change of strategy against street harassment

Street harassment is a strategy to scare women away from the public space so they do not work or go to school, earn their own money, go into politics, make decisions, claim property and take power.

Decades of women-focused victim-blaming approach did NOT result in a decrease of harassement, rape, murder and other gender-based violence. To the contrary, according to the National Crime Records Bureau numbers are increasing. More women might report more crimes. But clearly they do not feel more safe.

 Time to change strategy!

The plan is to take over the National Capital Region and declare more and more women friendly zones.

Newly claimed territory, the progress and development will be closely monitored.

Everyone can declare a women-friendly zone!

Everyone can be part of the movement and report how it goes and for how long it lasts on the facebook page or send their report and pictures to safeurbanspace@gmail.com

As response to the failure to create a safe environment for women in public spaces the Safe Urban Space Committee decided to create women-friendly zones in the NCR.

In the style of the women-only compartment in the metro, these zones should create a safe haven for women. But opposed to the women-only zones, the women-friendly zones will still allow men in the public places. Sex segregation is obviously a step backward not forward and does not contribute to the elimination of harassment in the long-term. Segregation is a drastic measure, which can only be seen as a temporary method, because other strategies by the authorities proved to be unsuccessful.

The permanent feeling of insecurity makes women follow unwritten rules to go out in public.

They are always careful, they are made to think about what to wear (although not at all relevant as a strategy to avoid harassment), avoid going out alone, go in groups or with trustworthy male friend, avoid being out in the dark, avoid certain routes, avoid to generate attention, change their body language and attitude.

For all these efforts women are neither rewarded by feeling safe, not are these restrains publicly acknowledged.

It is time for a new approach to address street harassment.

The focus needs to shift towards the perpetrators.

As women´s behavior has no impact on their safety, it is time to demand change in men´s behavior.

The women friendly zones do allow men to enter, but in order to secure and to enforce a street harassment – free environment; these (half-seriously meant) opposite rules of what women follow in order to be safe, apply:

1. ·       Men are not allowed to come in groups
2. ·       Men have to be escorted by a woman
3. ·       Men are not allowed to speak to unknown women, only to the woman escorting them
4. ·       No cameras, no mobile phones
5. ·       If men are unsure if they are still creating an atmosphere of harassment, they have to option to be blindfolded
6.  There is a total ban for men from 7.30pm to 7.30am