Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Pentagon City Mall Stalker

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In November of 2007 I accompanied my dad on a business trip to DC because he had a companion ticket and I’d never been to DC before. On my last night there, I was at the Pentagon City Mall when this man approached me and started trying to ‘pick me up.’ He followed me throughout the mall and incessantly insisted on buying me something from Victoria’s Secret, a drink despite my protests that I was underage and accusing me of being a narc. Like a broken record! After declining a hundred times and insisting that I needed to get back to my hotel, he demanded to know where I was staying so he could get a room! I was seriously worried that he would follow me onto the metro. Only when I finally walked out of the mall did he thankfully declare me a bitch or something and give up.

I’ve been a huge fan of Hollaback, but it hadn’t even occured to me until a few days ago that my experience had been harassment. I like to think that I wouldn’t just accept that kind of treatment but when I was in that situation I was petrified. There were dozens of witnesses. A lot of people stared but no one intervened. It was so embarrassing and I felt like I was somehow responsible.

– S.C.

Location: Pentagon City Mall, Washington, D.C.

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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“Ha ha ha JK Bitch”

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As a relatively low trafficked blog, I’ve had the luxury of dealing with few rude people. It looks like that may be changing. Earlier this week I received a fake story that simply said “I got raped hahaha jk.” Not funny. Today I received three prank stories in a row. Two of them sounded like legitimate stories until the last sentences. Both posts ended with a “ha ha ha ha jk bitch.”

I love how the internet lets people who may not otherwise have a voice have one and lets us find obscure stories, up-to-the-minute news, and people with similar interests. I don’t like how the internet facilitates bullying and harassment and allows people to anonymously write rude, demeaning, sexist, homophobic, racist, classist, abelist comments to news stories and articles and in messages to people who have their contact info online.

I expect when my book on street harassment comes out in a few months I’ll receive a lot of hate mail and a slew of hateful comments that will make these “story submissions” look tame and sweet. Honestly, I’m dreading it.

I don’t know what these people want to accomplish by sending fake stories and calling me a bitch, but if it is to spur me on to continue speaking out against street harassment and sexual violence and providing people with a place to do so, then good, they are accomplishing their goal.

Street harassment and sexual violence impede women’s equality to men and limit their access to public spaces. Women too often are told to ignore such behavior or that it is complimentary or that it is their fault because of how they look or what they wear. Men who harass and assault are at fault. Men must stop. Our society must stop supporting aggression and violence and rape jokes and must take sexual harassment and violence seriously.

Share your (real) street harassment stories. How does street harassment make you feel? How does it impact your life? Help raise the societal consciousness that this is a widespread and unacceptable problem. Talk about it. And men, don’t harass.

Note: I’m home from work now and can see that the forum “men are better than women” (a site blocked at my office) encouraged people to send me fake stories. thanks guys. i’ve enjoyed reading your 9 stories (and counting).

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Women-Only Taxis for Alexandria, Egypt?

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Alexandria, Egypt, may be the next location for women-only taxi services. In the last few months, Mexico and Lebanon launched such services because of the harassment women passengers and women drivers otherwise face (and several other countries already had women-only taxis).

Members of the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights and other groups working to make Egypt a more equitable place for women are outspokenly against such a move. ECWR’s 2008 report on sexual harassment and on-going efforts to introduce anti-sexual harassment legislation has created a national dialogue about men who harass women in public spaces, and I am not surprised they are against this measure. Here is what opponents of the women-only taxi service are saying:

“Such moves represent a rights setback at legal, religious and society levels. They contradict the (Egyptian) constitution and international conventions, which establish equality between men and women.” – EGWR

“It’s very risky for our society. If it’s an excuse to solve problems like sexual harassment or other types of violence, it’s a very naïve solution for a very complicated problem…We need to see the reason and create a good solution, such as having proper transport or more security in the street, not isolate women in taxis.”
– ECWR

“Isolation is not the right idea to protect women. There is no problem with the mixing of women and men. The problem is bad morals and upbringing,” said Amna Nousseir, a professor at the Islamic seminary Al Azhar University. “It is alien to the nature of Egyptian women who have long been accustomed to walking and working alongside men without a problem,” she said.

And supporters of the service are saying:

“There is no need for such a fuss so long as women-only as well as mixed services are available,” said Mahassen Ahmad, a government employee. “Leave people to make their choices. To me, female-only taxis, driven by women, will be welcome to save women from the usual sexual harassment on public transport.”

A commentator identified as Nabil described it as “the best way to protect women against immoral sexual harassment. I pray that this practice will spread to all the Islamic states because it provides safety and security for women during their excursions.”

It’s hard to educate men not to harass women (or rather not educate them to harass women), but isn’t it worth it? Otherwise, women will still be harassed when they aren’t in a women-only taxi…

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Public masturbation…not funny

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A man at a Starbucks in Chicago was charged with public indecency after being reported (and caught on video) fondling himself while staring at women patrons.

The Consumerist covered this story, and, as people who write online comments are apt to do in response to stories about street harassment, sexual assault, and all things gender-based, most people made light of this incident. They said things like “He was just practicing safe sex. Don’t hate. Masturbate.” and “As a regular starbucks customer, I am much more careful about my secret perversions & fondling.” and “Hey if someone wants to rub one out at Starbucks go for it. i wonder if that will end up as part of the froth to the next capp they serve.”

As far as I can tell, most comments were from men and they (unsurprisingly) neglected to consider how disgusted, disturbed, and even threatened a woman can feel as the recipient/target of such actions. Instead they treat what happened as a big joke. I like jokes. I don’t like men treating women in public spaces as though they exist to serve as their personal masturbatory tool. In the context of gender inequality and rape culture, I just don’t see the humor.

Thanks for the story tip, B

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Activists in 17 countries meet for street harassment conference

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This past weekend, activists from 17 countries like Egypt, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia met in Cairo for a two-day conference to discuss the serious problem of men’s public harassment of women.

At the conference, attendees concluded that harassment was unchecked because “laws don’t punish it, women don’t report it, and the authorities ignore it. The harassment, including groping and verbal abuse, appears to be designed to drive women out of public spaces and seems to happen regardless of what they are wearing.”

Here is more information from the conference (via the AP):

  • “We are facing a phenomena that is limiting women’s right to move … and is threatening women’s participation in all walks of life,” said Nehad Abul Komsan, an Egyptian activist who organized the event.
  • Sexual harassment, including verbal and physical assault, has been specifically criminalized in only half a dozen Arab countries. Most of the 22 Arab states only outlaw overtly violent acts like rape, according to a study by Abul Komsan.
  • In Syria, men from traditional homes go shopping in the market place instead of female family members to spare them harassment, said Sherifa Zuhur, a Lebanese-American academic at the conference.
  • Amal Madbouli, who wears the conservative face veil or niqab, told The Associated Press that despite her dress, she is harassed.

I’m so happy to hear they were able to come together and discuss these issues. We need a global street harassment conference too, to discuss how we can work across all borders to make public places safe and welcoming for women!!

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