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Discussions, rallies, photography competitions: Anti-Street Harassment Week in Delhi, India

March 29, 2012 By Contributor

(Editor’s Note: This guest blog post was written by the Safe Delhi Campaign Team to recap their efforts during International Anti-Street Harassment Week in Delhi, India)

CONTEXT:

Delhi has changed a lot in the past decade. Skyscrapers, flyovers, shopping complexes rapidly covered the city making it for a particular section of the society. But, a general animosity and a sense of belongingness lacks in the city. Equal participation in the city and the right to ownership is not guaranteed for women. The sense of enjoyment, of loitering and of using public places in the way they desire are very limited and at times non- existent. Their presence in this ‘urban city’ has to be constantly negotiated and compromised. The fear of and the incidence of being sexually harassed in public spaces have unfortunately become a part a woman’s experience in the city.

Women’s access to safe and violence free public spaces is her right. Sexual harassment in public spaces restricts choices and opportunities for women in education, livelihood, health and decision making. The gendered nature of public spaces not only denies their access but also ‘legitimizes’ the invisibility of women after a particular hour of the day. It is the right of every citizen to enjoy public spaces irrespective of gender, caste, class, sexuality, disability or any other social identity. The responsibility of society to ensure equal rights for all has to increase. Safety and right to the city can be guaranteed with a more sensitive and effective service delivery for all the citizens. It is time to understand and address factors of safety and make the city accessible and inclusive for all.

Global Week on Anti Sexual Harassment and Safe Delhi Campaign:

Delhi University 2011

100 co-sponsors across the world have joined hands to mark the International Anti-Street Harassment Week, a program of Stop Street Harassment . A core team of activists led by Holly Kearl volunteered their time to make the campaign possible. Last year, the first Anti Street Sexual Harassment Day was celebrated in Delhi and saw the largest turn out worldwide. The march coordinated by Safe Delhi Campaign and a group of students from University of Delhi,  saw participation from students, faculty and police constables. This year the plan has been expanded for a week.

Safe Delhi Campaign co-sponsoring the event in India called for action from different partners across the city -from individuals, to organizations to media houses. The intent was to involve people from different walks of life to talk about the issue and address it in their own way.

Objective of the Campaign:

  • To initiate dialogues and discussions among students in different colleges and universities on safety in public spaces.
  • To spread awareness on factors of safety through advocacy materials of the campaign.
  • To initiate and moderate discussions on social media platforms on safety in public spaces and right to the city.

Campaigning On Streets:

Dialogue with Students: ‘Let’s Reclaim Public Spaces’

The first day of  The Global Anti Street Harassment Week 2012 was marked by an extensive discussion on gendering of public spaces with students from the Department of Human Development of Institute of Home Economics. Students shared their personal experiences of ‘gender’ as an identity that impacts their choices and opportunities to live equally in the city. The students deliberated on gaps in emergency helpline numbers for women.

Service provisions like public toilets or well lit parks to also talking about the role of larger society to create an enabling environment for all. With the remark that safety is a woman’s right to the city, the students undertook a ‘class to class campaign’, sharing with students the message against sexual harassment on streets and also sharing some.

An open lawn discussion at Lady Sri Ram College for Women on ‘Reclaiming Right to Public Spaces’ was called by students from National Service Scheme on Tuesday, the 20th of March, 2012.  There was an interesting discussion on the factors that attribute a place as being safe and unsafe. A street play by the college theatre society marked the beginning of the discussion.  The students were shared helpline booklets, poster and other relevant material after the discussion. More than 100 students participated in the discussion.

Let’s Make Delhi Safe for Women! Reclaiming Right to Public Spaces:

The recent weeks in the National Capital Territory of Delhi has seen an sudden increase of reported sexual assaults on women, mostly while their presence in public spaces. Following such incidences were remarks given to women to not work after 8 p.m. or to not wear “revealing clothes.”

The blame of these and many more incidences was left on the woman. This led to agitation not just among the civil society group of the city but also individual masses. Everybody across the city decided to stand against violence on women and say no to unsafe public spaces.

The first public protest was called in Gurgaon as a response to the incident that took place outside one of the malls in the area following which remarks by police representatives on girls should stay home after 8:00 pm was called for. The protest was joined by women’s groups, youth organisations, individuals from the city and several media houses as well.  Following the first protest, a Citizen Charter of Demands was drafted and a petition to state agencies to implement the same was circulated all across. Social networking pages to public campaigns to meeting individuals where ever possible, the petition was taken all across the city.

The city saw a series of public protests in different places and through different forms. To mark the end of the Global Week, the students from  the University of Delhi called for a candle light vigil to “Reclaim your Right to Safe and Violence free City for Women.”  The vigil was held on March 24, 2012, in the evening and was participated by residents of the area, students, individuals from the city asking for a right to safe public spaces. An appeal to more men to join

Winning entry by Aranyaka Verma.

and for police support was constantly being made during the protest and that actually led to more people joining in the middle of the protest. More than 100 hundred people signed the petition and participated in the march.

CAMPAIGNING ONLINE

Photography Competition on Right to A Safe And Inclusive City

An online photography competition in solidarity with the Global week was hosted on the Safe Delhi Campaign Facebook page. The competition was well received and saw multiple entries. A panel of judges was formed to choose the winning photograph. Discussion around factors to make city safe was also initiated online.

 

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Filed Under: anti-street harassment week, street harassment Tagged With: global activism, Jagori, rape, Safe Delhi, sexual harassment, street harasment

Lebanon:”Sexual harassment may just triple this summer”

June 28, 2011 By HKearl

Ivy,  an anonymous blogger in Beirut, Lebanon, takes issue with a new Ministry of Tourism ad and feels it will promote street harassment.

The following is from her blog, opening with her street harassment experiences (which she has written about before):

“It could be an overtly–friendly smile from the old sleazy neighbor who may insist on inspecting your outfit as you step into your car.

It could be the big black tinted Range Rover that will drive parallel to you for a good ten minutes, blocking traffic only to pull down his window and graphically explain to you how we would like to have his way with you.

When he’s finally gone you somehow end up behind a pick-up truck full of men seated in the back, who won’t miss a chance to stare, wave, and laugh. Behavior similar to that of predators in a jungle informing the rest of the hungry pack that they spotted the prey of the day.

It could be the parking guy who leaves other parking cars struggling only to suddenly land right in front of your car door just in case you were to flash some skin as you made your rough exit. Sometimes you even swear he makes you park so close to other cars because he secretly enjoys watching you wrestle your way out.

It could be the nasty cab driver that won’t let you cross the street because he keeps honking at you for a ride, and when you finally tell him to MOVE, he’ll yell out a profanity.

It could be the car that finally stops to allow you to cross the street, only to see a guy and his buddy high-fiving each other and winking at you as you scruffily make your way to the sidewalk.

You finally enter the office, a big sigh of relief; you’re finally away from the zoo out there only to be greeted by the company driver who decides to give you the final inspection of the day as his gaze locks on your chest and says “ Bonjour Ya Amar keefna ilyom.?”

It could be you. So you hurry to the closest mirror, convinced you may be experiencing some sort of wardrobe malfunction, but you’re actually wearing a full-out pantsuit.

So thanks to our heroes at the Ministry of Tourism, sexual harassment may just triple this summer, since they’re now promoting Lebanese women in their campaigns to lure in more “hungry” male tourists!“

Boo, Ministry of Tourism, for using women as objects and creating an environment where it seems okay to objectify and harass them.

Activists in Lebanon recently participated in the June 20 day of blogging against street/sexual harassment and last year, the Lebanese League of Independent Activists launched cartoon character named Salwa who fights sexual harassment.

It sounds like these activists have their work cut out for them if the rest of the government’s attitude toward women is anything like that of the Ministry of Tourism!

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Filed Under: News stories Tagged With: Lebanon blues, ministry of tourism, street harasment

Multi-culturalism vs Universal Respect for Women

September 1, 2009 By Contributor

I had recently moved into an immigrant neighborhood in NYC. I was excited about moving to this neighborhood because I love the diversity of immigrant cultures. I have always wanted to live in a multi-cultural society that respects the differences certain people’s backgrounds. However, after a few months I have drawn a different conclusion.

Unfortunately, I was harassed by Hispanic men on a daily basis. I suffered hissing, sucking noises, and even physical touching every day often more than once. I was not harassed by the Chinese, Polish, or African immigrants who also lived in this neighborhood.

I despise racism and think it would be wrong to say that all Hispanic men harass women. I know it is only a small percentage of them who harass women. I also met many wonderful Hispanic men.

However, I have learned that sexual harassment is more socially acceptable in Latin America. I have also learned that Latin American women from some countries are taught to be much more careful about walking alone, and dressing modestly to counter balance harassment.

I think it is incredibly important that Hispanic men are taught that this part of their cultural heritage is not acceptable in the United States. If we deny that certain cultures have a higher incidence of sexual harassment because of their machismo cultural norms than we will put political correctness above the rights of women. I think we need a movement to educate new citizens about respect for women.

– anonymous

Location: New York City

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 Tagged With: immigrant culture, New York City, piropos, respect, street harasment

Alternative use for scissors

August 24, 2009 By Contributor

Once when I was about 15 years old I was riding the subway when a man with an obvious erection weaved his way through the crowded car to stand directly in front of my friend and myself and proceeded to masturbate. As I was in the custom of carrying around a sharp pair of scissors, I pulled it out and stared at him as icily as possible until he retreated to a seat on the other side of the car.

– anonymous

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 Tagged With: masturbator, scissors, sexual harassment, street harasment, subway

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