Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

What were you wearing when you were sexually harassed?

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Yesterday Jezebel asked this question in an informal poll on their website. Today they posted the results:

I clicked several of the choices and I also clicked “other” and wrote in running clothes because I’ve been harassed the most while running.

Some of the other “other” options they listed include:

  • while picking my nose
  • in a bar, in a car, in a hat, on a mat…
  • carrying stacks of books around from the library
  • in scout uniform, in overalls and in granny jumpers
  • wearing a hijab
  • walking, waiting for a bus, generally being female
  • wearing USMC camo uniform
  • with women/with my girlfriend/at pride and/or queer events
  • walking to a restaurant with my parents at age 13
  • picking up dog poop
  • giving a guy a lapdance.
  • doing the time warp
  • in an ambulance after I broke my LEG.
  • While at the top of a 20 foot ladder.
  • entering a house of worship
  • Unbathed in the aftermath of a hurricane by out of state rescue workers.
  • dressed as the Virgin Mary (not a joke)
  • karate uniform
  • dressed as a toy soldier for a production of The Nutcracker, at age 12
  • crying my eyes out over a family death
  • walking my son in stroller; attending a pro-choice lobby day at my state capital
  • wearing my Arby’s uniform
  • while having a job interview at an outside cafe
  • crying/ about to get an abortion
  • Like a fucking Amish lady
  • As a 9 year old, wearing overalls.
  • with horse-manure stains on my clothes and hay in my hair
  • wearing ann taylor
  • in a gargoyle costume (it was Halloween, and no, I wasn’t a “sexy gargoyle.”

In India, Blank Noise collects articles of clothing to show how men harass women in all sorts of clothes and that women “Never Ask For It.” This poll demonstrates the same thing. What is so frustrating to me about gender-based harassment compared to other forms of harassment is how much time we have to spend undoing victim-blaming, showing that this is an issue that women don’t bring on themselves, and proving its existence.

As hard as it may be for some people to believe or to have to face, the reality is that every day women are harassed by men just because we are women, not because of what we wear!! This is a societal problem and it must end before women will ever have a chance of achieving equality with men.

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What has eve-teasing got to do with clothes?

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The Indian Express has a good article featuring Blank Noise‘s efforts to raise awareness in India about the problem of street harassment by collecting clothing women were wearing while being harassed. Here’s an excerpt:

“We are told that the onus lies on us to prevent its occurrence. We are told to dress appropriately, to come back home on time, to not attract attention to ourselves. And the worst of all, we are expected to accept sexual harassment or forms of eve-teasing as a part and parcel of our societal culture,” says Mariya Salim, a Calcutta University student of human rights who is participating in the drive.

Besides acting as testimonies of eve-teasing all voluntarily donated garments exhibited at public places in Kolkata since last month, also serve as a sort of an outlet for the victims to purge their pent-up feelings.

Jasmeen Patheja, founder member of ‘Blank Noise’, a Bangalore-based volunteer led community arts collective, says it is a violation of a girl’s liberty when she has to think twice before going out of her house alone.

“Isn’t the perpetrator responsible for his own action irrespective of what time we go out on the roads wearing the kind of attire we want to,” she said.

Very true. Women who are harassed are not to blame, the men who harass them are! Learn more about the work Blank Noise is doing.

Via Blank Noise
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Weekly Round Up Feb. 21, 2010

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Stories:

I accept street harassment submissions from anywhere in the world.
Share your story!

  • On this blog, a woman talks about how early street harassment began and how she cranks up her ipod when she passes a regular harasser in her neighborhood, and a woman in Seattle, WA, shares the gamut of harassment she’s experienced.
  • On DC Hollaback! a harasser tells the contributor that she could “at least say hi.”
  • On Hollaback NYC a woman shares how she cannot leave her house in the Bronx without being harassed and another woman shares how a few years ago a man raped her and then she faced victim blaming from the cops.

In the News:

Announcements:

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Tweet #ineveraskforit

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Image from Blank Noise

Blank Noise is in the midst of a new component of their “I Never Ask for It” campaign.

Background: To counter the insane amount of victim-blaming that goes on in India (and most other countries, including the USA) when women are sexually assaulted and harassed (or eve teased), they are collecting clothing to show the range of clothing women are wearing when they are harassed. People who engage in victim-blaming tend to say women were wearing Western or revealing clothes.

Image from Blank Noise

Latest campaign info: Anyone with a twitter account can help with their campaign by tweeting what they wore when they experienced any kind of sexual harassment, along with #ineveraskforit. They also offer a range of background images you can use for your twitter account. The campaign starts today and continues until Feb. 27.

If you are in India, here is information about how to be involved:

METHOD 1
1. collect clothes from friends and family
2. bring them to the venue
venues will be updated on the blank noise blog:
http://blog.blanknoise.org/2010/02/clothes-collection-drive-date-location.html

METHOD 2
1. organize a clothes collection drive in your college, city, office, neighbourhood
2. give us venue details and we will send you material required for an event.
3. inform us a week in advance
Method 2 is most challenging and Action Heroes will be given a certificate for participation.

METHOD 3
take a photo of the garment you wore when you experienced harassment. make that your facebook profile photo + status should read : I never ask for it.
Please upload the photo in the event’s album too and spread the word- I never ask for it.

Next clothes collection drives are on Feb 20, Bangalore, and Feb. 27, Delhi.

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