The Thomas Reuters Foundation, DLA Piper and the non-profit group Hollaback! have published a new resource and legal guide on the public form of sexual harassment or assault known as street harassment. The guide, called “Street Harassment: Know Your Rights,” identifies and analyzes existing laws that women, police and prosecutors can use to combat street harassment in 36 different jurisdictions around the world, including Croatia, Nepal, Poland, the Czech Republic, Mexico and the United States. Laws applicable to street harassment vary "significantly from country to country," as do local and national level approaches to prosecution, enforcement and victim protection.
As noted in the guide, street harassment is a form of gender-based violence that “affects the safety and wellbeing of women and girls worldwide. It can take many forms, including catcalling, groping or stalking, and leads to fear and intimidation.” Education, increased public awareness, effective law enforcement and prosecution of offenders are all key to eliminating street harassment, according to the guide’s authors.
Compiled from: Thomson Reuters Foundation and DLA Piper, Street Harassment: Know Your Rights, Trust.org (October 15, 2014); Culp-Ressler, Tara, The First Global Guide On Street Harassment Helps Women Learn Their Legal Rights, Think Progress (October 15, 2014)