Where do I even start? Being in Spain has been out of control in terms of street harassment, but the worst experience I had was at Carnaval in Cádiz. Carnaval is the alcohol-fueled Spanish version of Halloween, in which everyone takes to the streets. My two female friends and I were walking through a relatively crowded alley and took a break when four men approached us. We were standing in a corner, and they surrounded us and trapped us in the corner.

They began to ask us if we had boyfriends (yes), where were they, and explained that if our boyfriends weren’t there then we didn’t have boyfriends. We tried to get them to get away from us and they became more and more persistent.

Finally, one of them grabbed me and started to grope my breasts aggressively through my jacket until I slapped him across the face and started screaming at him (“cabrón” is a very useful word to know in Spain if you want men to leave you alone). It was incredibly frustrating but I’m glad that I reacted quickly and got him and his minions to leave.

– E. S.

Location: Cádiz, Spain

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.