushed him off and ran away.

– anonymous

Location: Paris, France

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“Ya Just Gotta Laugh Sometimes”

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The other day I was walking home from an evening class down a fairly busy street toward a 4-way junction. It was just after 6 and the sun had already gone down, so it was night-time by then. As I was walking a truck load of about 10 men passed by me and exclaimed a loud “WOOO!!!” and everyone on the street and at the junction looked around.

Usually I’m anywhere between mildly annoyed to pissed off at being harassed in public… but that was so funny, so unexpected and so harmless that I just laughed.

Sometimes you have to have a sense of humour about these things.

– QT

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“So I have blue eyes. So I’m young. So I’m alone. So What. Stop harassing me, please!”

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I am a young teacher who lives in a western EU country. I dress in attractive but fairly conservative clothes daily, usually with a nice pair of plain high-heeled shoes or boots. I have a “good figure” but a plain face; I’m really not very pretty or beautiful, just young. I’m single by choice for now, and I’ve personally decided to wait to have sex until/if I get married. I am NOT deliberately trying to attract male attention by my dress or manner, nor do I appreciate the following “advances” (also, no woman or man should experience such comments, no matter what s/he is wearing or what their level of sexuality is perceived to be!):

While on my way to work in the middle of the day in any area of my city, I get catcalled by a variety of men on the street. If I walk home from work at dusk, the comments only intensify. Old men, young men. Creepy men, adolescent boys. Whoever. They might say something fairly “benign,” such as, “You have very beautiful eyes” or they might say something very frightening, such as (approximately), “I want to bang you, b*tch.” Or just make some utterly degrading animal sound, laughing and giving their buddies a round of high-fives. Or, worst of all, pull over (nice car, beat up car–any class of men has its bottom-feeders), making such sounds from their car, then driving away, laughing maniacally.

I do not appreciate these comments AT ALL. If you think I have beautiful eyes, then appreciate them from afar instead of whispering a comment in my ear while I’m walking past you. I don’t care what your “complimentary” intentions are. I’m trying to get to my job or to walk home or to run some errands, or maybe I’m just enjoying the day. There’s nothing that will wipe the smile off of my face faster than these comments. My policy is to ignore any comments, although somehow I can’t help looking painfully shocked by a remark/drive-by yell. Additionally, sometimes these comments rattle me and I can’t do my job as well as I’d like.

I can’t drive or walk with a friend if I don’t like it. I don’t have a car right now–can’t afford it!–and the bus doesn’t run that often. My friends all live in a different area of the city.

I am so sick of these comments! I am not an angry or impatient person–I’m a very patient elementary school teacher! I just want to be treated with the same dignity that should be extended to all women, men, boys, and girls. These comments don’t even make me angry; rather, I feel sorry for men who feel that they have to stoop to this level. Please, just give me the dignity of silence. Old and young alike, female and male, no one should be treated like this.

– Tired Teacher

Location: Western EU Country

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Leave us alone

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davinic
He loooves running! (when we run together, he's on a leash)

Last Friday my partner and I adopted a shelter dog. He loves running and so do I, so I’ve taken him running with me for a few miles several times.

I live in an area where thankfully I am rarely harassed while running. Two of the times I’ve taken my dog running with me, however,  I’ve been honked and hooted at by men in three different vehicles, including a delivery truck yesterday. He and I are still getting adjusted to each other and to running together.  Having men honk and hoot at us is NOT HELPING. It’s startling and distracting for both of us. It’s rude. It’s upsetting.

– Holly

Location: Reston, VA

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Followed home from class

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Once, I was walking home from class, and a man in a car starting making cat calls at me. Then, he followed me in his car, pulled over, got out and started calling after me some more. This was in the middle of the day on a busy street.

I took my cell phone out and dialed 911, but never called the police. I walked home as quickly as possible and called my mother to tell her what happened. I was terrified that he saw where I lived and would come back to hurt me. I thankfully never saw him again.

– anonymous

Location: Minneapolis, MN

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