Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Groped & harassed, but victim-blaming keeps her silent

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I am a school student. In my area there is a 99 percent chance that you get groped on crowded buses…so i often go to school by cycle…thinking that it was safe…..but i was wrong…. a guy on a scooter squeezed my breast with one hand and before i could react sped off..i was both physically hurt and psychologically disturbed…often people in our society blame the girl for being the victim…for not being careful…so i did not dare to share this with anyone..i hate sick men….most of the men in Chennai are sick.

– Anonymous

Location: Chennai, India

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No 10-year-old should be violated like this

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This happened 6 years ago, but I haven’t forgotten it and just discovered this website so I thought I would share my story.

When I was ten years old, my fifth grade class (FIFTH GRADE) went to a play. When we were leaving the play we were standing around waiting for our bus near some adults. I didn’t see who it was, but I knew it was an adult because of the size of their hand, but someone grabbed my bottom, squeezed it, and then spanked it, hard enough for it to hurt for a while after.

At the time I was so surprised by it, but having experienced the things I’ve experienced now at 16 (having my butt rubbed, a man take a picture down my shirt, a guy shout, “I remember you from last night,” and too many more to list.  These are just the ones that have happened in the past week).

Every time I go out in public there are men leering at me, and whenever I go out without my parents they say what they are really thinking or follow me. It’s such an unpleasant experience.

It really helps to read other people’s stories. I am so amazed by the courage that so many women have shown in the face of these things, and although I haven’t had the guts to do anything about it, I hope that I will someday soon.I usually just ignore the comments/stares and walk away, or in the opposite direction depending on the severity of it. I don’t know what else to do!

– LB

Location: Northern California

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Are you up for the Winter Break Challenge?

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Have you heard of SAFER (Students Active for Ending Rape)? They are an amazing organization that works on campus sexual assault policy reform.

In my day job I work at AAUW and earlier this year I collaborated with SAFER to create a campus sexual assault program in a box. Last month I co-presented with SAFER at the National Women’s Studies Association Conference about how to make campuses safer without placing mobility restrictions on students. In short, I support and want to help promote SAFER’s work.

Today they are launching a Winter Break Challenge for college students. From SAFER:

Today marks the one year anniversary of the SAFER and V-Day Campus Accountability Project! CAP is a nation-wide effort to build a database of college/university sexual assault policies, and encourage students to push for change in sexual violence prevention and response on their campus. We currently have 130 policies published in our public, searchable database. Our goal is to reach 200 by Janurary 31, 2011, but we need your help. This winter break, we’re challenging college students across the country to take a look at their school’s policy, and let us know what awesome work your school is doing and what needs serious improvement.

If you’ve been reading the SAFER’s blog, you know a little about why policy is such an integral part of the anti-violence movement. But for a recap, let this video (with subtitles, made by one of our fabulous interns) break it down for you:

We hope you register on our site and check out the database, and if your school isn’t there, take some time this winter to use our step-by-step policy analysis form to submit your school. If your school is there already, or if you’re no longer a student, please tell your friends at other schools to check out their policies, and spread the word about the project via your own blogs/facebook/twitter. All students should know exactly what resources their schools offer (or don’t offer) and that they have the power to hold their schools accountable for making their campus SAFER. You’ll also be helping us gather a completely unique and super important set of data about best and worst practices at schools across the country. We will eventually be able to use your info to advocate for large-scale change!

You can find go here to find the full press release about CAP and the Winter Break Challenge. Ann was actually kind enough to introduce the project here when it debuted last year, and you can visit her post, or SAFER and V-Day’s websites, to read a little more about campus sexual assault and how this all got started. Hope to see your school represented soon!

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16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence 2010

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Today marks the start of 16 days of activism against gender violence.

Aside from writing this quick blog post, I didn’t do anything to mark the day. I’m in India this week and I spent the day visiting the Taj Mahal. It took 10 hours to go the round-trip distance of 250 miles. I saw no gender violence on the streets, but I noticed a stark lack of women. Men were huddled along the road in groups, driving and riding in every possible mode of transportation imaginable, sitting in coffee shops, and crossing the street in large groups. I saw some women walking and riding in vehicles too, but the ratio was perhaps 1:10 or even 1:15, women to men. So while I saw no direct gender violence, the lack of women is partially because of gender violence and gender inequality in the homes and on the streets. Around the world, women’s mobility restriction in public spaces is often caused by a fear of gender violence.

I wrote a bit about this for the Ms blog earlier this week. I also want to direct you to my travel companion’s Ms blog post about the conference we attended earlier this week in Delhi. She highlighted two of the outstanding women we heard from who are working every day to end gender violence and discrimination against women in the slums and against women with disabilities. They are inspirational.

I also want to direct to you to two of the most recent stories about the amazing woman who fought against the gender violence she experienced on the New York City subway system.

I encourage you to consider doing something in the next 16 days to speak out, act out, or write out against gender violence.

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“It made ME feel like the one that was wrong”

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I have been harassed only twice in my life, but when it did happen, I felt shame, disgust and horror. I didn’t understand why I thought it was my fault, and I still don’t.

What happened was I went to help an old teacher out at a prom where he was taking pictures. He was a respectful elderly man, and I was happy to do it for him. I decided to dress up in a nice dress and I felt really good about myself. And then when I got there, his ‘associate’, an older man (but not as old as him) pinched my butt. Everything froze and I felt so dirty. I stayed the whole night helping my old professor, but I could see the other guy trying to catch my eye all night long. It was so disgusting and I felt really betrayed even though I knew that my professor wouldn’t have condoned that type of behavior.

And when I got home, I didn’t know how to tell my mom. When I did she was so unmoved and I didn’t understand how she couldn’t see what was wrong but she thought that I should take it as a compliment. WTFFF? Even worse, she told my dad that an elderly man had complimented me, and I couldn’t even talk to him about it. I know how small a thing it is to be groped, but it hurt so much because it made ME feel like the one that was wrong.

– Mag

Location: Poughkeepsie, New York

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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