The following introduction is an excerpt from a Safe Routes to School National Partnership research article, read the full PDF available above  

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Hey, baby!”

By the time many girls reach middle school, suggestive comments – along with unwanted touches, demands for smiles from strangers, and other forms of harassment – become a common experience in public places.

Street harassment can have a strong negative effect on students who are trying to get to school or home on foot, by bicycle, or on public transit. How do these unsolicited and often threatening comments and actions affect students? Experiences of street harassment can cause students to miss school and can affect readiness to learn and academic success. They can lead students to avoid convenient, affordable, and healthy ways of getting to school, discouraging walking and taking transit. And, street harassment can affect students mentally, resulting in negative self-esteem and depression.

But figuring out how to address street harassment is easier said than done. This report provides background on street harassment, discusses some potential approaches to addressing street harassment, and summarizes lessons from these approaches that may be applicable for Safe Routes to School programs.