Campaigners took to the streets to chalk messages and slogans on the pavement to raise awareness about street harassment in the city.
The ‘chalk walk’ is to raise awareness of the abuse against women and lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transexual and questioning individuals in the street and comes after International Women’s Day on March 8.
Passers-by were invited to chalk words on the pavement of abusive language they had been called or heard someone called in the street as well as messages of support.
The demonstration took place outside Nottingham Trent University students’ union on Shakespeare Street.
It is part of the international campaign Hollaback which aims to end street harassment by getting women to share their experiences of it on their website.
Video: Hollaback volunteer talking about the ‘chalk walk’.
Rose Ashurst, 24, a Hollaback volunteer, said that she joined the campaign after being groped and verbally abused by a man in a club when she came back to Nottingham from London, where she was studying for a degree.
“It is on the same level as racism and homophobia, I am being discriminated because of my gender. I am not allowed to access public space without being made to feel unequal to everyone else,” she said.
Image: Rose Ashurst, 24, Hollaback campaigner.
“I think Nottingham in particular has a problem because of the students. Younger women access public space a lot more, they go to the pubs and go out more regularly.”
The campaigner said Hollaback wants to define street harassment so people understand that it is wrong and chalking slogans on the pavement is a way women can ‘reclaim the streets’ and make them their own again.
Rose also thinks that bouncers and bar tenders should be trained to deal with incidents of harassment that happens during nights out.
What is street harassment?
According to campaign group Stop Street Harassment it is the unwanted comments, gestures, and actions forced on a stranger in a public place without their consent. It is directed at them because of their actual or perceived sex, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation.
Image: a crowd gathers to watch the ‘chalk walk’ outside Nottingham Trent students’ union on Shakespeare street.
One passer-by who wrote on the pavement was 19-year-old Chloe Redhead. She was verbally abused by a man after she helped him home from a night out because he was drunk.
The second year sociology student at Nottingham Trent University said: “I think it really important to raise awareness because you don’t want to hear this stuff when your walking down the street.”
She says that being shouted at by men in the street can be quite intimidating especially when she is on her own.
Nottingham Trent University student, Symon Cyglica,20, is part of the team who organised the chalk walk.
The second year criminology student is part of a group of 70 students at the university working with Nottingham Citizens questioning women about their experiences of harassment.
Mr Cyglica said that 87 per cent of respondents of their survey said they have been harassed and only 12 incidents were reported to the police last year.
“A lot of people just brush it off like it is not a serious type of crime and don’t think the police can deal with it,” he said.
“It is important to show how rude and uncalled for what some men or even women have said to other people.”
Image: Symon Cyglica, 20, is part of a team of student who organised the chalk walk.
Mr Cyglica is hoping that the campaign will mean more people report street harassment and the police will take it more seriously.
“I think it is very important that men get involved to show we are not like these men who harass women on the street and that we actively condemn these behaviours.”
Video: Hollaback volunteers chalking the pavement with slogans and messages
Josh Eloi vice president of community at Nottingham Trent students’ union said: “We think is absolutely fantastic that students are getting involved in the fight against objectifying women.”
“We really hope that the students here, provided with this visual and striking message, give a message to Nottingham that this sort of behaviour is not okay.”
The University’s students union are running a survey for students to give their views on what they think of lad culture.
The feedback from the survey will them help in creating new polices on lad culture at the university.
Mr Eloi also said that the student union are also looking into putting on self defence classes during fresher week.
Nottinghamshire Police said that many victims of this sort of street harassment don’t realise that the law protects them and urges anyone that has suffered street harassment to report it.
There are laws governing people’s behaviour in public spaces, including what they say on the street, so that language that is deliberately offensive and intended to cause harassment, distress or alarm is prohibited”
Spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire police said they will treat street harassment as a hate crime and will take it seriously.
“We know that some victims aren’t comfortable in reporting directly to the police. If this is the case, hate crime reports can be made directly via the national True Vision website at report-it.org.uk and anonymous reports can also be made to Crimestoppers on their website crimestoppers-uk.org or their Freephone 0800 555111.
