GirlGI | Girl Gone International Issue 9 | Page 54

Be Prepared
Knowing what to expect in a given city or
country can help you prepare mentally and
physically. Reach out to locals, expats and
bloggers to get a better idea of what
harassment is like in a given location. You
may face a different amount or type of
harassment than normal. For example, a
friend of mine found that in Latin America,
her Indian heritage was exoticized and
made part of her harassment, something
she hadn’t experienced back home.

Be Realistic
The fact is, harassment happens everywhere in the world. Victims are of every
race, religion, sexuality and socio-economic class, wearing everything from mini skirts
to burqas. If you’re trying to find the perfect
outfit, way to walk, part of town, or number of travel companions to keep yourself
free of harassment, you will be sorely disappointed. The reality is that street harassment
is about power, not sexual attraction, and
has more to do with a harasser than anything about you.

Be direct

If you do feel safe responding, do your best
to try a few tactics, like loudly calling out
the behavior. Being specific, like saying,
‘the man in the blue shirt is touching me’
can often shame someone into leaving
you alone. Making all-purpose comments,
like saying, ‘that’s not okay’ or ‘no one likes
Be kind to yourself
that,’ can really make an impact. While
People often tell me they feel embarrassed, some people enjoy getting into a conversaguilty, or disappointed in themselves for not tion with harassers, others can find it draining. Be unequivocal, using statements inhaving a witty comeback in the moment.
stead of questions, and never apologizing.
Remember that harassment is a shock,
even if it has happened many times before. This leaves no room for negotiation, and
keeps the focus on the person who is at
It can also be pretty scary, since there’s a
fault: your harasser.
threat of further violence. Given those two
facts, it’s actually surprising that anyone
ever manages to challenge their harassers.
Get to safety
If it’s something you’re willing and able to
do and it makes you feel empowered, go
After or instead of a direct conversation,
for it! But if not, remember that most people make sure to get yourself away from the
(myself included) are unable to confront
perpetrator. If you’re not certain if sometheir harassers.
one is following you, make three left turns.
If they’re still there, they have just followed