Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Canada: Video – “Dear Stranger”

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Watch “Dear Stranger,” created by Hanna Cortés, a student at the Vancouver Film School.

Hanna wrote the following about the project:

“Dear Stranger” is a project that reflects the situation of a woman being harassed on the streets. It was inspired from watching lots of women (including myself) feeling uncomfortable when walking to work, school or just home.

One evening, I was getting ready to go to a bar close to my place and I realized how much I change my clothes to try to “not grab attention from men.” I thought it was absurd, because that night I wasn’t even showing that much skin. I was wearing a simple skirt and a plaid shirt. I was confused but decided to be myself and that’s what I’ve been doing. It shouldn’t matter how much or how few clothes you are wearing, people should have respect for others.

I hope this video helps men understand how bad it is for a woman to be followed, looked at and talked to without any respect. I encourage women to be themselves everyday, that’s a beautiful thing, and it should not be taken away because of someone in the street.

Again, thanks so much to Stop Street Harassment for their everyday labour. Thanks to Holly Kearl for all the support.”

Thank you for using your talents to bring attention to this issue, Hanna!

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Today’s Events – April 12

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It’s the first day of Meet Us On the Street: International Anti-Street Harassment Week, and we already have so much going on!

Virtual Events:

Please join Young Feminists and Allies, the National Organization for Women’s First Virtual Chapter, and Stop Street Harassment for a Google Hangout about Street Harassment from a multicultural perspective.

Holly Kearl, founder of International Anti-Street-Harassment Week, will moderate three brave women with diverse backgrounds as they discuss the similarities and differences in the ways they experience street harassment.

* Kasumi Hirokawa: TCK and trilingual feminist from Shanghai who currently lives in Japan

* MorningStar Angeline: Native American and Latina actress who lived in both the Southwest and West Coast of America

* Muneera Hassan: Bangladeshi-American, Muslim, college student from Boston currently living in Northern VA who wears hijab

There will be a Q&A section, so please send us your questions in advance or during the event at youngfeminists at gmail dot com or Tweet at at @nowyoungfems and please use the #EndSH hashtag.

International Events:

Cameroon: Young Women for a Change, Cameroon is holding a dialogue in Beau with youth and adolescents to address the different forms of Street harassment facing women and girls and how to intervene. [April 12]

Canada (Vancouver): Hollaback! Vancouver will be debuting their interactive campaign and art show “What’s Your Number?” It will enable people to record the frequency and emotions involved with street harassment for 24 hours. Clickers (or counters) will be distributed to initial participants along with a blank notebook. For 24 hours, they will click twice for direct street harassment, and once for an indirect impact. At the end of the 24 hours, the clickee is encouraged to creatively express the experience in the notebook provided through mediums like poetry, illustration or essaying before they’re passed on to the next one. At the end of the week, the notebooks will be collected by the Hollaback Vancouver team for compilation. In order to showcase the process behind What’s Your Number?, the art show will be a free event extended to the community at-large. Part education, part creative and part party, this night will get everyone together in a comfortable space to talk about the effects of street harassment and – most importantly – what can be done. [Campaign kicks of all over the city on April 12th, with the Artshow / wrap up party taking place April 30th 436 Columbia St Vancouver BC 7-11 pm]

Colombia: OCAC Colombia  is hosting SUNDAY, APRIL 12 – 9:00 a.m.: STOP THE STREET HARASSMENT: We will be in the Sunday’s Bikeway and we will will cross cycling the 7th Avenue from Plaza Bolivar to the National Park | DOMINGO 12 DE ABRIL – 9 AM. ALTO AL ACOSO. Estaremos en la Ciclovía y haremos un recorrido por la carrera séptima desde la Plaza de Bolívar hasta el Parque Nacional

Nepal: Hollaback! Kathmandu will be hosting a Stand Up Against Street Harassment event, displaying charts and boards that say street harassment is not okay. They will also be interacting with the local people about what the campaign is and what they can do to respond to street harassment and stop it. [April 12, 3-5pm at Basantapur]

USA Events:

Iowa: Hollaback! Des Moines is hosting their 3rd Annual Chalk Walk to End Street Harassment. [April 12, 1 pm at the Pappajohn Education Center]. Can’t be there in person? Sometime during the week of April 12-18, go back to a street where you experienced harassment. Reclaim that space by writing an empowering message; then take a picture and send it to them at dsm@ihollaback.org! They will post all the photos to their blog after the event.

Pennsylvania: FAAN Mail will be kicking off EndSHWeek with their 5th annual rally and community engagement event. [April 12, 2-5pm at Love Park, Philadelphia]

Virginia: Hollaback! RVA is hosting a Bystander Workshop discussing and presenting on how bystander intervention and street harassment intersect. They will provide “swag bags” and snacks to participants! [Richmond, April 12, time and place TBA]

Plus, some of our groups got an early start on things and hosted these fabulous events on Saturday, April 11th:

Bahamas: Hollaback! Bahamas hosted a meditation and stress relief workshop with the World Peace Initiative.

United Kingdom: Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Centre hosted street action focused on victim-blaming and rape culture (#ThisDoesn’tMeanYes) at Braithwait Tunnel, Braithwaite Street, London.

South Korea: Rok Gi Yeon Promotions hosted “Ladies Night Vol. 2,” a benefit concert to support the charity Disruptive Voices, in Seoul. Find the Facebook event here.

Pakistan: No to Harassment hosted a fabulous panel and discussion about how a woman is #notanobject.

New York: Hollaback! hosted the annual NYC Anti-Street Harassment Rally! The event featured local activists and speakers and include da series of workshops for folks to learn more and take action against street harassment. It also featured Hollaback!’s famous 12 foot inflatable #catagainstcatcalling cat.

Pennsylvania: University of Scranton is hosted a SHARE (Street Harassment Awareness Response and Education) Fair.

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“Well, that’s why you’re by yourself”

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Today, I was walking down Commercial Drive, heading home after having dinner with a friend. A group of men were hanging out outside of a sports bar. One of them ordered me to smile. Now, anyone who knows me well knows that ordering me to smile is a surefire way to annoy me. So I turned and looked at the man.

“Why?” I asked.

“Why not?” He replied.

“It’s my business what I choose to do with my face,” I said, in a calm but firm voice. Then I turned and kept walking.

“Well, that’s why you’re by yourself,” he yelled after me. I gave him the finger without turning around. I am amazed that some men feel so free to comment on a woman’s facial expression and apparent relationship status.

– Margaret

Location: Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC, Canada

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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Street Harassment Round Up – May 17

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Stories:

On Holla Back DC! a contributor talks about her bystander efforts to challenge street harassers. She says, “If I’m close enough when I spot men ogling women who are unaware they’re being ogled, I usually say something in the lines of ‘I saw you do that, and you better not try it with me! Nasty!’ to embarrass them.'”

As mentioned in the last two week round ups, since April 26, HollaBack NYC has been posting one photo a day of street harassers. They will continue to do so for a month. All of the photos are being submitted by one woman, Sally N., a New York City resident. Emily at HollaBack NYC says, “We believe these pictures tell the story of what it’s like to be a woman in the big apple.” Visit HollaBack NYC to see these photos.

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

In the News:

  • A man disguised as a woman gropes a woman on the women-only subway car in Mexico City
  • A man in Vancouver, Canada, and a man in West Redding, UK, were arrested and tried, respectively, for sexual assault of young women in public places.

Upcoming Events:

Street Harassment Resource of the Week:

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Extreme Street Harassment in Vancouver, West Redding

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Here are two recent news stories about extreme street harassment in Vancouver, Canada, and West Redding, UK.

In Vancouver, “a woman was walking home from a pub in the area of 98th Ave & the King George Highway just before 2 a.m. when she noticed she was being followed along 104th Avenue.  Police say the man grabbed her, pushed her against a wall, pointed a gun at her and began to sexually assault her. The woman called for help and the man ran away towards the Surrey Central Bus Loop area, but using the woman’s description of the attacker, police later arrested a man on a bus.”

Mark Fricker, Image Credit: Get Reading
Mark Fricker, Image Credit: Get Reading

In West Redding: At 8:30 p.m. a 41-year old father Mark Fricker sat next to a group of young teenage girls on the upper level of a public bus. He flirted with them and said he had a son their age, and then his conversation became sexual. He began rubbing the thigh of one of the girls and kissed her on the cheek. The girls alerted the bus driver who contacted the police. In court, he admitted to sexual assault. The judge gave him a 36 month supervision order and has required that he sign the sex offenders’ register.

Thankfully the young women are all okay and the men are being or have been prosecuted.

The judgment in the first case has not been determined.

How do you feel about the ruling in the second case? From what I gather, a supervision order means the man will have to go through trainings or meetings to help him do what is necessary to stop offending in order to better keep the public safe. That seems productive. What about the registry as a sex offender? Is it too harsh for his actions? Not harsh enough? Do you think it could deter other potential sexual harassment offenders?

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