Our Vision, Values and Goals

It’s Not A Compliment is a grassroots organisation fighting for the rights of all individuals to enjoy public spaces free of the fear of harassment. Our vision is to create a world where vulnerable communities no longer have to place limitations on their behaviours in order to feel safe when out in public. We believe in a society where street harassment is recognised as a form of harm in and of itself – not simply as a precursor to other forms of violence – where all individuals know what street harassment looks like, how to call it out and how to safely intervene to stop or prevent it.

INTERSECTIONAL

We recognise that interlocking systems of power can affect the way people experience street harassment. By applying an intersectional lens to all our work, we aim to acknowledge and shine a light on these differences, amplify the voices of those most marginalised within these conversations and work towards creating actionable solutions that work for all individuals regardless of their background.

COMMUNITY-LED

We believe that real, lasting solutions to street harassment can only come from centring the voices of those most affected by the issue. Our work is aimed at supporting them, providing a space where all individuals –  including those who have been traditionally excluded from these conversations – can freely discuss the issue, have their voices heard, and come together to create community-led, actionable solutions to this problem. Only by doing so will we be able to broaden public understanding of street harassment and develop effective solutions that can truly meet the needs of the diverse groups of people who experience it daily.  

ACCOUNTABLE AND COMMITTED TO LEARNING

We conduct our work with honesty and transparency towards our community members. We recognise that our community is diverse and inclusive of a wide range of views and experiences. We are determined to best reflect this in everything we do but recognise that we may sometimes fall short. This is why we remain committed to learning from your feedback and are always open to honest conversations about what we could do better.

COLLABORATIVE

We work to create strong, open and trusting partnerships with our community members, local artists, academics and other NGOs in the field to best amplify each other’s voices, increase our potential for advocacy and ensure that we are always working from a place of best practice. The only way we can achieve real change is by creating a strong coalition united in the fight against street harassment. Together, our voices become impossible to ignore.

TRANSFORMATIVE

Addressing the root causes of a problem is key to effective, lasting changes. We believe in policies aimed at educating and changing cultural norms over responses that can only address the specific behaviour of particular individuals. We are deeply committed to developing community-led approaches that can effectively transform the structural inequalities and power differentials that underpin street harassment to create change at the individual, community and societal level. 

1. Promote a more inclusive understanding of what street harassment is

2. Increase awareness of street harassment as a form of harm

3. Create a space where individuals with experiences of street harassment can safely and honestly share their stories

4. Disrupt common narratives surrounding street harassment

5. Fight for community-led, actionable policies focused on education and creating cultural change rather than criminalisation

To learn how we have begun to tackle these goals, click below.