• About Us
    • What Is Street Harassment?
    • Why Stopping Street Harassment Matters
    • Meet the Team
      • Board of Directors
      • Past Board Members
    • In The Media
  • Our Work
    • National Street Harassment Hotline
    • International Anti-Street Harassment Week
    • Blog Correspondents
      • Past SSH Correspondents
    • Safe Public Spaces Mentoring Program
    • Publications
    • National Studies
    • Campaigns against Companies
    • Washington, D.C. Activism
  • Our Books
  • Donate
  • Store

Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Harassment Stories
    • Blog Correspondents
    • Street Respect Stories
  • Help & Advice
    • National Street Harassment Hotline
    • Dealing With Harassers
      • Assertive Responses
      • Reporting Harassers
      • Bystander Responses
      • Creative Responses
    • What to Do Before or After Harassment
    • Street Harassment and the Law
  • Resources
    • Definitions
    • Statistics
    • Articles & Books
    • Anti-Harassment Groups & Campaigns
    • Male Allies
      • Educating Boys & Men
      • How to Talk to Women
      • Bystander Tips
    • Video Clips
    • Images & Flyers
  • Take Community Action
  • Contact

Brazil: Feminist ‘bloco’ at the 2018 Rio Carnival

February 18, 2018 By Correspondent

Yasmin Curzi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, SSH Blog Correspondent

”Márcia Benevides. Presente.”[1]

It was with tears that the “Women who get around” feminist Carnival block began its procession on Ash Wednesday, in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. In September of last year, one of its members, Marcia, was cruelly murdered by her former partner, from whom she was getting separated. She had sought the workshops of the bloco – which take place throughout the year, in preparation for Carnival – precisely to deal with the separation process. From the workshops, she found the comfort and strength to go ahead.

In her honor, the first song of the Carnival procession was “Folhas Secas” by Nelson Cavaquinho, from “Estação Primeira de Mangueira” one of the first of Rio’s samba schools. “They killed one of us,” said Renata Rodrigues, one of the founders of the bloco. She was heartbroken that Márcia was supposed to be free and alive and parading this year, but now  she was dead due to misogynist violence.

Next, the band, comprised mainly of women, followed the procession, playing classic samba and popular music as Clementina de Jesus’ “Marinheiro Só”, “Ouvi alguém me chamar” by Dona Ivone Lara, “Ô abre alas” by Chiquinha Gonzaga and “Lenda das Sereias” by Marisa Monte, but also funk, making the audience shout while walking through the streets, “I don’t wait for the carnival to be a bitch, I am one everyday”, verses of Pablo Vittar’s “Todo dia” and “Hoje” by MC Ludmilla. The members of the bloco wielded banners of female canons of Brazilian music, but also of Nina Simone.

The “hula hoop dancers section” was the Commission of Front of the bloco. The women spinning and dancing with the hula hoops were followed by the “wooden leg section”: seven women and a girl of about 10 years old, wearing costumes and wooden legs. Finally, they were followed by the band and around them, hundreds of women, men and children, jumping, shouting and singing along.

Photo by: Ana Clara Jansen

The procession went from Largo do Machado to Aterro (about 1km), where there was an incredible performance set to the music of “Geni e o Zepelim” by Chico Buarque. The “wooden leg section” held posters denouncing feminicide and misogynist violence. One could read that Brazil ranks fifth in the world for the number of women murdered due to their gender (crimes motivated by gender hate, such as domestic violence and sexual violence) and that Black women are still the number one victims of gender violence in the country. There also were signs encouraging women to report harassment.

Photo by: Ana Clara Jansen

They then simulated a funeral and threw flowers over a woman’s body. While the band played “Throw rocks at Geni! / Throw shit at Geni! / She’s made to be beaten! / She’s good to spit on! / She will screw anyone! / Damn you, Geni!”, the audience shouted, “No!”

This was an example of how art can be utilized for feminist causes, in this case, to show that it is intolerable for women to be victims of violence only because they want to be free.

Another highlight to me were efforts by the “Mete a Colher”[2] organization, which, in partnership with the organization “Meu Recife” produced the report “Happened in Carnival.” This report focused on reports of violence suffered during the Carnival and highlighted the necessity of public policies to address the problem. Renata Albertim (co-founder of Mete a Colher) said that in the, “(…) Last year we collected 66 reports and presented them to the Women’s Secretariat of Recife and to the Women’s Secretariat of the State of Pernambuco. This year, the Secretary of State promised a more ostensible policing at the points we identified that the more the harassment happens.”

In Rio de Janeiro, the “Carnival without Harassment” campaign took over several blocos – promoted by Catraca Livre, in partnership with “Azmina” magazine and the collectives “Now it’s them”, “We Women of the Periphery” and “Let’s go together?”

The stickers were distributed free of charge during the processions and it was also possible to buy removable tattoos with “No is no!” to wear.

The denunciation of the coup was also remembered by the bloco, which sang the cries of “Fora Temer” and “Fora Crivella”.

“Women who get around” is more than just a fun bloco: it is the materialization of the counter-discourse in the streets and is absolutely necessary to change our culture.

Conservative parties define all these movements as part of a “gender ideology.” They think that to show the many ways that female subordination and male domination are normalized is to threaten a “natural order” of things. They use this phrase as a motto and turn it into a great scarecrow, capable of camouflaging their real intentions: economic programs of religious sectors, alliances with private capital and support for labor rights retrogressions. These conservative sectors do not want to debate gender roles and are generally extremely reactionary to social transformations. One group placed a figure simulating Judith Butler in a “bonfire”, in an “inquisitorial act,” calling her a witch – they wanted to crystallize the “place of women” around an ideal of femininity and subalternization. They don’t see toxic masculinity as the real cause of violence and instead, they blame victims for the attacks suffered.

Photo by: Ana Clara Jansen

In her book Caliban and the Witch, Silvia Federici discusses the transition from feudalism to capitalism from a gender perspective, pointing out that it was essential for capitalist accumulation to make women circumscribed to private spaces, with domestic work being unpaid, in addition to state control of reproductive functions. The myth of witchcraft was fundamental to legitimize the genocide of women and the control of bodies, solidifying this social structure. The reproductive autonomy of women was precisely the greatest of all crimes – not surprisingly, witches were generally represented by women who did not dedicate their lives to the domestic sphere and who broke with the ideals of the time in some way.

For today’s conservatives, as well as the inquisitors of the Middle Ages, it is an assault on the natural order of things that gender roles are put into question. Federici also shows that capitalism is responsible for producing these moments of intellectual retreat to maintain its hegemony. Certain segments of the political elite enact it to remain in power in times of profound economic crisis.

But we also know that a certain noise is being produced when we see the reactionary extremely uncomfortable. If the status quo were not being shook, there would be no need to organize so many obscure acts. There is, therefore, room for women to infiltrate cultural “gaps” and contest the hegemonic discourse – denouncing, questioning and talking about corporal autonomy, about violence, about their places in public institutions and in the market. Bringing these issues to the streets makes Carnival a way for feminists to raise awareness and agitate for change!

Although during this Carnival there were some of the same problems as always – there were a lot of cases of sexual harassment, abuse and violence – overall, Carnival 2018 was marked by political acts, anti-harassment campaigns and demonstrations of sorority.

[1]         “Presente” is what people say in protests to remember people who were victims of violence and public personalities that are important for the cause.

[2]         In Brazil there’s a popular quote that says, “Em briga de marido e mulher  não se mete a colher.” It means, “When husband and wife fights, one does not interfere.” The campaign “mete a colher” puts in evidence the necessity to look to domestic violence as a social issue.

Yasmin is a Research Assistant at the Center for Research on Law and Economics at FGV-Rio. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences from PUC-Rio where she wrote her thesis on street harassment and feminists’ struggles for recognition. 

Share

Filed Under: correspondents Tagged With: art, brazil, Carnival, feminist acts, resistance

Brazil: How Feminists are Changing Street Carnival

January 22, 2018 By Correspondent

Yasmin Curzi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, SSH Blog Correspondent

Credit: Marcelo Valle

“Street carnival” in Brazil can be defined as an open encounter for all kinds of people in public spaces, such as streets, corners and squares, across hours (or days).

Each neighborhood has its favorite blocks, blocos, and during Carnival in early February, there will be nearly 500. It’s the only moment during the whole year when people actually stand in these spaces; during the rest of the year they only serve as transitory spots.

The fact that people can remain in the city in order to celebrate life, dancing, drinking, flirting, wearing costumes (many of them with political themes) contrasts with a certain vision of a “blasé” city, that serves only to reproduce capitalism. Street Carnival, therefore, is a political manifesto by itself.

Carnival brings a general feeling of freedom – and that is a beautiful thing. But too much freedom, with our cultural issues such as misogyny, can lead to an increase in harassment and sexual violence cases. Men can turn really aggressive in their approach toward women and it’s almost impossible, as a woman, to go anywhere alone without being vulnerable to these aggressions. Thus, in order to try to stay safe, women worry about their behavior, what they should or should not wear, what amount of alcohol to ingest, and how they’ll get to and from places. Of course, these are all the things that most of us women worry about everyday in order to avoid sexual violence (a study by Think Olga showed that of almost 8,000 respondents in Brazil, 98 percent of them had faced street harassment) – but during Carnival, we pay even more attention. In contrast, men are free to do anything they want in the blocks, with their only  fear perhaps being pickpockets.

Despite these situations, Carnival in Rio is one of the most wonderful spectacles we have. The city is always colorful and there’s an inexplicable magic in the air that everyone can feel. Its energy reaches even the grumpiest person. Carnival itself is not a problem; the violence that occurs during it is the problem that we want to eradicate. But we can’t do that without a profound cultural change. Therefore, feminists are organizing campaigns, safe spaces and blocks to enable equity in Carnival.

In Rio, the journalist and activist Renata Rodrigues started a “safe space” samba street block named “Mulheres Rodadas” (Women Who Get Around). The name was in response to a viral post of a man with a sexist sign reading, “I don’t want a woman who gets around.” This feminist Carnival block “Women Who Get Around” attracted thousands of followers and supplied much more than street samba. It built a whole network of support to battered women who can learn how to play instruments. It serves as a support group. Also, they promoted an awareness-raising campaign for a harassment-free Carnival with the hashtag “#CarnavalSemAssedio” (#CarnivalWithoutHarassment).

Image via Minas de Vermelho Facebook page

Last Carnival there was also a campaign called “Minas de Vermelho” (“Girls in Red”). Women wear red lace on their arm to symbolize solidarity with other women, so if one girl or woman suffers or is afraid of suffering an aggression, she can search for women wearing these laces to find safety.

These are examples of how feminists are tackling sexism in Carnival and transforming it from being more than just a party, but a disruptive demonstration. This is one hell of a way to advocate for women’s right to the city and produce cultural changes.

Yasmin is a Research Assistant at the Center for Research on Law and Economics at FGV-Rio. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences from PUC-Rio where she wrote her thesis on street harassment and feminists’ struggles for recognition. 

Share

Filed Under: correspondents Tagged With: brazil, Carnival, festival, street party

HABITAT 3: A Day of Connections

October 19, 2016 By HKearl

img_8917Hello from my final day at HABITAT 3 in Quito, Ecuador.

The two big highlights were:

1) Co-presenting this morning on a panel about crowdsourcing and community engagement with Elsa D’Silva of Safecity from India and Rosy Mondardini of Open Seventeen in Switzerland. Even with an 8 a.m. start time, about 40 people joined us — and unlike most other panels, we respected the time and spent 1/3rd of our session on Q&A with the audience. People were interested to hear more about how we collect data (through crowdsource mapping, story collection at workshops, stories submitted online, and surveys) and how we have been able to create concrete changes in our communities with those data.

2) The other highlight was meeting up with two activists I have emailed with for years — Alma in Italy and Alice in Brazil. We all realized last night we were all in town and arranged to meet today. Elsa joined me and so then we had anti-street harassment activists from four countries, four continents all together. It was very exciting!! Each of their groups participate in International Anti-Street Harassment Week each year, which is cool.

Alice invited us to make a video with her organization’s “super hero” to talk about creative ways to deal with street harassers (video to come).

I also got to meet Marcelo from ActionAid when he came to my panel and I went to his; he helped galvanize many of their ActionAid Safe Cities groups to join International Anti-Street Harassment Week this year.

Doing this work can sometimes feel really isolating when so much of it is done online, from my home, from buses and airports and hotel rooms, and so to actually meet people who are doing similar work and to put a face to an email address I have seen pop up over the years was so exciting!

10-19-16-our-bodies-are-not-public-space-habitat-3-quito-ecuador

Share

Filed Under: anti-street harassment week, street harassment, UN events and efforts Tagged With: brazil, Habitat 3, India, italy, usa

Late June 2016 News Round-Up

June 21, 2016 By HKearl

BBC, “No woman ever turned down a barking guy? Right?”

“Women are using the hashtag #NoWomanEver to humorously highlight their not-so-funny experiences of wolf whistles, sexual comments from passing strangers and other street harassment.

Although the hashtag isn’t entirely new it’s been used more than 140,000 times in the last couple of days after an American social media user called Miss Black Awareness revived it to sarcastically applaud the actions of a man whose unwanted advances she had seemingly recently suffered.”

 

The Guardian, “Brazil and Argentina unite in protest against culture of sexual violence“

“While gender violence occurs worldwide, the problem has come to the fore in several countries in Latin America through the work of prominent feminist groups, many of which argue their region is particularly plagued by social insecurity and male-dominated traditions.”

 

The Guardian, “Jordan’s first self-defence centre for women boosts fight for rights”

“It started out as an ordinary day for Rasha Salih, a young woman who works as an accountant for a private trading company in the centre of Amman. Like most women in Jordan, she wears a headscarf and modest clothes when she goes out.

After a long day at work, the 26-year-old returned to her compound in the Shmeisani district at around 6pm and took the lift to her flat. A young man was already in the lift when she got in. He started to flirt with her, and before she knew it, he was trying to rip off her shirt. There was nowhere to escape, so Salih put her self-defence training to use by directing a few kicks to her attacker’s head and stomach.

She followed her attacker out on to the street when he tried to flee, and handed him over to the police. He was eventually sentenced to three years for attempted rape.

“I only recognised the value of self-defence training when I was struggling to escape at the hands of my attacker,” says Salih. “I felt I had a confidence that I hadn’t had before, I was able to overcome my fear and protect myself. It was an incredible feeling.”

Salih is one of more than 2,000 women who have been trained in self-defence at Amman’s SheFighter studio.”

 

International Business Times, “After Jo Cox’s tragic murder we need to stop ignoring death and rape threats to female MPs”

“We have created a widespread normalisation of the idea that women who dare to put their heads above the political parapet become legitimate targets for violent and sexual abuse; that they deserve to be silenced. Every time people have responded to death and rape threats and sexual abuse and harassment against female politicians by brushing it off, suggesting they should simply grow a thicker skin, or saying that it “comes with the territory,” they have incrementally contributed to the acceptance of such behaviour.

None of them has directly caused or condoned a physical attack like the one on Jo Cox. But that doesn’t mean that our attitudes towards the abuse of politicians, and in particular female politicians, don’t need to be urgently re-examined.”

 

Fusion, “A lot more NYC women are stepping forward to report sexual harassment on the subway”

“More New York City women are stepping forward to report what has been a longstanding problem on the subway: sexual harassment.

There have been 458 reported sex crimes, not including rape, in the subway through Monday, compared with 299 through the same period last year, NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Fox said in testimony before the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. That’s a 53% increase, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Fox attributed the jump to an increase in victims reporting the crimes rather than an actual uptick in offenses…

In 2014, the MTA set up a website where victims can report incidents.

If current rates continue, the subway system is on track to finish 2016 with about 900 violations, a 22% increase from last year. Fox said the annual numbers had hovered around 600 offenses. In 2014, there 621 and in 2013, there were 647.”

 

RT.com, “Majority of female Israeli MPs faced sexual harassment – survey”

“At least 28 out the Israeli parliament’s 32 female members have experienced sexual harassment or assault, and at least two of the cases took place in the Knesset building, a recent survey has found.

The survey carried out by Israeli Channel 2 encouraged the lawmakers to speak openly about the challenges they have faced in their everyday life and at work.”

 

The Telegraph, “Three in four urban women have experienced sexual harassment in worldwide ‘epidemic‘”

“Three in four women have been subjected to harassment and violence in cities across the world, according to new research by ActionAid UK, which described the situation as an “epidemic”.

On average, 40 per cent of women who took part in the YouGov poll in Brazil, India, Thailand and the UK, said that they had been groped in public – the incidents ranged from being followed to sexual abuse.

The research has been launched ahead of the charity’s International Safe Cities for Women Day, in a bid to tackle the urban violence that women and girls struggle with globally. In light of this, ActionAid  is urging the UK to contribute at least £70 million from its existing aid budget to help protect vulnerable women over the next three years.”

 

The Guardian, “Jessica Valenti: my life as a ‘sex object’”

“When you catch a cold or a virus, your body has ways of letting you know that you are sick. But what diagnosis do you give to the shaking hands you get after a stranger whispers “pussy” in your ear on your way to work? What medicine can you take to stop being afraid that the cab driver is not actually taking you home? And what about those of us who walk through all this without feeling any of it – what does it say about the hoops our brain had to jump through to get to ambivalence? I don’t believe any of us walk away unscathed.”

Read an edited extract from Jessica Valenti’s memoir Sex Object, published by Harper Collins at £16.99. To order a copy for £12.99, go to the Guardian bookshop or call 0330 333 6846.

 

CBC News, “Skateboarders who stopped sex assault among Calgarians honoured for bravery at Chief’s Awards Gala”

“Four skateboarders received special recognition after they stepped in when a man was sexually assaulting a woman, scared him off, chased him down, and held him until police arrested him.”

 

CTV NewsVancouver, “Men suspected of attacking Good Samaritan on SkyTrain identified”

“Update: Three men suspected of attacking a Good Samaritan for intervening in sexual harassment on SkyTrain last week have been identified, according to police….

———

Previous story: Police are searching for three suspects who allegedly punched a Good Samaritan for telling them to quit harassing women on SkyTrain last week.

Transit Police said the trio of men boarded a train at Sperling Station around 11:20 p.m. Thursday and started making threatening comments to other passengers.

They told one woman they were going to “follow her home,” police said, and one of the suspects sat down beside another woman and “made jokes to his two friends about raping her.”

At that point, a Good Samaritan intervened and told him to leave her alone.

Police said the suspect became aggressive, swearing at the Good Samaritan and threatening to follow him off the train – which two of the suspects eventually did.

“At Lougheed Station, the man got off the train and was followed by two of the suspects who punched him in the face and upper body,” Transit Police said in a statement.

The assailants got back on the train, and the victim boarded another car to push the emergency strip and call for police.

One of the suspects found him and punched him in the face again before the trio ran away from the scene.”

 

Quartz, “Mayor Sadiq Khan has banned body-shaming ads from London’s transit system”

“In one of the first high-profile moves of his administration, London mayor Sadiq Khan announced on Monday (June 13) that body-shaming ads will no longer be allowed to appear on the city’s buses and underground trains.”

 

Mic, “This Agoraphobic Woman Had the Perfect Response to Street Harassment”

“‘Dear driver who yelled at me for taking a selfie on the sidewalk outside Trader Joe’s, I know what you thought you were seeing,’ Mae wrote. ‘Just a self-absorbed, shallow millennial, documenting a mundane task for no reason. ‘Stupid kid,’ you might have thought, ‘not every little thing has to be documented. Put your phone away and get on with your life.’ But here’s the thing. I also know what you were unable to see: I am agoraphobic.’

According to Mae, the driver yelled ‘nobody cares that you’re going to the fucking grocery store.’

But people did. Mae wrote she has not been out in public by herself for three years, due to her agoraphobia, and ‘even when going in public with loved ones, I can become wracked by anxiety, crippled by panic attacks where I could barely breathe or talk.’

‘This morning, alone in my apartment, I experienced a flash of strange courage,’ Mae continued. ‘For once, I didn’t wait around to see if it would stay … [going outside] felt powerful. I felt free.'”

 

Guardian, “For many women, metal is our home – so why don’t we feel safe at gigs?”

“That people like me, my friend or anyone else should have to avoid concerts for fear of sexual attack perpetuates the worst metal stereotypes, shuts out the genre’s diverse community and is contrary to the freedom that the music represents. Metal gigs offer us all the chance to release our aggression in a healthy way. But only with respect is this accomplished.”

 

Syracuse.com, “Downtown Syracuse accident caused by driver honking at woman: witnesses”

“A two-vehicle accident at North Salina and James streets this morning was caused by a man honking at a woman who was walking to work, witnesses said.

The man was driving a black Hyundai on Salina Street about 8:20 a..m. when he started honking at the woman, several witnesses said. The car then pulled out into the intersection and struck a pickup truck pulling a utility trailer, they said.

Minutes after the accident, the driver of the Hyundai lay nearly motionless in the road next to his car. Ambulances arrived within minutes and the man, who was conscious, was put on a stretcher.”

 

Medium.com, “The global street harassment myth that has to die”

“I recently realized that about ten years have passed since I took my first job in a women’s rights organization. I have learned many things over these years. Here is one of them: the oldest and most widely held myth about ‪#‎streetharassment is that women’s choices about their clothing determines whether or not they are harassed.

This is especially infuriating to me because I have been harassed in rural Faryab (that is in Afghanistan) while wearing a long dress and a large scarf that covered not only my hair but also my shoulders and chest and I have been harassed in Washington, D.C. while wearing a big winter coat, work pants and high rain boots. Also infuriating is that in both instances when I spoke up against the disrespect, my clothing was blamed.

Here is why the myth that women’s clothing leads to harassment has to die….”

 

The Frisky, “Ryan Gosling Thinks “Women Are Better Than Men” And Dropped Some Truth Bombs About Inequality”

“Asked about the enormous crush the female sex collectively has on him, and how he’s arguably objectified by the same crowd of people who want society to stop objectifying them, Gosling responded:

‘It’s our time as men to be on the receiving end of the stick. I grew up with women so I’ve always been aware of it. When my mother and I walked to the grocery store, men would circle the block in cars. It was very, very scary, especially as a young boy. Very predatory — a hunt.’

As Game of Thrones’ Kit Harrington recently pointed out, attractive men in Hollywood face objectification (ogling at topless pictures of Channing Tatum, or Kit Harrington, or Ryan Gosling — we’re all guilty of it). But of course, it’s worth noting that while men who strip down are often celebrated, women who do same face no shortage of slut-shaming.

At any rate, Gosling makes the good point that the “unwanted fuss” made by “women and gay men,” which the Evening Standard asked him about, is pretty different from the “unwanted fuss” men make toward women, which, in many terrifying cases, can be street harassment or stalking.”

Share

Filed Under: News stories, street harassment Tagged With: Argentina, brazil, canada, jordan, politics, self defense, UK, usa

USA: Five Ways People are Fighting Street Harassment

February 28, 2016 By Correspondent

Julia Tofan, Connecticut, USA, SSH Blog Correspondent

Street harassment is terrifying. It can start with catcalling and stalking, and can quickly escalate to threats and violence if a victim shows anything but submission and compliance. It can be so pervasive in daily life that it’s expected. It’s not a question of whether it will happen, but when and where. It’s an issue people around the world share and fight against. Here’s a list of recent initiatives and how they’re working.

  1. Social Media: Street harassment campaigns and organizations quickly immerse social media with hashtags and headlines. Social media has the power to educate the masses, show victims of street harassment that they are supported, and change the status quo of accepted societal behavior, like catcalling. One example is Brazil’s Carnival Campaign, advocating for #CarnivalSemAssedio, or #CarnivalWithoutHarassment. Social media doesn’t offer victims legal protection or end street harassment, but it makes a difference.
  2. Bringing Attention in the Moment: Who would’ve thought punk music and confetti could be used to fight street harassment? That’s exactly what women in Mexico City, one of the most dangerous places in the world for women according to the UN, are doing. The ladies of Las Hijas de Violencia, or Daughters of Violence, shoot confetti and play loud punk after an incident of street harassment. It’s dangerous and can escalate the situation if the street harasser feels attacked or shamed, but the women report that it helps them move on and take control of the situation.
  3. Scooter Gangs: Women in Cairo are frequently victims of street harassment, but scooters are providing women with a safer means of transportation than public transportation or walking. Girls on Wheels has recruited more than 300 girls, taught many girls how to scooter, and gained the support of girls’ families. It doesn’t get to the root of street harassment and stop perpetrators, but it empowers girls and improves safety, and that’s a step forward.
  4. Women only Transportation: Public transportation is a common location of street harassment, and it’s also a necessity for getting to and from different places. Women-only transportation implies all men are dangerous, places the onus on women to stay safe, and isn’t perfectly enforced, which allows males to occasionally enter the buses with the intention to harass women. Also, it isn’t always available. However, it can temporarily improve safety conditions for women traveling using public transportation, as Mexico is trying to accomplish with a new program.
  5. Apps: Street harassment is vastly under reported. Whether it’s fear, lack of support and trust, or shame, victims oftentimes don’t report street harassment incidents. Apps like Ec Shlire, an app designed by a Kosovo woman, are fighting that by giving women a community specifically for reporting street harassment and putting the incident on the map. It’s bringing the attention to light and giving victims a sense of solidarity, but it doesn’t report incidents to the police and enable police involvement.

People have had controversial reactions to the various programs and campaigns fighting street harassment. Every program and campaign has drawbacks, but something is being done, and along with the drawbacks, there are benefits. Whether programs and campaigns blame victims, solve the root of the problem, take street harassment seriously, and keep women safe are important questions to keep on asking, but recognizing the positive impact different projects are showing is also vital.

Julia is a student in a rural town in Connecticut. She writes for Givology, a nonprofit dedicated to improving access to education, and Dreams That Could Be, an organization telling the stories of students facing great challenges but persevering in their education. Read her blog posts on Givology and Dreams That Could Be and follow her on Twitter @Julia_Tofan!

Share

Filed Under: correspondents, street harassment Tagged With: apps, bicycle, brazil, Egypt, kosovo, mexico, women-only transit

Next Page »

Share Your Story

Share your street harassment story for the blog. Donate Now

From the Blog

  • #MeToo 2024 Study Released Today
  • Join International Anti-Street Harassment Week 2022
  • Giving Tuesday – Fund the Hotline
  • Thank You – International Anti-Street Harassment Week 2021
  • Share Your Story – Safecity and Catcalls Collaboration

Buy the Book

  • Contact
  • Events
  • Join Us
  • Donate
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 Stop Street Harassment · Website Design by Sarah Marie Lacy