Guest Grantee Post: Ending Street Harassment - The Next Step

By Sarah Blake and Emily May, Hollaback!

When Hollaback first started more than five years ago, we knew that we, along with thousands of other women and LGBTQ New Yorkers, were sick of trying to ignore the aggressive lewd comments, public masturbation and groping that are so commonplace on the city’s streets, subways and buses. But, at the same time, when we talked about “street harassment,” few people knew what we were even talking about. The term wasn’t commonly used then, and when we would explain what we were talking about, we were often told that the problem was minor, “just the price you pay” for living in a city, or, “not a problem here.” As we join activists around the world, led by Stop Street Harassment author Holly Kearl in recognizing the first ever International Anti-Street Harassment Day on March 20, we can see how much has changed – and how, in many ways, we have only just begun.

There is now rapidly building momentum for the movement to end street harassment around the world, and Hollaback has become a network supporting a multiplying number of local leaders around the world. Along with organizations like Harassmap in Egypt and Women Speak in Trinidad and Tobago,  Hollaback’s volunteer leaders in twelve cities around the world are now working to engage their own communities to challenge the attitudes, myths and assumptions that allow street harassment to remain a daily, global, reality. There is no question that we, together, are ready for the next step: creating a world where women and LGBTQ folks are as safe in the streets as anyone else. On March 20, Hollaback leaders around the world will be holding community forums, leading and taking part in street, blog and twitter campaigns, filming public service announcements and more.

We hope that these events will mark the start of the next step:

Atlanta, GA: Hollaback Atlanta will be conducting the first on-site street harassment survey at the Five Points MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) train station.  An extremely busy train stop, we hope to find out more information about the harassment faced by MARTA riders (myself included) on a daily basis.  Currently MARTA has no anti-street harassment policies, and we're hoping to change that!  By conducting research, we want to present the peeps in charge at MARTA with some data to prove that they need to take harassment more seriously.  Hopefully this project will enable Hollaback Atlanta to help make Atlanta's public transit a harassment-free space for all who ride it!

Baltimore, MD: Hollaback Bmore is hosting a Community Talk on Street Harassment at the Baltimore Free School 3pm - including free childcare, self-defense tips and filming of a public service announcement to be posted on "Why I Holla Back" to be posted on Hollaback Baltimore’s blog

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Atrevete Buenos Aires will be handing out stickers, the Spanish version of the “catcaller's form,” (courtesy of The Riot) educational pamphlets on street harassment and self defense and factsheets from Stop Street Harassment site so that everyone can work in their own environment with their own micro-actions. We will be talking about what each one of us can do to raise awareness.

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March 20: Pledge to Make the Streets Safe for All

Have you ever walked to the other side of the street in order to bypass unwanted attention? Given a wary smile or downward look in response to a catcall? Or worse, been forced to witness inappropriate sexual behavior on the bus or train?

Well now is the time to take back public space, talk back to the cat-caller, and stop street harassment. Join the movement this Sunday, March 20 for the first annual International Anti-Street Harassment Day.

Although studies show that over 80% of women worldwide face some sort of gender-based street harassment, this intimidation is too often ignored. In a guest commentary on our blog, Sarah Blake and Emily May of Ms. Foundation grantee Hollaback! -- an organization dedicated to ending street harassment through mobile technology -- write:

When Hollaback first started more than five years ago, we knew that we, along with thousands of other women and LGBTQ New Yorkers were sick of trying to ignore the aggressive lewd comments, public masturbation and groping that are so commonplace on the city’s streets, subways and buses. But, at the same time, when we talked about “street harassment,” few people knew what we were even talking about...we were often told that the problem was minor, "just the price you pay" for living in a city, or, "not a problem here."

The women of Hollaback! knew better. What they didn't know then was that their organization would help spark an international movement.

[Watch this video to learn from Emily May, Hollaback! Executive Director, about how it all began:]

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[Video] Voices From the Field: Hollaback! Confronts Street Harassment

Meet Hollaback! Executive Director Emily May, and learn how she and you can stand up to street harassment.



The Ms. Foundation is proud to support social justice trailblazers like Emily May and her Hollaback! crew. We were one of the first to fund Hollaback! -- an organization that uses online and mobile technology to crowd-source stories of street harassment, a daily occurrence for many women and LGBTQ individuals worldwide.

Noting that cat calls and other forms of sexual harassment in public places were often ignored or overlooked by law enforcement and policymakers, Emily May and some of her friends took the matter into their own hands. In 2005, they started a blog in New York City that aimed to track, catalog and report instances of street harassment -- a widespread phenomenon that in their minds helps create a "cultural environment that makes gender-based violence okay." That blog has grown into an international movement, with local chapters emerging from Egypt to Australia to Canada.

Ultimately Hollaback! aims to raise the profile of sexual harassment on the street, to bring it to the attention of law enforcement and policymakers, and to fight for a culture that does not allow street harassment to be the "'price you pay' for being a woman or for being gay."

Grantee Launches iPhone App to End Street Harassment

Kudos to Ms. Foundation grantee Hollaback on the launch of their new iPhone app -- and a fantastic story in the New York Times highlighting their work!

As we've previously written, Hollaback is a great young organization using technology to step up the fight against street harassment. Previously you could either visit their website or send a text message to report being harassed by someone on the street; now, with their newly launched iPhone app, users will have a streamlined method of reporting these incidents of harassment (which can include a picture of your harasser, if you wish). A GPS mapping feature automatically tracks where the harassment is taking place, and then adds the incident to a map on the Hollaback website.

After this basic information has been captured, Hollaback sends a follow up email to users to collect more detailed stories and information. And for those who aren't iPhone users, no need to fear: a Droid app is in the works and should be forthcoming shortly.

Rock on, Hollaback! Keep making us proud.

Been Harassed? It's Time to Hollaback! [video]

One Ms. Foundation grantee has been getting great press recently for their work using mobile technology to fight sexual harassment.

Hollaback! is an organization that rejects the notion that catcalls and other types of verbal and physical harassment are just the "price you pay" for being a woman in this world. Using mobile technology -- i.e., stories, pictures and videos from your smart phone, uploaded to local sites -- their goal is to create a "crowd sourced initiative" that will end street harassment for good, and make the world safer for all of us to walk in.

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