Well happy new year everyone. Doesn’t really feel like the end of the holidays to me yet even though I’m back at work, because I’m about to go dance in the sun at Kaikoura Roots. After which no doubt I’ll be beyond compare as a wage slave. Really.
But I digress.
Fantastic series of posts at Stop Street Harassment which I’m only just now catching up with, and which complements nicely the fabulous work of the Wellington Young Feminist Collective in bringing Hollaback to Wellie.
Stop Street Harassment is:
a resource center where visitors can access lists of statistics, articles, films, and campaigns around street harassment as well as ideas for action to stop street harassment in their community.
Stop Street Harassment also provides people with a place to share their stories. International Anti-Street Harassment Week is one of Stop Street Harassment’s campaigns.
So the posts I enjoyed – post one details international successes in stopping street harassment, from new laws in Chile and Saudi Arabia to UN awards for Egyptian groups combating street harassment.
Post two lists new or expanded campaigns world-wide, including of course the extraordinary phenomena for 2011 that was Slutwalk.
Post four are street harassment stories from people who stood up to harassers. Inspiring and fabulous, and brings me to my last feminist act for 2011.Walking home after eating ripe strawberries in the spa in the local aquatic centre (read on, that’s not the feminist act :-)), I notice a man with both hands down his pants sitting at my local bus stop, masturbating and leering at me as I walk past.
I sneer – which believe me, is quite fearsome – walk on for twenty metres, call the police, then follow him down the road when he starts to move so that when the police arrive, they can take a statement from me and deal with him. I did have to discuss the law with the police officer, but all in all, while not the loveliest way to wind down the year, far better than letting the guy get away with taking over my neighbourhood.
Let’s hope 2012 has more lying in spa pools with strawberries, and less wankers in my street.
LudditeJourno 