Undercovered: Women Are Taking Back India’s Streets from Harassers

Undercovered is our daily feature bringing attention to women’s issues worldwide, which we feel deserve a larger audience.

—

Women in India are organizing a campaign to take back public streets from what they see as a pervasive culture of harassment in the country, according to a new report in The Guardian.

Shaifali Agrawal, reporting from Bangalore, writes:

Sexual harassment on the streets or in other public spaces is a common experience for women in India. A recent survey by the NGO ActionAid found 79% of women have been subjected to harassment or violence in public.

A volunteer-run collective called Blank Noise has been working against street harassment since 2004. In June, it launched a campaign – #WalkAlone – to encourage women to reclaim public spaces.

Women are being asked to walk alone to places they have never visited, or have been warned about.

The campaign is urging women to undertake the challenge at any time of the day, for three weeks, humming a song, daydreaming, with hands unclenched, shoulders relaxed, until they get back their right to walk without fear.

You can read the complete report here.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!