WHAT IS STREET HARASSMENT?

We define street harassment as “any unwanted behavior directed at someone by a stranger in a public space. This can include acts such as unwanted comments, eve-teasing, whistling, leering, sexual and racist remarks, persistent requests for someone’s name or personal information, general intimidation, threats, stalking, indecent exposure, or public masturbation along with more physical acts of violence such as groping and sexual assault.” In many ways, street harassment is an act that forces an individual into an unwanted interaction where they become defined primarily as a sexual object or are reminded of their vulnerability in public spaces.

At It’s Not A Compliment, we understand that incidents of street harassment are not only about sexism. They can involve casteism, colorism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, and other forms of structural oppression. We believe that any valid definition of street harassment needs to be inclusive of these experiences if we are to develop truly effective and sustainable solutions to the issue. Street harassment is not a compliment.

Why focUs on Street Harassment?

STREET HARASSMENT IS A MATTER OF RIGHTS AND A FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT ISSUE. 

Frequent experiences of street harassment can severely limit people’s access to public spaces as a result of how vulnerable and unsafe these can make us feel, often pushing people to fundamentally change their behaviors when out in public. This can range from adopting a variety of safety practices such as constantly assessing our surroundings or avoiding making eye contact with strangers to more limiting behaviors like avoiding going out after dark or paying to exercise at a gym instead of outdoors. Some even make significant life changes based on experiences of street harassment like changing jobs, stopping degrees, or moving neighborhoods to avoid such things reoccurring. We believe that everyone should be able to enjoy the use of public spaces without having to place limitations on their freedom of movement or taking on the additional burden of adopting safety practices.

STREET HARASSMENT HAS A DETRIMENTAL IMPACT ON PEOPLE’S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.  

Being frequently objectified or subjected to harassment can place a huge toll on someone’s physical and mental wellbeing. In addition to triggering physical stress responses, frequent experiences of street harassment and a constant concern for one’s safety can lead to increased rates of anxiety, depression and ongoing mental health issues, with people often internalising feelings of shame, guilt, embarrassment, frustration and helplessness as a result of this. It can be particularly harmful for those with previous experience of sexual trauma as street harassment can act as a re-triggering event for many.

STREET HARASSMENT EXISTS ALONG A CONTINUUM OF VIOLENCE. 

To us, trivializing and normalizing street harassment is particularly harmful due to the space it occupies within the spectrum of violence. Street harassment is not an isolated problem. What starts as verbal harassment can easily escalate to physical violence, sexual assault and even murder. That’s because street harassment is the result of the very same culture that makes these more violent forms of harm possible, the culture that normalises objectifying others, engages in victim blaming rhetoric, accepts the marginalisation of certain communities, refuses to hold perpetrators accountable and does not valorise the concept of consent. A culture that fails to challenge street harassment is one that makes it possible for other forms of violence to take place.