Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Italy: Street Harassment in the Eternal City

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Sara Rigon, Italy, SSH Blog Correspondent

SSH_Rigon_DecPic2Recently a friend of mine tagged me on a very thought-provoking #genderviolence tweet about street harassment in Rome. She thought I might be interested in a startling video posted by La Repubblica online, an Italian newspaper that is second in national digital circulation, and she was right.

In the video, a woman walks down the central and beautiful streets of the eternal city, facing a wide range of unsolicited comments, catcalls and whistles.

Wait, this is not news and not even the “no news good news” kind of news. Street harassment is unacceptable and offensive, but sadly it is not surprising. Similar experiments have been done before in different cities around the world, producing more or less the same disturbing and upsetting outcomes.

Among the first videos about street harassment to go viral was the documentary “Femme de la rue” by Sophie Peeters. She taped her everyday walk to her university and other areas in Brussels, Belgium. It was a very disturbing glance into a woman’s life and an introduction to street harassment.

There was was the American-born filmmaker Colette Ghunim’s footage showing “what is like to walk the busiest bridge in Cairo as a girl,” showing it was not quite an enjoyable promenade. The film “10 hours of Walking in New York City as a Woman,” a walk made by Shoshanna Roberts in New York City, was unbelievably stressful. Roberts described how she felt to the Washington Post: “I wanted to break down in tears.”

After the NY City video went viral, the New Zealand Herald decided to try the experiment in kiwi land. Having lived in New Zealand, I was very pleased to discover that only two people spoke to beautiful model Nicola Simpson during her 10 hours of walking through the sunny streets of Auckland and one guy was asking for directions.

I personally do not recall any whistle or catcalling during South Pacific time, a very relaxing and fresh experience for me. However someone did throw a plastic bottle at me from a car while I was walking home on the beautiful Marine Parade in Napier. Yes, I admit it, I was reading a book and I am aware that walking and reading is not advisable or safe, but I still do not think that being hit by a (thankfully empty) plastic bottle on the head was the best way to remind me of that. But I doubt that was the message.

So back to the Italian video… what is startling about it?

This is: The Italian newspaper experiment shows a particular population of offenders, policemen and law enforcement agents, in one of the 25 most visited cities in the world. The video is quite distressing to watch, at least for me it was. Seeing men in uniform catcalling a young lady passing by gives you a sense of disbelief and alarm. While out on the streets, law enforcement agents are expected to be constantly alert, patrolling neighborhoods, and serving as a public liaison. Police officers are given more privileges than the average citizen and usually with great power comes great responsibility.

It must be said that there are many upstanding and qualified law enforcement agents in Italy and around the world, several of whom are also specifically trained to deal with gender-based violence victims and crimes. Nevertheless, this Italian video is not the only account on police officers misbehaving while on duty, taking advantage of their power and authority. Ultimately, police officers are men and street harassment is a gender-based issue.

I do not want to discuss how policemen should behave better than ordinary men, nor do I want to explore the cultural differences between northern and southern Italy, I don’t have the proper and specific knowledge or expertise. I would rather mention the aim and methodology of such videos.

The creators of the videos call them experiments, however these videos have scarce scientific foundation, not that they claim to have it. They definitely do not intend to scientifically prove the existence of sexism or gender inequality. Instead, they are meant to raise awareness on a quite mortifying and disregarded form of men’s conduct. If they do suggest something, it is that misogyny might be a global principle that unifies mankind across borders, oceans and cultures.

Even as a woman of science, I consider such “experiments” very powerful and I wish some researcher would be inspired enough by these brave women to design a valid and solid research project on street harassment since it is a heinous mistreatment women endure every day. We need valuable evidence, verifiable data to study the phenomenon and hopefully find, if not a solid solution, small steps toward achieving a truly egalitarian society and street harassment-free world.

Sara is a registered General Practitioner in Italy and New Zealand. She is the founder and current lead of the newly established Equally Different group within the European Junior General Practitioners Organization, the Vasco da Gama Movement, branch of the World Organization of Family Doctors. Follow her on Twitter @rgn_sr.

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Street Harassment Weekly – Jan. 5-11, 2015

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Welcome to the Street Harassment Weekly, your update on all the street harassment news you missed from the past week. Here’s what’s been going on:

The ATM At Which Women Can Report Sexual Assault – “In the Indian state of Odisha, the state government estimates that around 60 per cent of sexual assaults against women go unreported. The ICLIK, developed by the Odisha government and OCAC, a local computer company, allows women to log a report of assault or harassment while appearing to visit a bank machine.”

Indian “Sex Offender” Forced to Bend Over To Be Smacked By Women– “Is this India’s new, creative way of disciplining sex offenders? A man, 23, accused of sexually harassing several young women in central India was reportedly forced to bend over in the middle of a public street to have his buttocks smacked by a group of angry schoolgirls.”

Commentary: Why Do We Ask For Gender-Segregated Transport For Women If The Problem Is Men Behaving Badly? – “Women need to be able to occupy public spaces and use public transport in the same way that men do. We need to go to work and school and walk the streets without fear – and a women-only train car doesn’t do anything but offer a temporary solution filled with too many gaps. If we want to stop harassment on subways and buses, we need to start with men and getting them to change their actions.”

Acid Attacks: The Other Half of the Story You Don’t Know– “Acid attacks are seen as one of the most horrendous crimes against women. However, not only women, men are equally prone to the attacks. Chandras Mishra from Meerut is an acid attack victim. He was attacked with the lethal chemical three years back by his landlord’s son, who he had stopped from eve teasing a woman.”

Four Arrested for Eve-Teasing in Hyderabad – “The victim, in her complaint to the police, said that on Friday while she and her sister were returning from a shop the accused started to tease her. When she stopped and questioned them, one of the accused tried to pull her scarf.”

One Tweet Sums Up The Struggle Every NYC Woman Faces On the Sidewalk – “This is called “manslamming,” which Jessica Roy, who interviewed Breslaw about her experience for the Cut, defines as “the sidewalk M.O. of men who remain apparently oblivious to the personal space of those around them” who “will walk directly into you without even acknowledging it” should someone fail to move out of their path.”

It Happened To Me: I Was Catcalled Wearing the Equivalent of a Down Comforter – “Women get catcalled in skirts. They are catcalled in jeans. They get whistled at in trench coats, in yoga pants, in business suits. The problem with catcalling does not lie with women’s clothing. Rather, the problem is with the men who do it.”

The Backlash Against African Women – “Public strippings represent the front lines of a cultural war against women’s advancements in traditionally conservative but rapidly urbanizing societies. They aren’t really about what women are wearing. They are much more about where women are going.”

Street Harassment: Why It’s Not Ok To Comment On Me – “A woman’s body is part of a person; it’s not an object. I am a woman, and my body belongs to me and no one else. Strangers on the street having the right to comment on it? When did that happen? Did I miss the memo?”

CONTEST:
Female Singer-Songwriters wanted to help create anti-street harassment video

UPCOMING EVENT:
Challenging Violence Against Women and Girls on UK Public Transport–
DATE: Tuesday 20th January 2015
TIME: 10.45 to 13.00 (with lunch provided 13.00-14.00)
VENUE: Room G1 & G2, British Transport Police Force Headquarters, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN

 

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Really, Bowlmor?: “Getting jumped in an alley has never been this much fun”

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This unacceptable ad was seen and photographed on the Q train in New York City by someone at Equality Now. She added the “Trigger Warning” message.

The full text of ad reads, “Getting jumped in an alley has never been this much fun.”

Clearly, the writer has never actually been jumped in an alley, nor has someone they care about. It is not fun.

Has anyone else seen this ad? I’m thinking about doing a Change.org petition to ask that it be taken down because of how offensive it is, but I want to know more about it first.

UPDATE: After the Huffington Post covered the ad, Bowlmor emailed them this response:

“We are surprised and disappointed that our recent advertisement – intended to be a humorous play on the words “bowling alley” – has been misinterpreted to advocate violence against women. Our company – consisting of hundreds of talented men and women – does not support abuse or violence in any form. Since its inception, Bowlmor Lanes has strived to be socially responsible and offer a family-friendly environment to our customers. We offer our sincere apologies to anyone who was offended by this advertisement. The campaign in question was scheduled to run throughout Aug. 2012, and is no longer in circulation. There are no plans to generate this campaign again.”

It’s too bad they don’t understand why this ad is offensive, but hey, at least they say they wont use it again.

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QRASH Course: Queers Resisting All Street Harassment

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QRASH Course. Image provided by Alli Lindner

This is a guest blog post by Alli Lindner.

On June 2nd, Queerocracy, a New York City-based grassroots organization, presented QRASH Course: Queers Resisting All Street Harassment.  QRASH Course was an afternoon-long training event for people who witness and experience street harassment in the NYC area.  During the event, attendees and trainers worked together to come up with strategies for handling all forms of street harassment.

We kicked off the day by looking at some of the different kinds of street harassment we experience, like sexual harassment, police harassment, racist harassment, transphobic harassment, and queer harassment.  One of our goals with this training was to explore more than just sexual harassment so we made sure to be inclusive of issues like racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ageism, and many more.

We then worked through strategies we could use when we experience and witness harassment.  Trainers presented strategies attendees could consider using in street harassment situations and acted out some strategies in a skit.  Attendees were put to the test, though, when they were put into small groups and given scenarios that they had to respond to.  Their creative responses drew from the tips they had been given by trainers and from their own experiences, making this one of the best activities of the day!

We ended the day by taking the time to share personal stories about street harassment in our “Speak Out.”  After establishing the group as a safe space, we sat in a circle and took turns sharing our experiences with each other.  The Speak Out was one of the most successful parts of the training—almost everyone shared a story!  These stories reminded me why I am committed to anti-street harassment work and why this type of inclusive training is necessary.  Many people had experienced street harassment of all kinds, not just sexual harassment, and were able to share the strategies they have used to react to that harassment.

Alli Lindner facilitating a discussion about strategies

QRASH Course was a great learning experience for everyone involved and we are in the process of planning future courses!  If you are part of a school or organization in the NYC area that could benefit from our training, reach out to Alli at lindner.ap@gmail.com.

Alli Lindner is a senior at Hunter College in the Women and Gender Studies department in New York City.  She is a proud alumna of the Young People For fellowship program and she currently interns at the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies.

 

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Teachers: Address street harassment

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Editor’s Note: This is cross-posted with permission from Feminist Teacher.

The success of last week’s International Anti-Street Harassment Week was astonishing. Organized by leading anti-street harassment activist Holly Kearl, founder of the well-known blog Stop Street Harassment, the week featured the work of the most cutting-edge activists in the field, including dance performances by Sydnie Mosley and her Window Sex Project and a viral video featuring Joe Samalin and other male allies telling men to just stop harassing women in both English and Spanish.

Grace, Ileana, and Emma

As part of the week’s events, two of my students, Grace and Emma, and I spoke at the Meet Us On the Street rally in New York. Grace shared a portion of the testimony that she read to last year’s New York City Council hearing on street harassment and Emma, who is also a SPARK blogger against the sexualization of girls and women in the media, shared her own vision for safer streets and communities not just for herself but also for her own sister.

I spoke about the importance of engaging teachers in the global movement against street harassment as an education and health issue for schools.

But the work doesn’t stop there. It’s important to show students that activism needs to be consistent, and not done in a flavor-of-the-month style. That’s why last fall, students in my high school feminism course partnered with other students at our school to create their own anti-street harassment public service announcement (PSA).  Their goal: to educate their peers about the gravity of street harassment in their daily lives.

As part of the background work to create the video, I invited activists from Girls for Gender Equity, Hollaback!, The Line Campaign, Men Can Stop Rape, and Right Rides to talk to my students. Activist Shelby Knox also visited to talk about her film, The Education of Shelby Knox. Each of them shared their expertise, provided students with materials, and ultimately inspired them to create their PSA.

You can create your own PSA with your students too. Start, as I did, with educating your students about the issue by inviting activists to your classroom. Then have students envision a PSA that would be relevant and engaging for your school community. Screen the PSA at an upcoming assembly. Then join the revolution.  See above for inspiration.

Ileana Jiménez has been a leader in the field of social justice education for 15 years. A 2010-11 recipient of the Distinguished Fulbright Award in Teaching, her research in Mexico City focused on creating safe schools for Mexican LGBT youth. Currently a teacher at the Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School (LREI) in New York, she offers courses on feminism, LGBT literature, Toni Morrison, and memoir writing. In addition to teaching at LREI, Ileana is also an associate faculty member at Bard College’s Institute for Writing and Thinking.

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