Photo: Screenshot
A day as a woman in New York
Whistles, stupid sayings or even fisticuffs: Often you have to endure a lot as a woman - and only when you walk across the street. A shocking video shows the extent of harassment in New York.
Especially in big cities, it can be torture for women to walk through the streets: From mere gaze to be often supposedly nice compliments meant that little flattering and more likely to leave a bad feeling - especially when one is alone.
In the US, this problem has already been given a name: street harassment refers to all verbal and physical assaults that occur in public. The harassment on the street is especially problematic because it is like downplayed by outsiders. "Oh come on, just ignore that ..." or "That's just nice!" are two sentences with which the perpetrators are defended.
But that's just wrong: Anyone who simply looks away from harassment on the street does not solve the problem, but aggravates it. Perpetrators must be shown their limits and victims should not just be ridiculed. A video by the organization Hollaback, which is committed to street harassment, shows why there is a great need for action. The New Yorker Shoshana B. Roberts is harassed a total of 108 times during a 10-hour walk through the city - even 5 minutes by a man ...
That this behavior is not just a problem abroad, shows the Berlin version of Hollaback. Here are stories about harassment on the road collected and tips how to handle it.
The first rule is: do not look away! We should help victims and make it clear to perpetrators that they are crossing a border. This is both a warning look, as well as words. If you witness harassment and the victim is alone, show that you are ready to intervene. If necessary, speak to other people present and ask for help.
We hope that this topic will receive much more attention in the future. After all, both women and men have a right to move freely and safely in public!
