Hollaback! is an international movement dedicated to ending street harassment. Powered by activists around the world, our mission is to make public spaces safer for girls, women, and LGBTQ individuals. Despite the fact that comments from "You’d look good on me" to groping, flashing or assault, are a daily, global reality for women and LGBTQ individuals, they are rarely reported, and are culturally accepted as ‘the price you pay’ for being a woman, gay, or appearing different.

At Hollaback!, we believe that everyone has a right to feel safe and confident without being objectified. Sexual harassment is a gateway crime that thrives in a culture where gender-based violence is accepted as the norm. There is a clear legal framework to reproach sexual harassment in the home or at work, but when it comes to the streets – all bets are off. This gap persists, not because street harassment hurts any less on the streets, but because until now, there hasn’t been a solution. The explosion of mobile technology has given us an unprecedented opportunity to end street harassment, and with it, the chance to take on one of the final frontiers for women’s rights around the word.

Studies show that up to 99% of women experience harassment at some point in their lives [Kearl, 2010]. When harassment occurs, individuals must choose between ignoring it and feeling victimized or responding directly - and risking personal safety. Using iHollaback.org, more than 3,000 girls and women between the ages of 7 and 78 have submitted information about their street harassment experiences. Aimee, a 16 year old who witnessed public masturbation wrote, “I’ve been thinking about it, trying to forget about it because I don't want this to ruin my life. I keep saying to myself, 'it didn’t happen, it didn’t happen’; however, as I type this I’m beginning to realize, 'yes, it really did.'” Many of those who share their stories on the Hollaback! site indicate the long-term impacts of harassment, including turning down networking opportunities, missing out on classes, and even changing jobs or moving because they feel unsafe.

At the core of our model lies the belief that movements start with people telling their stories – and they succeed with people taking action. Before the Internet age, there was only one mic, one podium, one speaker. But now, thanks to the proliferation of blogging and social media, it is no longer the loudest, wealthiest and most powerful who rule the airwaves: anyone with access to their local library’s internet portal can have a voice. At Hollaback!, we leverage technology to bring voice to an issue that historically has been silenced, and to build leadership within this movement to break the silence.

We work with women, girls, and LGBTQ individuals to document in words and pictures, and to literally indicate on a map, where they experienced harassment in public spaces. Doing this provides a forum for individuals to share their experiences and brings attention to this long-ignored issue. Inspire international leadership: Much of Hollaback!’s power lies in its scalability. To scale effectively, we train young women and LGBTQ leaders throughout the world to use their skills to build a grassroots movement focused on ending street harassment. We train in the application of technology as we also work to ensure that their actions are strategic and high-impact. Shift public opinion: Our broad-based campaign is designed to reach the public at large by inspiring individuals to take action. We provide educational workshops to schools, universities, and community groups, and engage citizens through traditional and social media. Engage elected officials: We will present collected and mapped data to elected officials and policymakers in areas experiencing high incidences of street harassment and will engage legislators to work with our trained leaders to address street harassment in their communities.

The upside of working on a historically ignored issue is that we have very few competitors. There are blogs, but they are not incorporated.