#whyloiter - an online campaign for women, girls and gender minorities!

I'm delighted to share this about an exciting, ongoing social media campaign that I'm participating in. Please read and act on the note below:

"Responding to the increased victim blaming and the restrictions on women’s mobility that takes place when a woman is sexually assaulted in public space, the #whyloiter campaign asks women to hang out in the city, to make use of its public spaces, to loiter aimlessly and to use the hashtag #whyloiter everytime you do! Post your loitering status on Facebook via https://www.facebook.com/events/464649187009079/?ref_newsfeed_story_type... and/or tweet about it and use the hashtag #whyloiter.

The idea is to create a sense of a community of women in public space so that we can remind ourselves and other women that we are not alone. In doing so, we hope to create a conversation and target victim blaming in order to assert women's right to the city, the right to take risks.

This is a two-week campaign running from December 16, 2014 to January 01, 2015.

We start this campaign 16 December, on the two-year anniversary of the horrific Delhi gang rape and murder that had thousands of people on the street in protest. To mark this day and to assert our right to public space as citizens, and to register our voices as an act of resistance we are getting together for this online event.

But of course, it is not just an online event. We encourage you to go out and be in public space in whichever place you are with whomsoever you desire – just remember to tell us all about it.

On this Events page, we will be sharing a series of posters inviting women to hang out as also a set of messages with them. We will also put out a series of tweets. When you are hanging out in the city having a good time please post these to FB, Twitter, Instagram, Four Square, always using the hashtag #whyloiter. We also encourage you to create your own messages, art work and tweets and share them with us.

Here is what you can do to participate:

1. Starting 16 December 2014, you can change your profile picture/cover picture to one of the posters we're sharing. Better still, use all the four on different days. Or simply share the posters on your page to build awareness.




2. At all times, particularly between 16 December 2014 and 1 January 2015, update your status on FB or tweet or share a photo via Instagram when you are having a good time in public and use the hashtag #whyloiter.




3. You can also follow us @whyloiter and share the tweet messages we are sharing on twitter.




4. Share the fact that you are loitering and if you like share your location too so we can create an exciting map of where women are loitering in the city.

So, can men participate in this event? Certainly! Men can support women’s right to public space by also putting out our posters, messages and tweets. Just use the tag #whyloiter when you do.

Let’s start a movement! Let’s make our claim on public space! Let's have fun!"