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Mid-May 2016 News Round-Up

May 17, 2016 By HKearl

First Post, “Rainbows abound: How the world is celebrating International Day against Homophobia“

“They say there’s a pot of gold waiting at the end of every rainbow. As the world observes International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) on 17 May, the LGBTQ community stands unified, doused in rainbow colours, still waiting for its pot of gold.

While 30 countries have legalised same sex conduct, 75 countries still criminalise same sex relationships, 10 out of which condemn same sex relationships as punishable by death, according to Human Rights Campaign, which is a civil rights organisation working for LGBTQ rights in the US. Under such conditions, it becomes imperative that the world shows solidarity by acknowledging the violence and the discrimination that the LGBTQ community still faces, as well as celebrating the advancements.”

BBC, “French female ministers decry sexual harassment“

“Seventeen women who have served as ministers in France say they will no longer be silent about sexual harassment in politics.

All 17 signatories to the declaration are current or former ministers.

Among them is Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund and France’s former finance minister.

On Monday, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly, Denis Baupin, resigned over sexual harassment claims, which he denies.

In the declaration, the women call for a toughening of the law against sexual harassment, as well as specialist desks set up in police stations to deal with such complaints….

Women must be allowed to work, be out in the street, take transport without having to be subject to comments or wandering hands. We shouldn’t have to say it again and again. We shouldn’t have to write this declaration.”

Huffington Post, “Making it Easier to Report Sexual Harassment Isn’t Enough“

“After construction workers sexually harassed women passersby at a 22-acre site in Prospect Heights, New York, the four companies employing them have taken an unusual step. The employees will each wear a different colored hard hat to coincide with their company and they have new badges and hard-hat stickers to make it easier for harassed persons to identify and report their perpetrator.

It is encouraging to see a company take street harassment seriously. But one of the downsides to this plan is that it places the onus on the harassed person alone; they have to take time and use emotional energy to pay attention to what was said or done and by whom and file a report and deal with whatever happens once a report is made.

Making it easier for a harassed person to report is very important, but in general, companies need to do more, especially if they know that some of their employees are harassers.

It’s been 25 years since professor Anita Hill’s testimony during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made workplace sexual harassment more visible, but sexual harassment is still widespread, including in astronomy, the National Park Service and Hollywood.

While 98 percent of companies have a sexual harassment policy and many hold employee trainings, new research shows that policies and training videos may be doing more harm than good. For example, in one study, men who took sexual harassment training were more likely to blame the victim of sexual harassment and less likely to identify certain inappropriate behaviors as sexual harassment. In another study, employees were more confused about what sexual harassment entailed after the training than before. Gender perceptions of sexual harassment and how it is defined by a company’s policy can play a role in its effectiveness, too.”

DCist, “Sexual Harassment In Bars Is Pervasive, But A New Project Offers Help“

“A new project will help bar patrons figure out which establishments have trained their staffers to intervene in instances of sexual harassment and assault.

Safe Bars has been two years in the making, and is a collaboration between Defend Yourself and Collective Action for Safe Spaces.

“You can just see why bars are the perfect place to intervene,” says Lauren Taylor, co-director of Safe Bars and founder of Defend Yourself. “It’s such an important nexus for dealing with unwanted sexual touching, harassment, or assault.”

Many people, especially women, have had the experience of feeling uncomfortable or even scared at a bar. But it’s not because aggressors are too drunk to know better. Studies have found that people target others who have been drinking. The research concluded that “Prevention needs to focus on addressing masculinity norms of male patrons and staff who support sexual aggression and better management of the highly sexualized and sexist environments of most bars.””

Ahram Online, “Art Alert: Matigi exhibition explores street harassment at Darb 1718“

“Darb 1718 is displaying work by Sayed Arafat, titled Matigi (Won’t you come) and opening on 17 May, where he explores gender roles in Egypt’s patriarchal society and street harassment women are exposed to through his series of monoprints.

The term “matigi” is a suggestive invitation, though it holds many unwelcome connotations on the streets when used as a catcall.

Inspired by personal experiences of the artist’s female friends, the work “captures how women find themselves the objects of gawking, whistles and cat calls from random males in the streets of Cairo,” according to Darb 1718’s description.”

Daily Life, “We need to talk about ‘fatcalling’ – not just catcalling“

“I have been ‘fatcalled’ several times. ‘Fatcalling’ is a term I came up with to describe the abuse fat people, typically women, have hurled at them on the street. In my experience, the mainstream feminist narrative surrounding catcalling doesn’t allow much room for experiences like mine. Instances where I haven’t been objectified because the harasser considers me physically attractive, but instead where I’ve been denigrated because the harasser has decided I am not. Instead of “hey sexy”, I usually get “hey Jabba” (as in Jabba the Hutt, who is the boss of everyone so thanks for saying I’m powerful!!!) or “you’re a whale/hippo”, both of which are extremely cute animals that could crush a human being if they wanted to.

Like many other women, I’ve been dealing with this from a young age, right after I started puberty. Where other women learnt that men saw their bodies as objects of desire, I learnt that men found mine repulsive. Both catcalling and fatcalling are most definitely street harassment, but I’ve found that fatcalling has been discussed less in feminist circles, perhaps because it’s less about sexualising women and more about stripping them of any sexuality whatsoever.”

Las Vegas Informer, “I’m not your shorty“

“More important than criminalizing catcalling, however, is changing the way men are taught to view and talk about women. We need to teach young men that hollering at women just isn’t OK. That a genuine compliment is always nice, but a litany of adjectives to describe women’s anatomy shouted from across the road is not. That they might feel quite cute when they compete with each other to offer up new harangues, but that women do not find them at all witty for doing so.  We need to teach young men that true power isn’t about making women fear you. Such conversations need to happen in homes, schools, churches, and other institutions.  And they need to happen often, starting at a young age.  It’s time we put some more focus on the daily microaggressions that women must endure, rather than treating them as if they’re an inevitable fact of life if you were born with a vagina.”

VICE News, “Women in Mexico City Are Fighting Back Against Rampant Public Sexual Harassment“

“Last month the capital’s authorities decided it was time to show they care about stopping rampant sexual harassment against female commuters in the Mexican capital by flooding the subway system with 1,200 police officers dressed in pink vests. The city government said the force is being deployed at stations throughout the network during the morning and evening rush hours.

“Groping usually takes place during peak times,” said a spokesman at Mexico City’s Public Security Secretary. “Our aim is to stop these uncomfortable situations for women from taking place.”

The new special anti-groping force on the subway was announced after thousands of women took to the streets on April 24 to demand an end to gendered violence of all kinds.

Many wore purple, some carried pink crosses, and others wore clothes with simulated blood stains. The main slogan was “We want to stay alive.” Banners proclaiming “No means no,” and “If one of us gets armed, all of us will respond,” were common.”

My News LA, “Sex hassle on Metro train or bus? Crackdown works“

“The percentage of Metro transit riders reporting sexual harassment on buses and trains continues to decline, Metro reported in releasing the results of the latest survey of transit passengers.

Of the 15,000 customers surveyed in March, 88 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied with Metro service, while 85 percent said they felt safe while waiting for transit and 88 percent felt safe while riding. The number of passengers who said they had experienced sexual harassment was 18 percent, down from 19 percent in October and from 22 percent in fall 2014.

“Safety is Metro’s highest priority and it is gratifying to see the results of our heightened efforts to train, educate and engage law enforcement and passengers on how we all must do our part to improve the safety of the system,” Metro board chairman and county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. “We will not rest on our laurels, but instead redouble our efforts to enhance the positive experience for our riders.””

Fembot Magazine, “How I went from being a catcall apologist, to an anti-harassment activist“

“Internalizations are one of the strongest factors when it comes to street harassment – but they are completely understandable. It is so much easier to accept the hegemonic story that, “nice tits baby!” is a harmless comment rather than something darker, or something that could even get us killed over if we dare protest against. Even harder is confronting your own problematic behaviours. Forgiving yourself for continuing objectification because its comfortable.

I’m thankful for all the fish swimming upstream against public harassment because it gives women and other gender (non)identifying folk a reason to speak up and learn about the deeper causes of catcalling without playing the blame game. It unites us in talking about something that happens on a daily basis.

We only believe the colour purple is purple because we wake up everyday told that’s the way it is. We only believe catcalling is a compliment because, every damn day, we’re told that’s how it is. But, not anymore.”

Revelist, “A disturbing history of getting catcalled as a mixed woman in front of my white mother”

“When puberty hit, I suddenly became an object for sale with various bidders letting me know of my best — and, upon rejection, worst — attributes.

As a woman, my mom wasn’t surprised that my sister and I were being catcalled. But as a white woman (who is also short, very petite, pale and freckled, with green eyes and blond hair) with biracial children (I’m average height and curvy, with dark hair and eyes and light-brown skin), she was unprepared for a new reality — one in which her kid is constantly catcalled in front of her, because people don’t realize I’m her kid at all.”

Tyburn Mail, “Anger at ‘sexist’ ad of woman’s rear“

“The huge ad features a close up of a woman’s rear with the text: “We’re getting ready to reveal our fabulous new rear..! (entrance)… Pert and perfect by June.”
University lecturer Charlotte Barlow says: “This type of campaign objectifies and sexualises women, encouraging them to be viewed as sex objects, and should not be tolerated.

“The fact that the model’s ‘rear’ is the only part of her body that we can see reinforces the status of women’s bodies as objects for the male gaze.”
Dr Barlow lectures in Criminology at Birmingham City University. “Campaigns like this arguably perpetuate street harassment and sexual harassment”, added Dr Barlow.

“Street harassment is a daily reality for many women and this objectification of women’s bodies reinforces the idea that this is acceptable, when such behaviour should not be tolerated and rather viewed as part of a wider continuum of sexual harassment and ‘everyday sexism’.”

“I recognise that there is also a male ‘rear’ that is featured as part of the campaign, but as there is only one such image and four images of women, the sexualisation of the female body is clearly the key focus of this campaign.””

Legal Solutions Blog, “Is Street Harassment A Crime?“

“Amid this increasing focus on women’s rights, the debate surrounding the criminalization of street harassment is unlikely to dissipate.  As women continue to suffer indignity and disrespect (and death), and as foreign nations continue to pass new laws, there will be increased pressure on the U.S. to legislate against what is tantamount to gender hate speech.  It appears Washington, D.C. is already on the right path.”

Timeline, “The panic over potty politics didn’t start with the transgender issue“

“Centuries later in London, no one thought to build public bathrooms for women because no one really expected women to be in public all that much. When women did venture outside the home, it was usually for a short enough time, that they were expected to just hold it. (Molotch calls this sociological phenomenon the “urinary leash.” ) But in case they couldn’t, Sheila L. Cavanagh writes in Queering Bathrooms, adventuresome London ladies of the 1700s carried around “urinettes” made of glass, leather, or ceramic — essentially portable chamber pots. Urinals for men, however, were conveniently located throughout the city.

“One way of dealing with the issue of women’s elimination was to just not acknowledge that women had a public life,” he said.

Gender scholars call this the “separate-spheres ideology.” In early 19th century America, for example, trains included one car for women — it was always the last car so that if the train crashed, they stood the best chance at survival. When public libraries opened in the mid-1800s, women had separate reading rooms. Hotel lobbies were built to include women’s resting rooms.”

Quartz, “The “bystander effect” keeps catcalling alive. Let’s train ourselves to take action“

“In sum, research suggests that bystander intervention is one of the most promising ways to combat street harassment and the sense of powerlessness that it cultivates in communities.

“When street harassment is common, all women will be on edge, worried, and wondering if they’ll be next,” Fairchild says. “The mental energy spent on vigilantly looking out for possible harassment and steeling oneself to ignore it takes away from our creativity and drive. Active bystanders can be wonderful allies to help make the streets more welcoming.”

The Conversation, “We want men to stop honking their horn at women because they respect them, not for fear of punishment“

“Ensuring street harassment is included within government policy and prevention efforts addressing gender-based violence could help to shift perceptions of this behaviour as “not serious” and actively locate it as a form of harm.

Given many of my participants’ experiences were inflected with elements of homophobia, transphobia, racism and ableism (discrimination against people with disability), this suggests that we need to look beyond gender-based inequality if we are to prevent all forms of street harassment.

We know from other violence prevention and anti-bullying work that a whole-of-community approach works best in shifting cultural attitudes and behaviours. While efforts such as the London campaign and hotline are a good start, these types of actions cannot occur in isolation if they are to be effective.”

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Filed Under: News stories, street harassment Tagged With: Australia, bystander, Egypt, fat-calling, france, laws, mexico, offensive ads, subway, transit, UK, usa

End of April 2016 News

April 30, 2016 By HKearl

More recent news:

USA Today, “China introduces female-only bus service“

“A female-only bus service aimed at protecting women from sexual harassment launched this week in China, drawing praise and criticism.

The Zhengzhou 3rd bus company introduced the service on a popular route in the central city of Zhengzhou. It will run during busy commuting hours until early August.

“During the summer, women usually wear thinner clothes, making it easier for them to be harassed in crowded buses. … The all-female service will increase their convenience and safety,” said Kong Chaoping, the firm’s chairman, according to the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper.

The buses are recognizable by their big red signs that read, “Female-only.” They have stuffed animals and other kids’ toys suspended from the ceiling.

Sexual harassment is a common yet largely ignored problem on China’s public transportation system. More than 50% of women have experienced inappropriate touching or body contact while using the country’s trains and buses, a survey by the China Youth Daily newspaper found last year.

In 2014, the Women’s Federation of Guangzhou, a state-affiliated group, found that 85% of all sexual assaults in Guangzhou, a city in southern China, occurred while victims used the city’s public transportation network.”

Quartz, “Thousands of Mexican women are talking about sexual harassment for the first time“

“Rarely publicly acknowledged in Mexico, sexual harassment is being surfaced via Twitter hashtag #MiPrimerAcoso, or #MyFirstHarassment, by women posting their first experiences with male bullying and by others wanting to have an open discussion. Hundreds of thousands of posts have circulated in the last three days.

The drive, started by a Colombian columnist (link in Spanish) on Saturday, is reinforcing the issue after demonstrations Sunday (April 24) in Mexico City and other major cities attracted thousands of women. The Twitter record, a poignant collection of heartfelt confidences, will probably prove more powerful…

#MiPrimerAcoso reveals that many women first experienced harassment as girls, as young as five and six years old. The perpetrators of the abuse span a wide range, from relatives—older cousins and uncles are mentioned frequently—to policemen, to random strangers, and in one case, a therapist.”

Waging Nonviolence, “Mexican feminists declare a ‘violet spring’ on nationwide day of action“

“Tens of thousands of feminists protested across Mexico on Sunday, amid what they say is an epidemic of violence against women.

“We’re sick of suffering all kinds of abuse when we just walk in the street,” said Mari, a protester in the central Mexican city of Puebla, who was joined by hundreds of activists in Puebla’s city center, demanding justice for victims of femicide.

When the march reached the state government offices, activists accused local authorities of failing to bring perpetrators of violence to justice. One masked protester shouted, “The government here in Puebla lets them get away with impunity,” adding, “This isn’t just in Puebla, but all of Mexico.”

Declaring a “violet spring,” protesters called on women across Mexico to take a stand against sexism. One of the largest protests took place in Mexico City, where organizers railed against Mexico’s traditionally machista, or sexist, culture.

“It is evident that we need social re-education — to teach men not to harass, not violate, not hit, not threaten, not enslave, not abuse and not kill women and girls,” organizers said in a statement.”

The Verge, “India mandates panic button on all phones to help keep women safe“

“All mobile phones sold in India will be required to have a panic button as of next year, the country’s telecommunications ministry announced this week, as part of an effort to enhance safety for women. As Bloomberg reports, the order requires handset makers to implement an emergency feature that could be activated by holding down the numbers 5 or 9 on a keypad. The function will be mandatory on all phones by January 1st, 2017, while GPS navigation systems will be mandatory on all devices by 2018.

Women’s safety in India has drawn worldwide attention following reports of gang rapes and other forms of violence. There were more than 330,000 reported cases of violence against women in 2014, according to government statistics, up 9 percent from the previous year. The issue has spurred some companies to develop apps and services that make it easier for women to contact emergency services. India’s minister for women and child development, Maneka Gandhi, pushed for mandated panic buttons last year.”

‘Technology is solely meant to make human life better and what better than using it for the security of women,’ Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a statement.”

attn: “This Man’s Attempt to Take Upskirt Photos Just Backfired in an Extreme Way“

“A shocking piece of footage, in which a man eats his camera’s memory card after being caught allegedly filming upskirt videos, is gaining international attention.

According to the Chinese Publication People’s Daily, the video was filmed by a woman caught the alleged Peeping Tom in the act while riding the subway. The woman who shot the footage goes by the name Xiao Cha Cha A, Daily Mail reports. She posted the video on the Chinese social media service Weibo, with a caption reading, “I had tried to block his view a few times but he kept on taking them. I must expose him!”

In the video, the Xiao Cha Cha A is seen tugging at the man’s bag, and yelling, “delete the pictures, delete them. Look everybody, here is a pervert who takes upskirt pictures of women,” Daily Mail reports.

The man then eats his SD card. It is unclear if the woman forces him to do so, or if he eats the card voluntarily to destroy the evidence. In the final seconds of the 1:01-long video, the man can be seen fleeing the subway car.”

The Source, “[Los Angeles] Metro’s new anti-sexual harassment video“

“Metro launched its “Off Limits” campaign last spring in an effort to reduce sexual harassment on buses and trains. The campaign was a direct response to riders identifying this as an issue in Metro’s customer surveys.”

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Filed Under: News stories Tagged With: china, India, los angeles, mexico, phone app, public transit

Bonus Day: International Anti-Street Harassment Week

April 18, 2016 By HKearl

Even though April 16 was the official end of International Anti-Street Harassment Week, a few more events took place on April 17.

Women for a Change held a workshop for youth in Buea, Cameroon.

4.17.16 Women for a Change Cameroon youth workshop 3 4.17.16 Women for a Change Cameroon youth workshop 4 4.17.16 Women for a Change Cameroon youth workshop

Hollaback! Ottawa hosted a chalkwalk in Ottawa, Canada.

4.17.16 HB Ottawa sidewalk chalking, canada 4.17.16 HB Ottawa sidewalk chalking, canada 7 4.17.16 HB Ottawa sidewalk chalking, canada 3

Also, many virtual campaigns took place across the week:

OCAC Bolivia:

4.13.16 OCAC Bolivia 2 4.13.16 OCAC Bolivia 3 4.13.16 OCAC Bolivia

Hollaback! Cuenca, Ecuador:

4.12.16 Hollaback Cuenca - Ecuador 9 4.14.16 Hollaback Cuenca - Ecuador 2 4.14.16 Hollaback Cuenca - Ecuador 9

HarassMap in Egypt:

4.11.16 Imprint Movement - 'It's ok' won't help her getting her right back, an official complaint will get it 4.12.16 Imprint Movement - 'The law in on your side... Speak UP' 4.13.16 HarassMap Egypt - 82 percent of bystanders dont intervene bc they think SH is not a big deal

Stop Harcelement de Rue, Paris, France:

4.12.16 Paris, France 8 4.12.16 Paris, France 4 4.12.16 Paris, France 3

OCAC Guatemala:

4.13.16 OCAC Guatemala 2 4.13.16 OCAC Guatemala 3 4.13.16 OCAC Guatemala

OCAC Nicaragua:

4.17.16 Observatorio Contra el Acoso Callejero Nicaragua 7 4.17.16 Observatorio Contra el Acoso Callejero Nicaragua 4 4.17.16 Observatorio Contra el Acoso Callejero Nicaragua 5

Safecity India, #MySafeCity:

 4.16.16 Our Program and Outreach Officer in Mumbai, Anu Salelkar's safe city is one where more women and girls occupy public spaces. India, Safecity  4.16.16 Soumodeep's safe city treats accidents as crimes and not as political issues. India, Safecity  4.16.16 Elsa Marie D'silva. India, Safecity
Touching - India 4.14.16 Safecity India Verbal Harassment - India

Mexico. 20 women living in Mexico City from different ages, occupations and backgrounds worked together towards the development of a campaign against sexual harassment, “Space is public, my body is not”. The artwork consists of a series of photographs created by the visual artist Cerrucha :

Cronopio Azul ‏-Mexico Cronopio Azul ‏-Mexico 1

Nepal. #VoicesinCrisis:

4.12.16 Voices in Crisis Nepal 17 4.12.16 Voices in Crisis Nepal 12 4.12.16 Voices in Crisis Nepal 7

The Philippines, Stand Up, Speak Out- From Streets to Schools – a campaign of the Game Changers with the UN Safe Cities Metro Manila Programme:

4.13.16 Stand Up, Speak Out- From Streets to Schools - a campaign of the Game Changers with Safe Cities Metro Manila 4 4.14.16 Stand Up, Speak Out- From Streets to Schools - a campaign of the Game Changers with Safe Cities Metro Manila 5 4.13.16 Stand Up, Speak Out- From Streets to Schools - a campaign of the Game Changers with Safe Cities Metro Manila 8
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Filed Under: anti-street harassment week Tagged With: Bolivia, cameroon, canada, ecuador, Egypt, India, mexico, Nepal, philippines

Chariots for Hire, No Groping Buttons and Other Ways to Make Transit Safer

April 13, 2016 By HKearl

The ride-sharing service Chariots for Women will be launching nationwide on April 19 as an alternative to Uber and Lyft. In this model, all drivers and customers will be women to “ensure safety, comfort, and pleasure.”

Since stories about sexual violence of women at the hands of male Uber and Lyft drivers and taxi drivers are not uncommon, it’s understandable that there is a market for such a service. Indeed, I’ve supported a similar but free service called RightRides in both New York City and Washington, D.C. On select nights, women and LGBQTI-identified people can receive a safe, affordable late-night-ride home.

In San Francisco, a similar service called Homobiles offers rides that are free, with a donation suggested, to members of the LGBTIQQ community, who similarly may feel unsafe or discriminated against by drivers or be unable to pay for expensive taxi fares.

I understand why these services exist and many countries offer some form of women-only public transportation. But I do not believe that these kinds of women-only or LGBTIQQ-only services should be the ultimate goal. They are problematic for many reasons. Namely, they do not address the root causes of harassment and sexual assault, and they place the onus on these communities to keep themselves safe.

But there are no quick-fixes and easy answers for making public transportation (or any public spaces) safer, and I applaud those who are at least trying. And lately, there have been many groups that are trying. These are four examples, just from the past few weeks:

 

JAPAN:

In Japan, men groping women and girls on public transportation is a problem, but it’s challenging for them, especially girls, to speak out in the moment when it happens.

A female high school student in Tokyo who was regularly groped by men on her ride home from school (and reported it, but that did not stop it) and her mother designed a button that said “Groping is a crime” and “I won’t let the matter drop” which she attached to her school bag. The buttons seem to be a deterrent, and no man has groped her since she put them on her bag.

Her success inspired others. Recently, thanks to a fundraising campaign (“Stop Chikan Badge Project”), the Chikan Yokushi Katsudo Center expanded on her idea and mass produced buttons. The designs on the buttons were also selected through crowdsourcing – there were 441 submissions and five designs selected. Recently, volunteers from the organization distributed 500 of the buttons at the JR Shibuya Station, with plans to distribute them at other stations. Not only did girls and young women take badges, but adults took them too to distribute to their daughters.

Japan Times March 2016 groping

MEXICO:

In early April, twenty women wearing dark clothing across their body and faces held a flash mob protest against sexual harassment on the transit system in Mexico City. They were organized by the group Information Group on Reproductive Choice after one of the women’s colleagues was attacked. A 2014 study found that more than 60 percent of women in Mexico City and faced sexual abuse while riding public transit.

The women demonstrated at various stations and on the subway itself. Both metro authority staff and passengers were respectful and many women passengers stopped to thank them for raising awareness through their demonstration.

metro_mujeres11 - march 2015 mexico city campaign

UK:

Transport London conducted a survey in 2013 of their riders and found that around one in seven women had experienced unwanted sexual behavior on public transit. In response, they launched Project Guardian in conjunction with the British Transport, Metropolitan and City of London police forces and local advocacy groups, to raise awareness and train employees. But even still, few people reported harassment when they experienced it.

One year ago, they released the Report It to Stop It campaign. The video captures the way harassment can escalate and a voice asks at various points, “Would you report it?”

This month, one year later, Siwan Hayward, TfL’s deputy director of enforcement and on-street operations said there’s “not enough data yet to say it’s a trend” but “we are beginning to see what we hope is actually the prevalence of sexual offences falling.”

Notably, the video has been viewed nearly five million times and 36 percent more people are coming forward to report harassment, resulting in a 40 percent increase in arrests. As Ellie Violet Bramley wrote for the Guardian, “the real win is the cultural shift this signals – women won’t accept this behaviour as routine any more, and neither will the authorities.”

USA:

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has been working in collaboration with Collective Action for Safe Spaces and Stop Street Harassment on an anti-harassment campaign that has included station-wide awareness posters, an online reporting form, the training of employees, and outreach days at Metro stations. All of these efforts set the tone that sexual harassment is unacceptable and is taken seriously.

Over International Anti-Street Harassment Week, the three organizations released the results of the first-ever survey on the system. This is the biggest study of its kind for any transit system in the United States.

In the 1,000 person-regionally representative survey conducted in January 2016 by Shugoll Research, 21 percent of riders had experienced some form of sexual harassment, with verbal harassment being the most common form. Women were three times more likely than men to experience sexual harassment.

In positive news, 41 percent of the riders were familiar with the latest anti-harassment campaign and those who were familiar with it were twice as likely to report their experiences of harassment. Based on the findings, WMATA, CASS and SSH are currently working on a new awareness campaign that will be released in a few weeks.

11.28.15 WMATA Ad! Falls Church, VA 4

 

Find ideas for how YOU can help make public spaces safer.

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Filed Under: LGBTQ, News stories, public harassment, street harassment Tagged With: groping, japan, mexico, taxi, UK, usa, women-only

Early April 2016 News Round-Up

April 2, 2016 By HKearl

Here are a few news stories on my radar recently:

Economic Times, “Widespread sexual harassment still persists in Delhi: Study“

“Sexual harassment remains a pervasive problem in Delhi despite tougher laws being enacted after the gruesome Nirbhaya rape and murder case in 2012, according to a new study that found 40 per cent of female respondents were sexually harassed in the past year.

About 40 per cent of women surveyed in Delhi said they have been sexually harassed in a public place such as a bus or park in the past year, with most of the crimes occurring in the daytime, researchers said.

Further, 33 per cent of women have stopped going out in public and 17 per cent have quit their jobs rather than face harassment in public places.

‘What this means is that women, despite Nirbhaya, are still afraid,’ said Mahesh Nalla, from the Michigan State University in US.”

Telegraph, “German rail operator launches women-only train carriages following sex attacks“

“Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn will introduce the option for women passengers on the Leipzig to Chemnitz line, positioning the carriages next to the train conductor.

‘The local proximity to the customer service representative is chosen deliberately,’ a Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn spokesman said.

The carriages are designed to make solo female travellers or women with young children feel safer on trains.

Boys up to the age of ten will also be allowed to ride in the special carriages.”

Yahoo News, “New York City proposes crackdown on taxi driver sexual harassment“

“New York City’s taxi authority plans new rules for drivers that will impose tougher penalties for sexually charged comments and contact with passengers amid growing concern about harassment.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission, which licenses about 150,000 drivers of yellow cabs and other for-hire vehicles such as Uber [UBER.UL] and Lyft, wants to curb unwanted communication and touching as the number of drivers has significantly grown.

The TLC said the regulations are meant to clear up any confusion about what defines sexual harassment as more drivers enter the industry.

The behavior is already prohibited under a broad definition against threats, harassment or abuse, but the commission’s goal is clear up any confusion about what defines sexual harassment said TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg.

The agency plans to debate the proposal at an April 21 meeting.

‘This rule amendment would provide clear definitions of sexual harassment and unwanted sexual contact, which would help TLC prosecution enforce its rules and protect our passengers,’ he said in a statement.”

The Hollywood Reporter, “‘Ovarian Psycos’: SXSW Review“

“For the women of the Ovarian Psycos Bicycle Brigade, riding through the streets of Los Angeles is an act of guerrilla theater, bandanas optional. Taking back the night — and, on tough and disapproving turf, the daytime streets as well — they’ve staked their place in the riot grrrl lineage and are direct descendants of the feminist and Chicano movements of the ’60s and ’70s.

A concise and intimate documentary on the collective illuminates why they find solace as well as purpose in their DIY activism. Many of these tough pedalers are self-described “at-risk adults,” still pushing against the undertow of abuse and trauma.

As a portrait of the group, Ovarian Psycos, which takes its bow in the Documentary Feature Competition at South by Southwest, is incisively personal rather than all-encompassing. It showcases compelling characters and, at its most potent, explores complex territory between mothers and daughters, tradition and independence. The film is a natural for doc platforms with a political edge.”

Odyssey, “How It Actually Feels To Be Catcalled“

“Here is a look inside the mind of someone who has been verbally harassed by strangers since the age of fourteen.”

The Ohio State University, “Why sexual harassment is worse than other types of abuse online“

“A survey of 293 women who played video games online showed that, while they didn’t like general abuse such as swearing and insults about their game-playing skills, they could dismiss these types of comments from their mind pretty easily.

But even after the game was over, women continued to think about the sexist comments, rape jokes and threats, and other sexually related comments that they received while playing with men.

‘Most women players understand trash talking and having their playing skill insulted, even if they don’t like it,’ said Jesse Fox, lead author of the study and professor of communication at The Ohio State University.

‘But what disturbs them is being targeted simply for being a woman. They don’t easily forget those comments and continue to think about them when they’re done playing.’

And while the results suggested women didn’t think it was the responsibility of gaming companies to stop general harassment, they did seem to blame the companies for not doing more to end sexual harassment.”‘

DAWN, “‘Cycle chalao, patriarchy dubao’: Taking to Karachi streets without the company of men”

“Three girls are cycling ahead of me, one trailing with a poster that reads #GirlsOnBikes. Another has one hung on her back:

‘Hamari sarkein, hamara sheher.’

Fifteen bikers — an unusual sight of kameezes, long hair and dupattas— follow at their pace behind me. There is assurance in travelling in a pack, but our collective confidence is intentional and prepared.

Our all-women bike rally is based on a troubling reality: we are protesting street harassment against women.

Earlier this month, a girl in Lahore was hit by a car of boys while cycling to join the Critical Mass group. The girl — Aneeqa — responded with indifference to their initial attempts at harassment. But that did not deter them; they drove closer, and rammed their car into her bike. The reaction was somehow justified in their head.

Our bike-rally is an act of solidarity for Aneeqa, who, I realise, is probably cycling right now with the girls in Lahore, hardly two weeks since her bruises healed.”

Open Democracy, “Sexual harassment in Kosovo: no longer invisible“

“The oddest finding, however, is the excellent ability of male survey respondents, the main perpetrators of harassment, to identify specific acts as sexual harassment – in some instances even better than women. For example, 48.8% men think leaning on another person’s body without their permission is sexual harassment, compared to 25.1% of women. Similarly, being pressured to go out with someone is seen as an act of sexual harassment by 41.9% of men, compared to only 23% of women.   My theory would be that there are some pretty enlightened men in Kosovo, and women so normalized to acts of harassment that they don’t even think of them as such. It may also mean that many men know exactly what sexual harassment is, but still harass others or simply stand by when they see it happening around them (the bystander effect applies to women as well).

This can change. This report has provided the first quantitative data on the prevalence of harassment in Kosovo, and should serve as a great resource to shut down arguments that it isn’t a widespread problem – the kind of arguments I frequently read from young men on the internet whenever the issue of sexual harassment is brought up in Kosovo.”

Vice, “In Mexico, Women Are Protesting a Wave of Brutal Murders with Performance“

“Help me, help me,” screams a stout but strong elderly woman standing on the banks of a garbage-filled canal in Chimalhuacan, Mexico. The woman is Irinea Buendía, and she is acting in a street theater performance, holding a sign with the words: “I didn’t commit suicide, you killed me.” The woman in the photo is her daughter, Marina. Buendía is surrounded by dozens of women dressed in fiery costumes. They are all screaming the names of other women who have been killed in the State of Mexico.

This canal has become the final resting place for an undetermined number of women who have been kidnapped, assassinated, mutilated, and dumped in the sewage-filled water. The group gathered here is composed of various feminist collectives which have reappropiated this harsh environment as a public theater space. Femicides have become an alarming crisis in the state, where more than 1,500 women have been murdered in the past ten years. It is believed that the victims’ gender was a primary motive in the majority of the assassinations.

All over Mexico, various womens’ groups are using creative theater to combat the scourge of gender-based violence. In Mexico City, the Hijas de Violencia (Daughters of Violence) shoot street harassers with confetti guns and sing punk anthems to denounce sexual harassment. In Puebla, a state where women have been murdered by their boyfriends and partners, the organization El Taller hosts a feminist school to help women identity violence in their personal relationships.”

Observers, “Video: Tunisian women share insults they’ve received on the street“

“Why are you so nervous? Do you have your period?” “You’re ugly, go home!” “You’re a girl, you can’t drive.” These are just a couple of examples from a video project in which filmmakers asked 60 Tunisian women to give examples of verbal sexual harassment they’ve faced on the street.

On March 20, Tunisia celebrated 60 years of independence. For the occasion, two women’s rights NGOs created this video, which they titled “60 years of independence and our bodies are still colonised.” It is full of insults, sexist comments and unwelcome propositions. Several of the women are famous in Tunisia, including journalist Lina Ben Mhenni, actress Amira Chebli, and MP Bochra Belhaj Hmida.”

The Guardian, “From Peru to Kosovo, female MPs aim to end abuse of women in politics“

“During her time as mayor of Lima, the Peruvian capital, Susana Villarán experienced brutal and harmful attacks and threats. She says they were designed to ‘diminish my image and make it clear it was not a place for a women like me to try and disrupt that male world of politics and power.’

The British MP Jess Phillips began receiving online threats when she started speaking about women’s rights after winning her parliamentary seat last year. She receives daily attacks and has seen online articles in which ‘people wished to see me raped or come home to see my sons hanging from a tree as I couldn’t possibly care about men.’

Villarán and Phillips shared their stories at the launch of a campaign by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to stop violence against women in politics.

Launched on the fringes of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York last week, the #NotTheCost campaign is seeking to raise awareness of the different methods of violence women face when seeking positions of power at local, national and international level. This can include physical, sexual, psychological, verbal and economic violence.”

Human Rights Watch, “Sudan: Silencing Women Rights Defenders“

“Sudanese security forces have used sexual violence, intimidation, and other forms of abuse to silence female human rights defenders across the country, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government should investigate all alleged abuses, hold those responsible to account, and undertake legislative reforms to protect women’s rights.

The 61-page report, “‘Good Girls Don’t Protest’: Repression and Abuse of Women Human Rights Defenders, Activists, and Protesters in Sudan,” documents efforts by Sudanese authorities to silence women who are involved in protests, rights campaigns, and other public action, and who provide social services and legal aid, as well as journalists. Women engaged in these efforts are targeted with a range of abuses, from rape and rape threats, to deliberate efforts to tar their reputations. Their male counterparts may be less likely to experience some of these abuses.”

BDnews24, “Ganajagaran Mancha announces signature campaign demanding arrest of Tonu’s killers“

“The Comilla Victoria Government College student was found dead, her head smashed, near her house inside Comilla Cantonment on the night of Mar 20.

Mancha spokesperson Imran H Sarker announced the programme at Dhaka’s Shahbagh on Wednesday, while the killers remain at large and unidentified even nine days after the murder.

Following a Road March to Comilla on Sunday demanding justice for Tonu, the platform had also called for a one-hour strike at all educational institutions across Bangladesh on Wednesday.

The mass signature campaign aims to push the authorities to meet three other demands — implementation of an anti-sexual assault policy as per High Court orders, new law for death penalty for rapists and ensuring security of all women.”

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Filed Under: News stories, street harassment Tagged With: bangladesh, catcalls, germany, India, kosovo, mexico, New York City, Ovarian Psycos, peru, Sudan, sxsw, tunisian

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