Anti-Street Harassment Day - Overview

Anyone, anywhere can participate in this international day of action! Street harassment is something most women deal with year-round, but, without fail, each spring the warmer weather and longer daylight hours bring an increase in street harassment. With spring, we see more men congregating in public places, sitting on porches or door stoops, lingering at bus stops or street corners, and driving with their windows down. Too many of these men think it’s okay to whistle, hoot, hollar, follow, and grab the girls and women they see. During spring, Mardi Gras, Spring Break, festivals and parades are all used as excuses for harassing women. This is unacceptable. I’m all for friendly hellos and mutual, gender-neutral public interactions (that can lead to mutual flirting and hoookups), but spring street harassment is out of control. It is demeaning. It is annoying. It’s sometimes threatening and scary. Evaluating women, making sexually explicit remarks or demands, groping, stalking, public masturbation, persistently asking for a date after being told no, leering, and whistling HAVE GOT TO GO. On March 20,you can do something to challenge street harassment and its social acceptability and to let everyone know that street harassment is not okay. Take part in anti-street harassment activities on the same day as women and men all over the country. Let’s remind everyone that spring is no excuse for harassing women. Ten Ideas for Action: <ol> <li> Share your stories to break the silence. Share a street harassment story with a family member or friend. <a href="http://streetharassment.crowdmap.com/" target="_blank">Share it online</a>. Tweet it using <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=streetharassment" target="_blank">#streetharassment</a>. If you do nothing else, share your story. </li> <li> Respond to harassers. Use <a href="http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/strategies/responses.htm" target="_blank">assertive responses</a>, <a href="http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/strategies/reporting.htm" target="_blank">report </a>them, ask them to fill out the <a href="http://theriotmag.tumblr.com/post/3226443819/another-page-from-the-riots-great-big" target="_blank">Catcaller Form</a>, or hand them an <a href="http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/resources/images.htm" target="_blank">anti-street harassment handout</a>. </li> <li>Hand out or post anti-street harassment information. Print and post fliers, handouts and signs around your neighborhood, office, campus, school, or community center to raise people's awareness about what street harassment is and why it is unacceptable. (Examples of <a href="http://www.streetharassmentproject.org/flyers/index.html" target="_blank">fliers</a>, <a href="http://www.imow.org/community/viewImage?id=3634" target="_blank">posters</a> or <a href="http://www.ilonagranet.com/" target="_blank">signs</a> (click on link for street signs) and another <a href="http://www.ggenyc.org/publications.php" target="_blank">street harassment poster)</a>.</li> <li> Use your talents to raise awareness about street harassment. Write/perform songs (see <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChNB8AjdGP4" target="_blank">The Astronomical Kid</a>‘s and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/stopstreetharassment#p/f/4/0IHAE7PraVM" target="_blank">Emily Swash</a>‘s songs); do stand-up comedy (see Lucé Tomlin-Brenner’s <a href="http://streetharassment.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/using-stand-up-comedy-to-raise-awarenss-about-street-harassment/" target="_blank">stand-up comedy routine</a>); make a cartoon (see <a href="http://streetharassment.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/what-we-wish-construction-workers-would-say/" target="_blank">Liza Donnelly</a>‘s, <a href="http://streetharassment.wordpress.com/2010/08/31/if-women-one-the-street-said-i-look-nice-itd-make-my-day/" target="_blank">Barry Deutsch</a>‘s, and <a href="http://streetharassment.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/confronting-harassers-in-comic-form/" target="_blank">Jerrod Koon</a>‘s); write a poem (see <a href="http://www.rachelsimmons.com/2010/12/fionas-poem-cat-call/" target="_blank">Fiona Lowenstein</a>‘s and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D1YMKSXL4Y&feature=player_embedded" target="_blank">Bif Naked</a>‘s poems); put on a show (see Leah King’s one woman show “<a href="http://www.paradigmshiftnyc.com/2010/08/hey-you-can-i-get-a-smile-leah-king-one-woman-show/" target="_blank">Can I get a smile?</a>"); or make a fun online awareness-raising item (see Atozinco’s <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/stopstreetharassment#p/f/16/a5Yrruu2BfY" target="_blank">slideshow</a>, à la garconnière's <a href="http://garconniere.tumblr.com/post/2143039305/saxtalaqway-invoice-507642-let-us-all-start#me" target="_blank">street harassment invoice</a>, and Scary Godmother’s <a href="http://streetharassment.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/street-harassment-bingo/" target="_blank">Bingo sheet</a>) </li> <li> Hold an <a href="http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/ending/awareness.htm#event" target="_blank">event, rally, </a>or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200134909997177#!/event.php?eid=148006261927707" target="_blank">community planning meeting</a> about street harassment in your community or on your campus. Ask people to share street harassment stories and brainstorm how to address it in your community. Show an anti-street harassment documentary. Make it an open mic or art event where people can share their poems or art work on the topic. Hold a self defense demonstration.</li> <li>Conduct a <a href="http://www.womenincities.org/pdf-general/WISE_new safety audit guide.pdf" target="_blank">community safety audit</a> in your neighborhood. Build a small team and find out what could make your area safer and more inclusive for women. Take your ideas to your local elected officials.</li> <li>Learn more about street harassment. Watch an anti-street harassment <a href="http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/resources/video.htm" target="_blank">documentary</a> or read an anti-street harassment <a href="http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/resources/articles.htm" target="_blank">article or book</a>. Request the Stop Street Harassment book <a href="http://streetharassment.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/is-stop-street-harassment-at-your-library/" target="_blank">for your library</a>, so anyone in your community can read it for free. </li> <li>Write an op-ed. Write and submit an article or <a href="http://www.theopedproject.org/" target="_blank">op-ed </a>about street harassment and your experiences with it to a magazine or <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/sep/17/gender-feminism1" target="_blank">newspaper</a>. An <a href="http://www.impre.com/eldiariony/opinion/opinion/2010/9/14/el-acoso-callejero-210635-1.html" target="_blank">op-ed</a> that journalist <a href="http://www.mendezberry.com/" target="_blank">Elizabeth Mendez Berry</a> wrote in the fall of 2010 led to the <a href="http://stopstreetharassment.com/ending/NYCHearingOct2010.htm" target="_blank">first ever city council hearing</a> on street harassment in New York City! </li> <li>Survey and map harassment. Survey your friends and family, classmates and coworkers about their experiences with street harassment (you can do so for free with <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/" target="_blank">SurveyMonkey</a>). <a href="http://streetharassment.wordpress.com/2010/05/21/documenting-street-harassment-on-maps/" target="_blank">Map </a>where you and they face harassment (<a href="http://earth.google.com/outreach/tutorials.html" target="_blank">google earth</a> offers a free tool to do so with a tutorial) to track any patterns about where it occurs. Take your information and ask the police, elected officials, or local businesses to do something about the harassment in those areas (show them your results when you talk to them).</li> <li>Start campaigning. Organize or participate in an <a href="http://stopstreetharassment.com/ending/campaigns.htm">anti-street harassment campaign</a>, like the <a href="http://ashcampaign.org/" target="_blank">UK Anti-Street Harassment Campaign</a> and the <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hPxEvc_yfffM-EpDRdNxDWIgzhTA" target="_blank">Don’t be Silent Speak.</a> Ask your elected officials to address this issue. Ask for an anti-street harassment Public Service Announcement campaign. Ask that schools address street harassment in their curriculum.</li> </ol>

International Anti-Street Harassment Day 2011

Anti-Street Harassment Day - Overview