Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Street Harassment Round Up – May 10

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Stories:

In Toronto, a contributor tells how she got two men kicked out of a restaurant for groping another customer.

As mentioned last week, since April 26, HollaBack NYC has been posting one photo a day of street harassers. They will continue to do so for a month. All of the photos are being submitted by one woman, Sally N., a New York City resident. Emily at HollaBack NYC says, “We believe these pictures tell the story of what it’s like to be a woman in the big apple.” Visit HollaBack NYC to see these photos.

For a new international perspective, read some of the new street harassment stories in Mauritius.

At Holla Back DC, a contributor tells how she was walking to meet friends and a man asked her how much for her body… (Ugh!)

Website Launch:

The anti-street harassment website in Mauritius (near South Africa) officially launched this week!

In the News:

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Harassment on New Delhi Metro

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Is public transportation in any country safe for women who don’t want to be harassed (99%)? I don’t know, but given how many stories I’ve read where it’s not safe, I’m wondering… From Thaindian in New Delhi, India…

“Molestation is rampant on the Metro, insists Anuradha Jha, a mass communications student and resident of Vikaspuri. ‘It is for this reason that I avoid taking the Metro during peak hours.’

Delhi Metro Rail Corp (DMRC) that runs the service says it is faced with acute shortage of security personnel. ‘We do not have that much manpower to deploy guards all the time and so we do that during peak office hours only,’ DMRC spokesman Anuj Dayal told IANS.

On an average, more than 850,000 people travel daily in the Delhi Metro, the bulk of them commuting between 8.30 and 11.30 in the morning and from 5.30 to 8 in the evening.

Dayal said DMRC was looking at the possibility of engaging security personnel in plain clothes to check sexual harassment. ‘People should know there are CCTV (closed circuit) cameras both inside the trains and on platforms.'”

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Fearless Karnataka Round Up

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takebackthenightVisit Blank Noise to find out how the Fearless Karnataka/Taking Back the Night activism went in India over the weekend. They will be posting narratives and so far have posted photos.

I found two news articles about their activism. From NDTV.com:

“On International Women’s Day, the message on the streets of Bangalore was loud and clear — public spaces belong to everyone and all of us need to raise our voices to stop violence against women.  ‘Fearless Karnataka’, a group formed after recent attacks on women in the city, led the way with street plays, protests and a late night event to celebrate womanhood.

Talking directly to the people, members of the group staged a street play to catch the interest and hoping to change the mindset of Bangalore’s public. This street play was an attempt to get the public to get involved, to react to violence against women if they see it and not just watch passively.”

From  The Times of India:

“After protesting in front of the DG & IGP’s office on Saturday, members of Fearless Karnataka had an ice-breaker with citizens on Women’s Day. They spoke to people on the streets around the spots where women were recently attacked, and made them put thumb impressions on a survey form asking: How will you, as a bystander, react to an attack? Posters were put up and flyers distributed.”

You can read some of the survey responses in the article. I am in awe of these brave people!

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Applauding Activists in Egypt and India

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In recognition of International Women’s Day, here’s a taste of the latest street harassment activism occurring in Egypt and India.

The Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights has been engaged in a widespread campaign to end the sexual harassment of women in the country, including on the streets (street harassment). Last year they conducted and published a study about the high rate of harassment that made headlines around the world and, combined with two high profile street harassment cases last year, may lead to better laws this year. Currently, they are preparing to launch a HarassMap project later in 2009:

“This project will implement a system in Egypt for reporting incidences of sexual harassment via SMS messaging. This tool will give women a way to anonymously report incidences of sexual harassment as soon as they happen, using a simple text message from their mobile phone. By mapping these reports online, the entire system will act as an advocacy, prevention, and response tool, highlighting the severity and pervasiveness of the problem.”

When my life settles down some, I’d be very interested in trying out something similar in the U.S.! take-back-the-night-3809

In India, where street harassment is also a huge problem, Blank Noise activists have been engaged in various forms of activism against street harassment for years. Tonight they are holding a Taking Back the Night event:

“We are Taking Back The Night because we want to feel safe in our city. We are taking back the night because for too long our relationship with our city has been fear based. We Take Back the Night with you…Take Back The Night invites individuals, organisations, collectives, groups all to reclaim their city streets at night….Join us to intervene in the neighbourhoods where recent attacks on women took place. Pick a neighbourhood and call the coordinator for location details. Volunteers will hand out testimonials; engage with the public in discussion examining how we can act against violence (bystander ‘polls’ have been made and printed already to trigger discussion); drive people to the street theatre performances by Maraa in the Indiranagar, Ulsoor locations.”

I applaud both organizations for their amazing work to make public places safer for women in their countries.

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In India, New Opportunities for Women = Abuse from Men

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The Washington Post has an article by Emily Wax about how attitudes toward women in India aren’t necessarily keeping pace with the progression of rights of Indian women. Street harassment or eve teasing is an example they give – more women are in the streets as they go to work and school and men are harassing them. Tellingly, a women who is part of a theater groups that educates the public about issues like street harassment and sexual assault says she regularly gets harassed when she is going home from performances. Another example:

“Chaudhry is one of the brightest students in her working-class district. But since several local men started following her to class, she sometimes stays home now. She has friends who have been raped or are constant victims of “Eve teasing,” when men on the street spew lewd comments or aggressively paw women’s bodies.”

Pretty horrible, right?

In the US this has also happened. An example that comes to my mind is the sexual harassment women faced when they were allowed to be integrated into traditionally male (and high paying) jobs because men were not happy to have them there on equal terms.

Do you have other examples?

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