• 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: 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

Mumbi Police Tackle Holi Harassment

March 23, 2016 By HKearl

Image via Wonderful Mumbai
Image via Wonderful Mumbai

The Mumbai police are taking action to help ensure women can have a safe and enjoyable Holi celebration.

Via Vagabomb:

“If you’re dreading the creeps who use Holi as an excuse to do disgusting things like throwing semen-filled balloons, condoms, eggs, forcibly applying colour on people, or simply groping them, the Mumbai Police has decided to do something very smart this year.

People who throw water balloons or colour at women on the streets can be booked for crimes against women by the Mumbai Police, which will take the strictest action against the perpetrators.

Victims of such assaults can simply take a picture of the location of the assault, and if possible, the perpetrator, and upload them to the Mumbai Police’s Twitter handle, @MumbaiPolice. They should also mention their own names. When the complaint is received, the police will deploy personnel to the location and book the person accused…

The police is afraid of people misusing the initiative and lodging false complaints, which is why they will be verifying the authenticity of each complaint, and the victim will be required to go to the police station.

This is a terrific initiative, and we request everyone in Mumbai not to misuse it. At the same time, please do not hesitate to lodge a complaint if you actually feel harassed. “Bura na maano Holi hai” is a regressive excuse to get away with harassing people.”

Share

Filed Under: News stories Tagged With: festival, Holi, India, mumbai, police

#CarnivalSemAssedio Campaign in Brazil

February 9, 2016 By HKearl

CarnavalSemAssedio‬ campaign in brazil, feb 2016Via Telesur TV:

“A campaign against street harassment during Carnival is gathering steam in Brazil.

The campaign is using the hashtag ‪#‎CarnavalSemAssedio‬, or ‪#‎CarnivalWithoutHarassment‬, to help dispel the myth that harassment during Carnival is somehow more permissible.
“Unfortunately, sexual abuse figures increase in this period for many reasons and many men justify their abusive behavior as a normal attempt to ‘flirt’,” Heloisa Aun, one of the campaign’s founders, told Forum magazine.

According to the campaign’s materials, the goal is to “combat violence and machismo, promoting discussion that harassment is harassment no matter the time of year.”

Organizers are calling on women and men to break the silence and speak out against harassment during carnival, using the hashtag to document cases of harassment.”

Good for them!

I’m wishing all who celebrate it a safe & fun Carnival and Mardi Gras!

Share

Filed Under: Activist Interviews, News stories Tagged With: brazil, Carnival, festival, street harassment

Gender Equity Festival 2008

July 15, 2008 By HKearl

For those in New York this weekend, check this out —

Girls for Gender Equity presents:
The 3rd Annual NYC Gender Equality Festival
a celebration of arts and activism in central Brooklyn
July 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Von King Park between Tompkins & Marcy at Lafayette

A FREE public event for education, networking, resource sharing, community interaction, arts, recreation and entertainment.

The Festival will feature arts organizations, service groups, youth organizations, educators, grassroots organizers, and nonprofits as well as:

  • Food & Refreshments!
  • Guest Speakers!
  • Live Performances!
  • Giveaways of wonderful prizes!

Artists, community organizations, and local politicians will participate, offering inspirational performances and important information to attendees about a wide variety of topics – responding to street harassment, HIV/AIDS, self defense, youth leadership, every day activism, ending police violence, reproductive justice, and more.

Girls for Gender Equity’s Sisters in Strength teen interns will also be presenting the findings from their groundbreaking research on sexual harassment in NYC schools. As the first high school lead Participatory Action Research project on the topic, their goals are to raise awareness about students’ experiences of harassment and make recommendations for change. Girls for Gender Equity is forming a coalition to address this crucial issue, and extends an invitation to organizations interested in participating in this effort.

To find out more, visit www.ggenyc.org.

Share

Filed Under: Administrator Tagged With: activism, festival, girls for gender equity, HIV/AIDS, leadership, police violence, reproductive rights, self defense, sexual harassment, street harassment

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