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.

Problem

In 2011 the CDC found that “non-contact unwanted sexual experiences,” including street harassment, are the most prevalent form of sexual violence for both men and women in the United States. Street harassment has been historically ignored by traditional media outlets – and has now risen to epidemic proportions, with epidemic impact. The long-term impact of street harassment includes depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as a reduced sense of safety within the victim’s community that can limit earnings, decrease mobility, and interrupt their ability to fully engage with civic life. In 2012 Hollaback released a study with Cornell University called “The experience of being targets of street harassment in New York City.” Among the researchers’ findings were two important conclusions: first, there was a perceived need for broad-based system-wide level of accountability from government, and second, everyday bystanders who intervened where more likely to make the harassment stop and bystander actions reduced trauma for the victim. Bystander intervention included behaviors a simple as a “knowing look” or “an empathetic statement that showed support.” Street harassment is a gateway crime and creates a culture where sexual violence – including assault and rape – are normalized. Using social media, mobile technology, and citizen journalism, we are now able to reveal the extent of this epidemic.

Solution

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.

Example

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.

Marketplace

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