The War Against Street Harassment Goes Global

Hollaback, the “movement dedicated to ending street harassment using mobile technology,” has launched in 10 new cities today, including U.S. towns like Atlanta, Portland and Houston… But also international locations, like Buenos Aires, London and Mumbai.

Inti Maria Tidball-Binz, the leader of Hollaback Buenos Aires, says, “For many of us in Buenos Aires ‘piropos,’ or ‘catcalls’ are aggressive and intrusive. We need a fresh approach to local issues, and knowing that the strength of the international Hollaback movement is behind us gives us the impetus to make changes.”

Whether it’s on the street, in the subway, or at a party, Hollaback encourages women to report comments, groping, flashing or assault; the creators state: “We believe that everyone has a right to feel safe and confident without being objectified.”

There’s already one heartbreaking — yet familiar — confession from an anonymous young woman in India, who writes:

I purposely buy clothes that are too big for me. I purposely go out wearing baggy clothes because I feel that when I wear something that shows skin, men stare at me more. Actually, they stare no matter what I wear, but even more when I am wearing something revealing. It should not be about what I wear. Why are men in this city allowed to express their sexual desires, but I’m meant to keep mine under wraps? Saying that women are harassed because we wore what we wanted, we ‘asked for it’ gives men sexual autonomy but doesn’t give us sexual autonomy. This is a double standard.