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#NoEsMiCultura: Latin America join forces to launch the first continental campaign against Street harassment

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Mapa-OCAC-LATAMThe following was provided by OCAC Chile.

En el marco de la Semana Internacional Contra el Acoso Callejero, Latinoamérica se une por primera vez para lanzar una campaña de alcance regional contra el acoso sexual en espacios públicos. La campaña #NoEsMiCultura es organizada por la red de Observatorios Contra el Acoso Callejero (OCAC) de Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua y Uruguay. Su objetivo es concientizar y visibilizar el acoso callejero como un problema que se sufre en todo el continente.

Durante la Semana Internacional Contra el Acoso Callejero, las sedes de OCAC Latinoamérica realizarán actividades para educar, sensibilizar y erradicar la idea que el acoso sexual en espacios públicos es parte de un folclore y típico de los países. La idea es transmitir que, más bien, es un problema transversal. Esta premisa se difunde en un video y en contenido en las redes sociales de la red de Observatorios.

“Queremos que en cada país se deje de justificar el acoso callejero como parte de la cultura local, queremos que se sepa que el acoso sexual callejero es un problema global y que nos afecta como región. Sabemos que nuestras voces unidas tienen más fuerza, por eso trabajamos articuladas para aprender unas de las experiencas de las otras. Hacemos entre los OCAC y también buscamos hacer redes con otras ONGs a nivel internacional”, señaló Alice Junqueira, Directora de Articulación Internacional de OCAC Chile.

Además de esta primera acción conjunta, en los últimos meses, cada Observatorio ha realizado acciones a nivel local. Junqueira destaca el proyecto de Ley contra el acoso callejero aprobado por la cámara de diputados en Chile, la campaña entre Action Aid y OCAC Nicaragua, la caja de herramientas que prepara OCAC Colombia, los talleres municipales de OCAC Uruguay, la articulación por una ley contra el acoso callejero de OCAC Costa Rica y los videos de sensibilización de OCAC Bolivia y OCAC Guatemala.

In English

In the context of the International Anti-Harassment Week, Latin America joined forced to launch the first regional campaign against sexual harassment in public places. #NoEsMiCultura [#NotMyCulture] is a campaign organized by the Observatories Against Street Harassment (OCAC, in Spanish) of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Uruguay. Its aim is to raise awareness and make street harassment visible as a problem in the whole continent.

During the International Anti-Harassment Week, the six OCAC branches developed activities to educate, create awareness and eradicate the idea of sexual harassment in public places as part of folklore or as a typical expression of each country. The idea is to communicate that street harassment is a transversal problem.

“We want each country to stop justifying street harassment as part of their local culture. We want the people to know that street harassment is a global problem that affect us as a region. We know that our voices together are stronger, so we work organized to learn from each other’s experiences. We do that as OCAC Latin America and with other NGOs all around the world.” said Alice Junqueira, International Coordinator from OCAC Chile.

Additionally to this first joint action, in the last months, each Observatory has done initiatives in a local level. Junqueira highlights the bill “Respeto Callejero” [Street Respect] against street harassment in Chile, the local campaign between Action Aid and OCAC Nicaragua, the tool box that OCAC Colombia is preparing, the municipal workshops held by OCAC Uruguay, OCAC Costa Rica’s activism for a bill against street harassment in the country, and the videos to raise awareness by OCAC Bolivia and OCAC Guatemala.

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Day 6: International Anti-Street Harassment Week

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WPNight_2_1000Hey there, Day 6!

Here are photos from the week  | Here are the media hits

It’s the International Night of Wheatpasting, hosted by Stop Telling Women to Smile!

 

Ottawa
Ottawa, Canada

North London, UK
North London, UK

New Hampshire, USA
New Hampshire, USA

Here are some of the other events that will be taking place:

  • Canada: Hollaback Vancouver did wheatpasting. They will also held a party with Good Night Out Vancouver to celebrate consent and spaces free from harassment.
  • Canada: Hollaback Ottawa hosted a community event, including an info fair (6:30-7:30 p.m.) and a moderated panel with rad, local folks & a community discussion on street harassment and intersectionality (7:30-9 p.m.)
    4.15.16 HB Ottawa - site director @JulieSLalonde kicks off the panel with guests @Cupcakes_n_Rap and @ChelbyDaigle
  • Guatemala: OCAC Guatemala held an awareness-raising event.
  • 4.15.16 PDH Guatemala event 2Nepal: Youth Advocacy Nepal gave a presentation of their street harassment study findings at the National Women Commission including to the deputy Prime Minister, Shrijana Sharma.
4.15.16 presentation of 'Rapid Assessment Report' on street harassment at National Women Commission. Nepal 6 4.15.16 Naren Khatiwada and deputy prime minister, Shrijana Sharma - Nepal 4.15.16 presentation of 'Rapid Assessment Report' on street harassment at National Women Commission. Nepal 3
  • California: The Cat Call Choir organized a group of irreverent but hopeful women sang street harassment quotes to the tune of nursery rhymes.

4.15.16 CatCallChoir

  • Missouri: Students, including Actio (the feminist activism student group) at St. Louis University, did chalking and handed out resources at a main entrance to campus for a “Take Back the Streets: Stop Street Harassment” event.
4.15.16 St. Louis University - The Politics of the Street class diid sidewalk chalking. Missiouri 8 4.15.16 St. Louis University - The Politics of the Street class diid sidewalk chalking. Missiouri 4.15.16 St. Louis University - The Politics of the Street class diid sidewalk chalking. Missiouri 3

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Day 2: International Anti-Street Harassment Week

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4.10.16 Nufoshey firstharassedWelcome to Day 2!

Here are photos from the week so far! Also, check out the 7 easy ways to respond to street harassers video our board members Erin McKelle and Manuel Abril created.

We had a Tweet Chat today at 11 a.m. ET led by Sayfty, with #EndSH, #SayftyChat. Read the recap (created by Sayfty).

Sayfty chat

Here is a sampling of the offline events that took place around the world:

  • Bahamas: Hollaback! Bahamas partnered with the College of the Bahamas for a chalking event along a main walkway on campus. The chalking will span four days, with an all-school break with artists on hand to help with the chalking on April 14.

Bahama

  • Egypt: HarassMap did awareness-raising actions at Mansoura University in Mansoura governorate
  • Guatemala: OCAC Guatemala launched a pilot street harassment mapping project, an interview with Congresswoman Sandra Moran, and a social media campaign.

4.11.16 OCAC campaign launch in Guatemala

  • India: Safecity shared the following:  After a series of discussions and campaign activities, seen here are Anjali and Sahil of Sanjay Camp who have come together with other girls and boys of their neighborhood to paint a mural on equal access to public spaces and opportunities. Girls spoke of their restricted choices and options when they step out of their houses and boys spoke of how that wasn’t a concern until they heard the girls talk about it. They are looking to change this together. This mural is part of their efforts for the ongoing International anti street harassment week, we are excited to see the mural they’ll end up painting!

4.11.16 Safecity India - Anjali and Sahil of Sanjay Camp painting a mural

 4.11.16 Safe Cities Metro Manila Programme  4.11.16 Safe Cities Metro Manila Programme with Game Changers, a group of Communication Research students from University of the Philippines 3  4.11.16 Safe Cities Metro Manila Programme with Game Changers, a group of Communication Research students from University of the Philippines 2
  • Illinois: CHLH 340 students at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign did tabling on the campus quad to discuss sexual assault portrayal in the media [11 a.m. – 3 p.m.]

4.11.16 U of IL tabling 2

There were a lot of virtual actions, campaigns and events too, including the launch of several Latin American OCAC organizations’ joint campaign #NoEsMiCultura — street harassment is not my culture. Join in across the week.

OCAC online campaign

ActionAid South Africa:

4.11.16 ActionAid South Africa

Safecity India is asking “What would your safe city look like?”

"These amazing girls we're working with in Indira Nagar, Jogeshwari (E) in partnership with Vacha Charitable Trust say, their safe city will have freedom for girls."
“These amazing girls we’re working with in Indira Nagar, Jogeshwari (E) in partnership with Vacha Charitable Trust say, their safe city will have freedom for girls.”

 

Check out this video made for Anti-Street Harassment Week in Cheltenham, UK, under the hashtag #cheltbitesback (written and voiced by Joy-Amy Wigman).

Remember to tag us in the photos of your actions with #EndSH or @StopStHarassmnt (on twitter and instagram) and if you have a pup, take their photo and tag them for #HoundsAgainstHarassment!

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New women-only buses in Guatemala

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Guatemala, one of the most violent countries in the world, just launched a pilot program of dozens of women-only buses in Guatemala City because of the high rates of sexual harassment and groping that women passengers face.

The buses are identified with signs reading “For Women Only” and pink ribbons (ah yes, as always, pink = female…) and the buses run between the city center and neighbourhoods to the north and south. The buses run from 6 to 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m., and they allow boys under 12 to ride. Bus drivers are also allowed to be male.

Guatemala joins more than fifteen countries that have women-only public transportation, each instituted as band-aid fixes to address rampant sexual harassment on public transportation and never offered with enough frequency to be of use to all women passengers. The idea for the women-only buses in Guatemala came from seeing Mexico institute them a few years ago.

“Spearheading the initiative was right-wing opposition congresswoman Zury Ríos, who asked the owners of buses to create women-only spaces, to keep them safe from harassment and aggression.

“It’s been a success. I’m really happy that women feel safer and that with this decision, their human rights have begun to be respected,” said the legislator, who is the daughter of former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt (1982-1983).

Congresswoman Ríos, who is known for taking up women’s causes, said the Guatemala City system is based on the Mexico City model. She added that the idea is to also provide a women-only taxi service, with women drivers, similar to a system that is operating in the Mexican capital.”

Americas Quarterly reported on how the first day of the initiative went:

“The first day of service was met with a mix of enthusiasm and confusion. Hundreds of women lined up to board the pink-ribboned buses, but some were made visibly nervous by male riders in nearby lines who appeared to mock the new routine. The system also created difficulties for riders unaccustomed to traveling without their husbands or older sons. Some men, who mistakenly boarded the new buses, were ordered off.”

Like other countries with women-only public transportation, feelings about the women-only buses vary. Some women are simply grateful for any measure that gives them relief from the harassment, while others see it as a surface-level response that doesn’t address or fix the root causes. For my part, I always wonder how people can justify segregating individuals by sex in these instances when it would be unthinkable to do so by race, eye color, or nationality. It may be harder to do, but why not actually address the root causes or focus the attention on men instead of on women?

Here is some of the mixed feedback, via International.to:

“I feel safer here,” Verónica Ortega, holding her two-year-old son, told IPS as she rode home on one of the women-only buses.

“The problem is that off the bus, harassment is still an issue,” Ana María Cofiño, with the La Cuerda feminist collective, told IPS, describing the buses as a “palliative” measure.

“Specific actions like this are taken, but violence in other areas like the workplace or the streets, or the fact that women are at risk of being raped at any time, are not addressed,” she complained.

Cofiño said the Guatemalan state has the obligation to guarantee that women have the same access to opportunities as men, and to carry out awareness-raising campaigns on respect for women. “If the authorities did this, we would believe there was a more serious intention of bringing about change,” she added.

Ana Silvia Monzón at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) told IPS that the initiative makes sense as long as women continue to be harassed on public transport.

“I hope it’s only temporary and that men’s behaviour will improve, but for that to happen, other measures are needed as well,” the expert added…

Evelyn Morales, with Tierra Viva, a women’s group based in Guatemala City, told IPS that it will take a major effort to curb harassment and violence against women. But the women-only buses “are a positive step, because most women experience being groped, harassed and sexually violated on urban and suburban buses,” she said.

But not everyone is happy about the measure. “There aren’t enough buses, and now half-empty buses carrying only women will go by,” complained Víctor Guzmán, a factory employee.”

Thoughts?

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