Street harassment

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"In this work we do not whistle at women and we are against street harassment." Poster at a construction site in Santiago de Chile in 2020.

Street harassment is a form of harassment, primarily sexual harassment that consists of unwanted sexualised comments, provocative gestures, honking, wolf whistles, indecent exposures, stalking, persistent sexual advances, and touching by strangers, in public areas such as streets, shopping malls and public transportation.[1] Besides actions or comments that contain a sexual connotation,[2] it often includes homophobic and transphobic slurs, and hateful comments referencing race, religion, class, ethnicity and disability.[2] The practice is rooted in power and control and is often a reflection of societal discrimination,[2] and has been argued to sometimes result from a lack of opportunities for expression of interest or affection (e.g. an inability to have social interaction).

Recipients include people of both genders, but women are much more commonly victims of harassment by men. According to Harvard Law Review (1993), street harassment is considered harassment done primarily by male strangers to females in public places.[3]

According to the founder of Stop Street Harassment, it can range from physically harmless behavior, such as "kissing noises", "stares", and "non-sexually explicit comments", to "more threatening behavior" like stalking, flashing, grabbing, sexual assault, and rape.[4][5]

  1. ^ Whittaker, Elizabeth; Robin M. Kowalski (2015). "Cyberbullying Via Social Media". Journal of School Violence. 14 (1): 11–29. doi:10.1080/15388220.2014.949377. S2CID 144140856.
  2. ^ a b c "What Is Street Harassment?". Stop Street Harassment. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  3. ^ Bowman, Cynthia Grant (January 1993). "Street Harassment and the Informal Ghettoization of Women". Harvard Law Review. 106 (3): 519. doi:10.2307/1341656. JSTOR 1341656.
  4. ^ Kearl, Holly (2010). Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and Welcoming for Women. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 3. ISBN 978-0313384967.
  5. ^ Kearl, Holly (2015). Stop Global Street Harassment: Growing Activism Around the World. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 2.