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Hey handsy guy at the club, look out for Salwa!

January 17, 2012 By HKearl

During my college days, I stopped going to clubs with my friends because of the inevitable harassers. Just because someone is dressed up and out with friends does not mean it’s okay to rub up against them, grab them, follow them, or make them feel uncomfortable! I know many other women face this unwanted attention/harassment/and even assault too.

That’s why I’m happy to see that my favorite Lebanese feminist collective Nasawiya produced a new video about their heroine Salwa and how she stopped a sexual harasser at the club. Then, when she goes to report the harasser to the police, she stops the police officer who harassed her! (Sad but true, some police are harassers).

How have you dealt with harassers at a club or bar?

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Filed Under: street harassment Tagged With: adventures of salwa, lebanon, Nasawiya, public harassment, sexual harassment, street harassment

Anti-Harassment Petition: Please Mend the Gap

June 7, 2011 By HKearl

Harassment on public transportation is rampant. In Delhi, India, it’s no different. To address the harassment, many governments around the world have instituted women-only subway cars and buses (usually only during rush hour and without offering them often enough or in enough volume for all women to use them). The Delhi metro system is one example. The segregation is not working, however, and the harassment is as bad as ever. The Please Mend the Gap campaign is trying to change that.

Via an online petition site the organizers write:

“We believe that a majority of women do not feel safe while travelling in the Delhi Metro. We have spoken to a cross-section of Metro commuters who have shared with us their experiences most of which include instances of verbal and physical harassment mostly faced by women, specifically in the women’s-only compartment.

In fact, a few days ago, some of the members of our group who were traveling at night observed that the women’s-only compartment was populated with men who had occupied almost all the seats forcing the women to stand, leaving them with no choice but to actively demand the seats they were entitled to. The men were unapologetic and dismissive. Most shrugged off the women’s protest by claiming falsely that the women’s-only compartment turns general post 9 p.m..

Women who choose to travel in the general compartment are also harassed. There have been many instances where men have told women that they are not welcome in this compartment and should use the compartment reserved for them. This attitude has become so deeply entrenched in commuters’ mindsets that most accidentally refer to the general compartment as the ‘men’s compartment’. There have been times when authorities have driven out men from the women’s-only compartments, but without having imposed any fine whatsoever.”

Already, Please Mend the Gap activists spearheaded a flash mob on the metro to raise awareness about the issue. On June 1, they launched a petition with 10 demands for the transportation authorities to fulfill in order to make the system safer, and harassment free. The petition reads:

We the commuters on the Delhi Metro have the following suggestions to make to ensure a safer, friendlier and more respectable environment for women within the Metro premises.

1. Ensure regular announcement inside the Metro train and within the Metro stations stating categorically that, “Any person involved in, assisting in, or indulging in any activity that outrages a woman’s modesty, including but not limited to molesting and eve-teasing, will be punished with imprisonment and/or fine. The announcement should clearly state the Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code under which sexual harassment is a punishable crime.

2. Announcements like, “Men entering the women’s compartment will be fined Rs. 250,” should be made at regular intervals on the public announcement systems. Spot fines should be collected by DMRC Staff posted at the Metro Stations from men caught travelling in the women’s compartment.

3. Adequate training should be given to DMRC staff and CISF personnel stationed at platforms in handling of such cases with specific focus to sensitize the DMRC staff to handle victims with greater care and concern.

4. Every Metro Station should have at least one lady officer who is specially trained and equipped to handle such cases including registration of such offences, counseling the victim and the like.

5. The current system where one has to go to Kashmere Gate to file a FIR for cases related to the metro needs to be decentralized urgently. Every metro station should have a complaint cell conveniently and prominently located within the premises of the metro station and should be able to handle/register cases for the entire duration for which the metro runs daily, i.e. between 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. A system should also be evolved whereby the metro helpdesk/officials assist the victim in registering any case successfully.

6. Information Boards should be installed at every Metro station at strategic locations, such as near the ticketing counter, with detailed directions for lodging a complaint against an instance of harassment as well as emergency contact numbers of Delhi Metro officials, laws against molestation and other necessary information.

7. CCTVs must be installed inside the Metro compartments and information on how to procure CCTV footage, if and when required, should be made available to commuters at the earliest.

8. A section of the advertisement space available inside the Metro should be compulsorily reserved for displaying information relating to the legal assistance available to victims of molestation and harassment and remedies for the same.

9. The DMRC ought to provide details of helpline numbers and contact numbers/email addresses of important Metro authorities in the Metro Map Brochure and also inside the Metro train so that commuters are aware of the same and can contact the required persons in times of emergency. It has been brought to our notice by various commuters that some of the numbers are not functional. It is the prerogative of the authorities to ensure the helpline numbers are functional and are consistently monitored for efficiency and efficacy.

10. The DMRC ought to monitor, review and increase security arrangements and make authorities more accountable for lapses in security. It is our earnest request that our above demands be heard and implemented by the concerned authorities at the earliest. This will go a long way in ensuring that women feel safe commuting by the Delhi Metro and in fulfilling the DMRC’s mission of providing world-class service to the citizens of Delhi. This petition is drafted and supported by ‘PLEASE MEND THE GAP’, a citizen- led initiative to promote gender equality and commuter safety in public spaces.

Sign the petition and join their Facebook page for more updates on their campaign.

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Filed Under: News stories, public harassment, street harassment Tagged With: delhi, please mend the gap, public harassment, street harassment, transportation

Violated at the Seattle DMV

December 20, 2010 By Contributor

I was in the Seattle DMV on 2nd and Spring and a man bent over as he was leaving, then stood up and said, “Thanks for that.”

It took me a few seconds to realize he had been looking up my skirt and was now thanking me.

I started shaking and yelled after him “fucking dick.” I didn’t have a cellphone and I was frozen.

He came back in and said, “Are you laughing at me?” and I said, “Get the fuck away from me now.”

After he left I went to the bathroom in tears thinking, “Call the police they will have his name. Call the police.”

I will forever hate myself for walking back out into the waiting room and not calling the cops. I feel like that is too high a price to pay for one man getting five seconds of his jollies. I wish I had done everything different. Next time I will.

– Sarah

Location: DMV on 2nd and Spring, Seattle, WA

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

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Filed Under: Stories, street harassment Tagged With: DMV, public harassment, seattle, sexual harassment, upskirting, violation

“I was crying too hard to drive”

December 2, 2010 By Contributor

Today I was in my favorite chain of gas stations in town. They are always well lit, clean and have 5 attendants on the clock at all times.

I went to the ATM,and got out my money (hovering close to the screen to block the view) and walked to the counter. Some guy got into a spat with a woman behind him because she would not buy something he wanted, she said “Son, we don’t have the money for that” and turned to go get into the far line away from me.

As I walked this dirty looking guy walked up behind me, and stood in line. I only noticed him because he was watching me closely, and he was the guy that snapped at his apparent mother.

My first thought was he might think of taking my money he looked at me so intensely, so I tucked my purse under my arm and zipped it up.

As the clerk came to me and I started counting the money, I felt the guy behind me get very close to me, close enough to feel his breath on the back of my neck. He finally bumped my ass, and I could actually feel his hand through my slacks!

I turned around abruptly and screamed at him, “Do not touch me! I don’t know you! You have plenty of room to stand here, you do not have to be so close to me!”

He jumped back and started calling me names and saying, “That guy behind me pushed me.”

I yelled back, “I don’t fucking care you have no right to touch me, back up right now!”

He looked about my age (early 20’s). I looked around the store at this point everyone was staring like I was a crazy woman. I even saw his mother and she was looking at him like…I don’t know like she expected it? Kind of a “Oh my god not again.” I turned back around, because now I knew everyone was staring at him. He kept calling me names, under his breath and i finished paying for my money order, and left.

I was so humiliated! I even stood up for myself, but by the time I was out of the store and driving home I actually had to pull over in another gas station and have a panic attack there locked in my car because I was crying too hard to drive.

– BME

Location: Tulsa, OK

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.

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Filed Under: public harassment, Stories Tagged With: assault, gas station harassment, groping, public harassment

“As soon as they saw me they started making sexual comments”

November 8, 2010 By Contributor

This is a story i want to share which happened a while ago. I was at my house waiting for my boyfriend to come around. When i looked out of my window to see if he was walking up the road, i did see him – being hassled by a group of lads. I quickly ran to the door to see what the commotion was and ready to defend my man.

When i stood by the door, i could hear the boys teasing him and asking him if he would do this ‘beat box’ sound. Now you’re probably wondering what i mean by that. The beat box is like a beating noise rappers do, pretty difficult to explain really. Me and my boyfriend had been harassed before over it. Anyway, i yelled at the idiots to leave him alone as my boyfriend came up my path.

As soon as they saw me (a woman) of course they started making sexual comments to me and laughing together. I was furious. I told them to fuck off while my boyfriend threatened to call the police and slammed the door. We didn’t call the cops in the end because they left but i was mad. It ruined my night.

– Clarice

Location: Wales, UK

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.

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Filed Under: Stories, street harassment Tagged With: public harassment, sexual harassment, sexual intimidation

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