Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Street Harassment Round Up – June 21

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Stories:

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.

  • On this blog, women in Chicago and Hawaii talk about being fed up by the volume of street harassment they face on a daily to weekly basis.
  • On HollaBack Toronto, a contributor wrote a post about having a TTC subway employees flirt with/harass her when she was paying her fare. The Director of Corporate Communications for TTC saw the post and wrote to HB Toronto with information about how passengers can file complaints about employees. This post was followed by one from another contributor telling about a time a TTC employee made her feel uncomfortable and unsafe. Harassment on public transportation is global!
  • On Holla Back NYC, a contributor tells about getting oogled by men at a community pool, but they complained to the pool management and then men had to leave.
  • Holla Back DC! has a contributor post from a woman who was asked “how’d you get that cute ass” by a man who then turned very angry when she asked him not to harass her.
  • Two years ago Blank Noise Project asked readers to submit their list of things they wished they could do in their city (for example, smile when they wanted, not have to think about who’s watching them, be able to go out at night and be safe…) and this past Saturday afternoon, they invited people to come to Cubbon Park to live out their wish list, including wearing something they wished they could wear but never had for fear of harassment.

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New Women-Only Subway Car Bill Introduced in Beijing

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In early May, I reported that some lawmakers in Beijing were contemplating women-only subway cars to help cut down on problems like sexual harassment.

Today, the Finchannel.com reports that a bill has been submitted for consideration and could be adopted “in the near future.”

“According to the Chinese capital’s lawmakers, over 40% of female passengers complain of some form of sexual harassment in the city’s subway…’Sexual harassment in the subway is common during rush hours,’ the bill says. ‘Creating separate compartments for women is significant for establishing a well-mannered society.'”

Apparently sexual harassment was only made a criminal offense in China in 2005 and the first guilty verdict was issued by a Chinese court last July. The article says that currently Chinese lawmakers also are discussing introducing a law on protecting men’s rights to ensure the legislation treats the sexes equally.

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Street Harassment Round Up – May 10

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Stories:

In Toronto, a contributor tells how she got two men kicked out of a restaurant for groping another customer.

As mentioned last week, since April 26, HollaBack NYC has been posting one photo a day of street harassers. They will continue to do so for a month. All of the photos are being submitted by one woman, Sally N., a New York City resident. Emily at HollaBack NYC says, “We believe these pictures tell the story of what it’s like to be a woman in the big apple.” Visit HollaBack NYC to see these photos.

For a new international perspective, read some of the new street harassment stories in Mauritius.

At Holla Back DC, a contributor tells how she was walking to meet friends and a man asked her how much for her body… (Ugh!)

Website Launch:

The anti-street harassment website in Mauritius (near South Africa) officially launched this week!

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Women-Only Subway Cars in Beijing?

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Photo Credit: Associated Press
Photo Credit: Associated Press

Beijing may join places like Japan, Brazil, India, and Mexico, in having women-only modes of public transportation. In their case, it would be subway cars.

Like the initiatives in the other countries, trying to cut down on men’s harassment of women is a key reason for the separate cars. The cars would be open to children and the elderly too, because the second reason for the separate cars is to help these groups of people make it onto overly crowded trains. A survey conducted last November at one particularly busy station found that 50 percent of the 200 female respondents reported having difficulties getting on to subway cars due to the crowds.

From China Daily:

“‘We can trial women-only carriages on subway lines 1 and 2 between 7:30 and 8:30 am and from 5:30 to 6:30 pm,’ Wang told China Daily yesterday. The middle carriage could be set aside for women, with its exterior painted with eye-catching signs and the interior posted with a detailed explanation and warnings about sexual harassment, Wang said. Staff should also be deployed to advise women about the issues, he said. And he called for surveillance cameras to be installed to deter harassment and said children traveling alone and senior citizens should also be allowed to use the special carriages.”

“Chen Yu, a regular subway user, questioned whether the idea would work. ‘The fundamental reason for the overcrowding is the huge population wanting to use the subway. If all women swarm to that carriage, it will be hard to get on that one as well,’ Chen said.

The proposal will be online at www.beijing.gov.cn, www.bjzx.gov.cn/zhu.htm, and other official websites to solicit public opinion on the idea soon.

I wonder what the figures are for the harassment of women since the article didn’t cite any. I also question the viability of the initiative, though I appreciate that officials are trying to address the issues of harassment and overcrowding. What are your thoughts?

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