Enough.

It is tragically too common for girls and women of all ages to hear cat calls and jeers and “compliments” thrown their way at any time of the day when they walk on the streets. Regardless of what you wear, how you dress and how you look, street harassment has been something that we have all grown up with.

And the saddest part of the story is that the culprits range from school boys to old men.

Degrading comments on one’s attire and body are not deserved by anyone and the hurt it causes is not physical.Street harassment causes very real psychological trauma and pain, and because the wounds are not physical, it quickly gets classified as a “female overreaction.” Comments on one’s body immediately assign power to the harasser and makes the victim of street harassment “public property,” and remind the victim that they are powerless. Furthermore, the fear that street harassment instills in its victims is very real- this fear could be due to the explicit insinuation or threat of violence by the harasser, or due to the implicit threat because the victim is afraid of what could happen if they don’t respond to the harasser in a manner that is “acceptable” to the harasser. 

Furthermore, street harassment has caused victims to feel such intense fear that it has led to alteration of behaviour- “Maybe I shouldn’t stay out too late.” “Maybe I shouldn’t wear this dress.” “Maybe I shouldn’t take this route.” This is fundamentally wrong because it infringes upon so many humans’ right to freedom. 

And being a bystander who does nothing is just as bad. Because by not taking action against street harassment, we are propagating the message that it is normal and okay, which in turn causes victims to resort to self-blame. Every time that I have been harassed on the streets, I have blamed myself, wondering if maybe I shouldn’t have retorted back. Maybe I shouldn’t have worn this colour. Maybe wearing earrings was a bad move. Maybe wearing shorts was not a good idea. 

And guess what? That’s not the way to think. Because like every other form of sexual harassment, street harassment is NOT THE FAULT OF THE VICTIM. 

Street harassment is wrong. It is not an overreaction by girls, and it is most definitely not a compliment. 

This is why we are launching this campaign against it. Before you dismiss it as a “female overreaction” or “an attempt to make a scene” please consider that street harassment is something that all of us have lived in fear of and been victims of for all our lives. If you are willing to take a stand against street harassment and join us in our fight, please email streetharassmenthurts@hotmail.com, or post statuses and posters with #streetharassmenthurts on Facebook. Also, please share stories too- we can put it up on this blog!