Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

“This is the worst insult…”

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Mexico City, about 1992. Summer.

I was in my early forties, on business after a vacation in Oaxaca. Wearing a simple summer dress, had no conservative clothes for the unexpected trip.

Waiting to cross the street on Insurgentes, near the park downtown at the bus stop.

I’m tall, and this guy looks me up and down, trying to intimidate me. What are you looking at? He stammers, he’s right besides me “You’re beautiful.”

Well, I told him, “Tell me that. You have a wife? A mother, daughters, don’t you?” He gets angry.

The bus comes, he jumps on it. It’s full of men.

He opens the bus window and pokes out his head so all the others can hear:. Chinga tu madre!

This is the worst insult, about my mother. I was expecting it. Realize he’s afraid of my power.

I laugh as the bus takes off.

We need to have more video cameras monitoring our streets to end street harassment.

— Bárbara Renaud Gonzalez

Location:

A bus stop in downtown, Mexico City

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for ideas.

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The “Sexist” Seat on Mexico City’s Subway

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Via The Pool:

“A new campaign hoping to tackle sexual harassment in Mexico has introduced a ‘sexist’ seat on the metro exclusively for men – complete with chest and penis. The seat was created to make men feel as uncomfortable as women on public transport and, judging by the accompanying video, it worked. Men are seen to consciously avoid sitting on the seat, or sitting on it without realising, only for them to quickly jump up and move. In front of the seat is a message to men, reading, ‘It’s uncomfortable to sit here, but it doesn’t compare with the sexual violence that women suffer in their everyday lives.’ The anti-harassment message has since gone viral, with the hashtag #NoEsDeHombres.”

I was in Mexico City a few weeks ago for the UN Women Safe Cities Global Leaders’ Forum and we heard from many Mexico City leaders, including the mayor, about their efforts to make public places safer for women. What struck me was that nearly every effort they discussed, such as women-only transit options and the distribution of thousands of whistles, put the onus on women to try to stay safe. What I appreciate about the “sexist” seat is that the message is directed at men. While no, the seat by itself is not enough to change the cultural norms that allow sexual harassment to occur, I think it is an example of a unique and attention-grabbing way to start discussions with men about sexual harassment in public spaces and why men must help stop it.

That said, would-be harassers are not the only ones who ride the subway and consideration should be made for survivors of sexual assault and others who could be upset by it.

UPDATE: I did an interview for BBC News on this initiative.

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Today’s Events – April 17

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Posted by CoHabita DF in Mexico City

Special Global Action!

ANYONE CAN JOIN — As part of International Anti-Street Harassment Week, Stop Telling Women to Smile is organizing an international wheat pasting night on April 17, 2015. The following groups have already organized action around this:
Canada (Ottawa): Hollaback! Ottawa will be pasting the STWTS posters [3pm, Bridgehead on Bank/Gilmour] INFO
Germany (Berlin): Hollaback! Berlin will post the STWTS posters [7pm, k-fetisch] INFO
Mexico City: CoHabita/Habitajes will paste 65 #STWTS posters along 45 stations on Line 1 of the Metrobus in Mexico City throughout the week and will join the STWTS Wheat pasting night.
Illinois: Volunteers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne campus are hosting a Stop Telling Women to Smile Day.
Iowa: The Ending Street Harassment in Iowa City group will post “Stop Telling Women to Smile” posters throughout the community.
Join them!! Here are the details! [AFTERNOON/EVENING APRIL 17] 
Virtual Events:
April 17 | 12 – 1 p.m. EDT: @NOWYoungFems will host a Tweet chat to discuss street harassment across the broad spectrum of gender-based violence and discuss a holistic strategy to violence on every level.
International Events:
Colombia: OCAC Colombia is hosting HARASSMENT IS VIOLENCE. We will march with the Tremenda Revoltosa Batucada Feminista, and beat the drums against all forms of violence on our bodies. We’ll wait you since 5pm at Colpatria Tower. | VIERNES 17 DE ABRIL – 5PM. EL ACOSO ES VIOLENCIA. Marcharemos junto con la Tremenda Revoltosa batucada feminista, haremos sonar los tambores contra todo tipo de violencias sobre nuestros cuerpos. Les esperamos a partir de las 5pm frente a la Torre Colpatria, en la carrera séptima con calle 26.
France: Stop Harcelement de Rue Lille is launching the “No harassment bar”. This is an agreement reached between the collective and a bar (of which the name will be announced that night) in order to make it a “no harassment zone”. We are hoping to reach agreements with more bars later on. [nighttime]
Romania: FILIA: Centre for Curriculum Development and Gender Studies: ”Anti-street harassment evening” – Evening documentaries/ clips and a debate about street harassment with people interested in the subject.
Serbia: Equity Youth Association will be hosting a week long campaign to educate locals about what street harassment is. This will include flyering and handing out graphics and info across the city with information from their recently conducted survey, and hosting a chalk walk with local university students in a city park that is notorious for being  a high-harassment area [Flyering April 12-18, Chalk Walk April 17th]
USA Events:
Illinois: Volunteers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne campus are hosting Walk a Mile [5-6p on Main Quad] and Green Street Hug-in [6-8p on 6th & Green Streets]
Minnesota: Hollaback! Twin Cities is hosting two chalking events at the University of Minnesota [12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Location TBD.] INFO.
Missouri: The UMKC Women’s Center will be chalking around campus all week, and invites students to stop by the center to learn more! [April 13-17]
Nebraska: The sociology, queer alliance and radical notion clubs at Hastings College will be holding a talk-in to discuss street harassment experiences and solutions.
Nevada: Hollaback! Las Vegas is hosting a Chalk walk Downtown Container Park [4pm to 6pm at the Corner of Fremont and 7th]
Ohio: The People’s Justice League will be leading a chalk walk to mark problematic areas on the Ohio University campus [6pm. Meet at the bottom of Jeff Hill on campus]
Ohio: The People’s Justice League will be hosting a screening of the film Cairo 678 [8pm at Donkey Coffee, 17 West Washington St., Athens OH 45701]
Washington, DC: Nigerian LGBT activist Bisi Alimi will be speaking at the DC Center [8:30 p.m.]
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Street Harassment Round Up – May 17

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Stories:

On Holla Back DC! a contributor talks about her bystander efforts to challenge street harassers. She says, “If I’m close enough when I spot men ogling women who are unaware they’re being ogled, I usually say something in the lines of ‘I saw you do that, and you better not try it with me! Nasty!’ to embarrass them.'”

As mentioned in the last two week round ups, 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.

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem!

In the News:

  • A man disguised as a woman gropes a woman on the women-only subway car in Mexico City
  • A man in Vancouver, Canada, and a man in West Redding, UK, were arrested and tried, respectively, for sexual assault of young women in public places.

Upcoming Events:

Street Harassment Resource of the Week:

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Man in Disguise Gropes Woman on Mexico Subway

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In Mexico City there are women-only subway cars (and buses) due to men harassing women — listen to this story twist!

Image Credit: Light Rail Now
Image Credit: Light Rail Now

A woman was riding in a women-only subway car when she felt someone touch her “backside,” but she said she did not react when she saw what she thought was a woman standing behind her. But when the person grabbed her and groped her, she pulled the metro car’s alarm.

The attacker was arrested by police and soon after it was discovered that the person was actually a man in his mid-40s who was wearing a wig, dress, and a padded bra so he could gain access on the women-only cars. Which may have been fine (what, after all defines one as a woman?) except for the slight problem of groping.

The author of the Latin American Herald Tribune notes at the end of the article:

“For several years, the capital metro has had cars specifically for women, who frequently complain about attacks of this kind in the cars that can be used by both sexes.”

As I’ve mentioned several times online & certainly will address in my book, women-only forms of public transportation are somewhat problematic because they don’t address the main issue — men need to stop harassing and groping women!! This story illustrates the lack of a real solution women-only cars provide because apparently men are still groping women on the mixed-sex cars and men, like the one arrested, can dress up like women and get on women-only cars and still grope women (though I’d be surprised if this happens very much).

I acknowledge that women-only cars could be a relief in the short-term for women who need a break from the harassment, but what if instead there were anti-groping training programs and harsher penalties for gropers?

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