Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Chal Hatt Tharki

By

Editor’s Note: This guest blog post was written by Janvi Mankani.

Eve teasing is a highly concern worthy issue in all of India and consequently in Mumbai today. Cat calling and snide comments against women have become such an inevitable part of the society and that calls for attention.

All the men who think they can get away with this kind of behaviour need to be addressed. “Chal Hatt Tharki” as a campaign is not directed towards men, asking them to stop cat calling and eve teasing. Instead, as the name itself suggests, is directed towards women; asking them to raise their voices against inappropriate behaviour. The very words, “Chal Hatt Tharki” here, encourage and support women to take a stance against eve teasing.

Chal Hatt Tharki is about empowering women, making them aware and letting them know that if they stand up for their rights, no one will be able to take them for granted. For when the women speak up, the men will learn their lesson with respect to eve teasing by default. It’s high time all the Eves got their due, and fearlessly stood up for their safety, their existence, and for themselves.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChalHattTharki

Share

Video: Mumbai Women Speak Out Against Street Harassment

By

From Aditya Pillai via email:

“[This video is part of] a social campaign against Eve Teasing. That is where Indian men just stare at you on the streets, pass really lewd comments, molestation, even kidnap and rape.

It is a horrible experience and no women should have to go through it. It is a form of public sexual harassment of women and a real problem in the Indian sub continent. This kind of violence against the women in India just has to stop. This campaign needs a lot of international eyeballs for people to understand how serious the problem is India.

The campaign includes women from all over Mumbai speaking out against these men. The more people that see this the bigger the voice for women in India.”

Share

Walk for Respect in Nepal

By

Today 500 youth participated in a Walk for Respect against street harassment/sexual harassment in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Via YouTube:

“We silently walked through footpaths carrying various banners and placards up to Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Objective
1. To sensitize the greater problem among youths as well as other people i.e. eve teasing and sexual harassment.
2. Boost the morale of the people to face the challenges in this issue
3. Aware the people of existing laws and policies of Nepal
4. Gather public support to force the government to take necessary steps in these issues.
5. Warn the culprits that their misbehaviors are illegal and they can be punished for their misdeeds.”

Via CNN:

“The main theme of our campaign is to sensitize the greater problem among youths as well as other people i.e. eve teasing and sexual harassment. We want to boost the morale of the people to face the challenges in this issue and aware the people of existing laws and policies of Nepal. Eve teasing and sexual harassment are serious violation of Human Rights. As an aware conscious citizen we cannot tolerate the violation of Human rights. That’s why this issue needs to be addressed immediately and needs to be acted ASAP.”

One of the participants Pragya shakya said, “It’s high time we raise our voices. We have been suppressed in so many ways and why should we always suffer. The Government has made the rules against eve teasing and sexual harassment so why are we keeping our silence. We will not keep our silence it’s our right to speak, walk and talk with freedom and no one can take this away from us. Like said above people have no right to tell us what to wear first they should stop thinking bad. It’s my right to be who I’m but it’s against law to make me feel harassed.”

Good for them for speaking out!

Share

Young woman in India commits suicide because of harassers

By

This is tragic.

Deeksha Sharma, a 21-year-old student at Mahatma Gandhi College in India committed suicide this week. In the suicide note, she said it was because of the constant sexual harassment she faced by four men near her college. She’d complained about them across several years. It wasn’t completely clear from the article, but I gather nothing was done to stop them or help her.

Via Times of India:

“We have arrested all the four accused. We are investigating their role to find if they could also be implicated for outraging the modesty of the girl,” said Satyaveer Singh, superintendent of police.

Sadly, the belated actions of the police won’t help this young woman. But maybe they will prevent other young women from facing harassment by these young men. So that’s something.

Rest in peace, Deeksha Sharma.

Share

“Kick them straight in the balls”

By

This is part of the advice that Shiraz Singh (the woman on the right) gives her daughter when faced with aggressive street harassers.

Watch as women like Singh in Delhi, India, one of the least safe cities for women in the world, explain how they defend themselves against street harassers in a New York Times video (there is an accompanying article, too).

Share