Tell us a little bit of yourself.
My name is Rasmus an I am 22 years old. I work as a Therapeutic educator at a local psychiatry.
When did you start your account?
I actually joined Lisanne in July 2019. She started the account but we found out we had the same idea at the same time. She was just a bit faster.
Why were you inspired to start an account?
I saw that Munich (my hometown) has started an account and I shared my catcall with them. I was inspired by their work and wanted to start an account for Hannover.. But Lisanne was faster.
Why do you think „chalking back“ is a good method to raise awareness?
We give the victims a voice and show people that a crime happened here. I often think that the majority of people are walking around with their eyes and ears on Standby mode. Catcalls are happening so fast and the harasser can escape without any fear of consequences. But chalks show the harasser that the victims fight back. It is a public blaming and a harasser should feel really uncomfortable seeing this. Chalking back is a good method, people might stop watching on their smartphone and instead they see the chalk just because it is in the same perspective like their phone display.
What‘s your favorite thing about your city?
Hannover has the highest amount of kiosks in the whole world. That is pretty cool, because you can always get a beer or some pasta 24/7. (Actually there are almost 2 kiosks in every street of Hannover). And Hannover is a worldwide known city (because of the EXPO) and a lot of people live here... but in the end I always meet someone that I know when I go outside. (And I only live here since 3 years) Hannover is like a small village covered in a big town.
Why do you think ending street harassment is important?
You can call me a dreamer or naive, but I hope there will be a better world for the next generations. I have many nieces and nephews and I don‘t want them to experience street harassment or sexism etc. And they are the next generation. Especially for girls it is so important to stand united against all this shit. This generation of women and men will be/is the next wave of feminism. And well, we‘re not gonna stop until it‘s over.
What do you hope is the outcome of your account?
To raise the awareness of course, to improve the competence of empathy and to make (potential) harasser overthink their behaviour.
What‘s the most difficult street harassment situation you‘ve experienced? When I was 15 years old, I went to the local park to do some jogging. A guy appeared in front of me and asked me something. I couldn‘t understand him because I had my headphones on. He said, that he likes my shirt and how I wore it. I asked what his question was, cause I guessed he needs to know how to get out of the park, since a lot of people get a bit lost there. He answered with: „Come with me!“ I said: „No, why?“ He:“I wanna fuck you there.“ He pointed to a bush. I was so shocked, so I left. Very confused about the situation I just started running back home. (That happened to me before my coming out as transgender, so as a female person)
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