Catcalls scrawled on Almere streets to raise sexual harassment awareness

Almere initiative Ally will soon start writing catcalls on the street, exactly where women heard them, in the fight against sexual harassment on the street. The action starts on International Women’s Day, March 8, Omroep Flevoland reports.

According to Shadi Nikshomar of CatCallsofAlly, street harassment is a massive problem. At Almere Centrum station, for example, women often hear things like, “Hey girl, come fuck,” or “How much for a blowjob?” or “Hey whore: Answer me,” yelled at them, she said. It leaves women feeling powerless and afraid, and there is no good way to respond.

“I’m afraid to ignore it or to say something back because then I’m afraid they’ll come after me,” she said to the broadcaster.

Nikshomar hopes that by writing the crass statements down where everyone can see them, the campaign will generate anger and attention. The catcalls will be written in chalk on the street, in the exact place where men shouted them at women.

The rain will eventually wash them away, but photos will remain on the campaign’s Instagram account. Nikshomar intends to hold an exhibition with all the photos next year.