Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

We were at SlutWalk DC 2013!

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For the third year, Stop Street Harassment tabled at SlutWalk DC to support the end to victim-blaming and slut-shaming. No one “asks” to be harassed, sexually assaulted, or raped!

This year, we had the pleasure of sharing a table with our friend Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS) and we had lots of great conversations with attendees about the street harassment.

Zosia from CASS and I also had a chance to briefly talk in front of the audience. I asked people to raise their hands if they had been street harassed this week – and most of the audience raised their hands! When I asked if they’d been harassed today, about a fourth of the audience said yes. Street harassment is a HUGE problem and we need to work together to end it!

Here are resources and check out what we do and what CASS does.

Here are a few of the photos. You can see more via our Twitter and Instagram accounts, both have the username @StopStHarassmnt.

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Swaziland Police Blame Women for Rape

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Last month, women in Swaziland marched to protest rape and to ask for protection.

In response, instead of addressing why so many men are raping women or examining reporting/enforcement of laws, police decided to place the blame on women. They have now banned women from wearing miniskirts, shirts revealing their midriff, and low cut jeans. “The act of the rapist is made easy, because it would be easy to remove the half-cloth worn by the women,” police spokeswoman Wendy Hleta said.

That response and the ban are completely ridiculous. Clothing does not cause rape nor do certain clothes “make it easier” to rape. They need to focus on the perpetrators, not the survivors!

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Walk for Respect in Nepal

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Today 500 youth participated in a Walk for Respect against street harassment/sexual harassment in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Via YouTube:

“We silently walked through footpaths carrying various banners and placards up to Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Objective
1. To sensitize the greater problem among youths as well as other people i.e. eve teasing and sexual harassment.
2. Boost the morale of the people to face the challenges in this issue
3. Aware the people of existing laws and policies of Nepal
4. Gather public support to force the government to take necessary steps in these issues.
5. Warn the culprits that their misbehaviors are illegal and they can be punished for their misdeeds.”

Via CNN:

“The main theme of our campaign is to sensitize the greater problem among youths as well as other people i.e. eve teasing and sexual harassment. We want to boost the morale of the people to face the challenges in this issue and aware the people of existing laws and policies of Nepal. Eve teasing and sexual harassment are serious violation of Human Rights. As an aware conscious citizen we cannot tolerate the violation of Human rights. That’s why this issue needs to be addressed immediately and needs to be acted ASAP.”

One of the participants Pragya shakya said, “It’s high time we raise our voices. We have been suppressed in so many ways and why should we always suffer. The Government has made the rules against eve teasing and sexual harassment so why are we keeping our silence. We will not keep our silence it’s our right to speak, walk and talk with freedom and no one can take this away from us. Like said above people have no right to tell us what to wear first they should stop thinking bad. It’s my right to be who I’m but it’s against law to make me feel harassed.”

Good for them for speaking out!

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International Day Against Victim-Blaming

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Study after study shows that over 80 percent of women and girls have experienced street harassment, including 99 percent of women in Yemen, where women are usually covered in public places. Girls and women face street harassment while wearing all kinds of clothes: from school uniforms to business suits, from exercise clothes to winter coats, from swimming suits to party clothes.

It is clear that street harassment is not about what women/girls wear or where they go. Instead, street harassment is about disrespect, power and control, and bad manners.

Blaming people – asking what they were wearing or saying it’s because they’re “pretty” or “provocative” takes attention away from what’s really going on. It gives harassers a free pass.

Street harassment will never end until the victim-blaming ends. I am against victim-blaming.

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Victim-blaming in Indonesia sparks protest

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“”Wear sensible clothes, don’t wear ‘inviting’ clothes. You can imagine, if [a woman] wears short skirt and sits next to the driver, it could be ‘inviting.'”

Protestors -- Image via Demotix

This is what Fauzi Wibowo, the governor of Jakarta, Indonesia, said on Friday after a bus driver raped a female passenger late at night this month and after another bus driver and unidentified perpetrators gang-raped and killed a university student.

He has since apologized for the comment.

On Sunday more than 50 people in Jakarta protested the victim-blaming comment and many women wore mini-skirts, something unusual in the most populous Muslim-majority country in the world.

They held signs that read, “Don’t tell us how to dress, tell them not to rape” and “My miniskirt is my right.”

Via the Jakarta Globe:

“‘We are here to express our anger. Instead of giving heavy punishment to the rapists, the governor blamed it on women’s dress. This is discrimination,’ protest coordinator Chika Noya told AFP.

‘Rape is a serious crime against humanity,’ Noya said, adding that the governor should guarantee women’s safety on public transport.

Protester Dhyta Caturani, dressed in a miniskirt and revealing top, said: “The way women dress is not the cause of sexual violence.”

Last year the head of Aceh Barat district stated that women who don’t wear Islamic women clothing are ‘asking to be raped.’ This statement was then rejected by Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI).”

It is sick that a political leader like a governor would say something so harmful and wrong. Well done to the protesters in Jakarta for not letting his comment slide and for bringing international attention to the victim-blaming taking place in their country.

The protest was inspired by the SlutWalk in Toronto, held in April in response to a victim-blaming comment made by a police officer. Dozens of SlutWalks have taken place around the world to similarly speak out against the all-too-common response of blaming the victim for sexual assault or sexual harassment rather than the perpetrator.

Victim-blaming must end!

(Thanks to The Pixel Project for the story tip)

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