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Toronto man charged after subway sexual assault

August 27, 2009 By HKearl

Last month around 5 p.m., a man tried to start a conversation with a 28-year-old woman when she boarded a TTC subway train at Coxwell station, in Toronto.

From The Star.com:

“The man reached out and sexually assaulted the woman after failed attempts to engage her in conversation, she told police. Both the man and the complainant exited at Kennedy station, where the man was last seen heading toward the bus platform area. Officers investigating the incident issued an arrest warrant for [the man], on July 30. Yesterday, he turned himself in to police. He faces one charge of sexual assault and three counts of fail to comply with probation.”

And there are people who wonder why women worry about talking to strange men! Or even not talking to them! Quite a lot of women say they ignore the harassing men and recommend other women ignore men as a method for getting away safely and without a scene, yet that doesn’t always work, as this incident illustrates. She did ignore him and he escalated his actions to sexual assault. It’s scary to think there is no way to respond that guarantees safety or dignity.

I’m glad she reported him though and that the police took it seriously. I encourage everyone else to do so too if they are similarly harassed or assaulted.

Weekly Round Up – July 26

July 26, 2009 By HKearl

Stories:

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.

On this blog, contributors submitted stories about getting harassed at a swimming pool in Dubai, being harassed by a man in an SUV in Ohio, and weekly harassment experiences in Portland, OR.
Holla Back Toronto has a new story about a woman getting sexually assaulted on her walk from a bus stop and a contributor discusses getting harassed by male customers at her job.
On Holla Back NYC a woman tells about getting harassed by a several men in one day. Her post includes a photo of some of them.
On Holla Back DC! a woman was groped by a man passing by on his bike, another was harassed by a “serial harasser,” and a third witnessed a man masturbating at a DC metro station.

In the News:

There is a new, thriving women-run taxi business in Beirut, Lebanon, which helps women get around safely and free from male harassment.
A “wolf whistling” contest was held in Ireland this week to see which man can whistle at women the best…disgusting!
In Philadelphia, PA, a man threatened and groped a woman at knife point on the subway. She was holding her baby at the time.

Upcoming Events:

The Young Women’s Action Team is holding a free “Anti-Street Harassment Summer Camp” on August 1, in Chicago, IL. It looks like it will be a great event, so check it out if you’re in the Chicago area.

Announcements:

I’ve been offered a book contract for my proposed book on street harassment! Submit your stories for inclusion.
Enter a photography contest for photographers who capture or depict street harassment, particularly in the DC area. Selected winners will have the chance to show/sell their work at a reception the evening before the Holla Back DC: Make DC Harassment Free Summit.
RightRides in NYC recently has expanded their services of a free ride home from Saturday nights to include Friday nights too! They offer this service from 11:59 p.m. – 3 a.m. in 45 neighborhoods across four boroughs. To call for a ride, the dispatch number is (718) 964-7781 OR (888)215-SAFE (7233).

Street Harassment Resource of the Week:

A video by a Penn State student showing the volume of harassment women experience on campus.

Street Harassment Round Up – June 21

June 21, 2009 By HKearl

Stories:

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.

On this blog, women in Chicago and Hawaii talk about being fed up by the volume of street harassment they face on a daily to weekly basis.
On HollaBack Toronto, a contributor wrote a post about having a TTC subway employees flirt with/harass her when she was paying her fare. The Director of Corporate Communications for TTC saw the post and wrote to HB Toronto with information about how passengers can file complaints about employees. This post was followed by one from another contributor telling about a time a TTC employee made her feel uncomfortable and unsafe. Harassment on public transportation is global!
On Holla Back NYC, a contributor tells about getting oogled by men at a community pool, but they complained to the pool management and then men had to leave.
Holla Back DC! has a contributor post from a woman who was asked “how’d you get that cute ass” by a man who then turned very angry when she asked him not to harass her.
Two years ago Blank Noise Project asked readers to submit their list of things they wished they could do in their city (for example, smile when they wanted, not have to think about who’s watching them, be able to go out at night and be safe…) and this past Saturday afternoon, they invited people to come to Cubbon Park to live out their wish list, including wearing something they wished they could wear but never had for fear of harassment.

In the News:

In Beijing, a bill for sex-segregated subway cars has been submitted for consideration due to high rates of sexual harassment on the subway.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported on the work of the Rogers Park Women’s Action Team’s work to combat sexual harassment on public transportation in Chicago.
Emily May, co-founder of Holla Back NYC talked about harassment on New York’s public transportation system on radio station WBAI. People could call in with questions.

Upcoming Events:

June 27 (2-4 p.m.): Girls and women ages 12-25 are invited to share their stories about sexual harassment on the Chicago buses and subways with the Rogers Park Young Women’s Action Team. Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL.
June 27 (11 a.m. – 2 p.m.): Defend Yourself’s Intro to self defense for LGBTQI, downtown DC (near Mt. Vernon Sq. and Convention Center)

Street Harassment Resource of the Week:

Girls for Gender Equity’s Street Harassment is a Crime poster

Street Harassment Round Up – May 31

May 31, 2009 By HKearl

Stories:

On HollaBack Toronto, a contributor tells about being followed and accosted several times by a naked man at a nude and clothed beach.
Holla Back DC! has several new contributor posts this week, including two by a young woman who was the target of two bad instances of street harassment within a few days’ time: a naked masturbator and a crotch groper. She called 911 in both instances.

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem!

In the News:

A taxi driver in Malaysia sexually assaulted a female passenger.
The Telegraph in Calcutta, India, discusses street harassment and what women can do to combat it.
In Atlanta, GA, a man shot two women in the street after they ignored his advances. The women are in stable condition at the hospital.
In Savannah, GA, three men sexually assaulted a woman who was walking home; someone driving by intervened and the men ran away.

Upcoming Events:

June 8 (7-9 p.m.): New Yorkers for Safe Transit are holding a community forum about the rampancy of gender-based violence in the New York City public transit system. “Taking Back Public Transit: Confronting Violence on Board” will be held at Brecht Forum, 451 West St. (btwn. Bank & Bethune), New York.
June 18 (7:30 p.m): Holla Back DC! is hosting a dinner for WIN’s 20th Annual Women Opening Doors for Women Event. The goal of the dinner is to network, create an open dialogue on how to address harassers, and brainstorm policy changes to develop safe public spaces. The event takes place after the evening’s reception (5:30 p.m.) and keynote speaker (6 p.m.) at the AFL-CIO. Tickets for the night start at $40.
June 27 (2-4 p.m.): Girls and women ages 12-25 are invited to share their stories about sexual harassment on the Chicago buses and subways with the Rogers Park Young Women’s Action Team. Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL.

Street Harassment Resource of the Week:

Brian Martin’s article “Men: Help stop public harassment“

Toronto Event Tommorrow for Young Women!

May 29, 2009 By HKearl

If you’re in Toronto and care about addressing street harassment & other violence against young women, check this out, via Shameless Magazine’s Blog:

Making Noise Media Camp for Young Women
For young women ages 14-25
Saturday May 30
rsvp: michelle cho, 416-703-6607 x 3
michelle@urbanalliance.ca

“Summer is almost here, and rates of violence always go up in the summer…we’re tired of being hollered at the in the streets and feeling unsafe, but want more creative ways of challenging gender violence.”

“We’ve organized a media camp FOR THIS SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2009, to start to bring young women together to plan a summer campaign to challenge street harassment in Toronto using media they’ve created themselves. We want to talk about how violence is experienced differently by women of colour and how it is made invisible by the media or sensationalized to be solely about being because they do not fit into the “mainstream”.”

Sounds great!

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