Grassroots anti-street-harassment organisation It’s Not A Compliment (INAC) is proud to launch Your Stories Matter, a two-year partnership with the City of Melbourne which aims to empower those who have faced street harassment to share their experiences in a variety of ways.

These will involve community events, including ‘craftivism’ workshops and mural painting, as well as a research project in the form of an online interactive map. The map will invite community members to anonymously pin locations across the City of Melbourne where they have felt safe or unsafe, or where they have experienced street harassment. 

Each of these components provides different ways for people to share experiences of street harassment. INAC CEO Aakanksha Manjunathaswamy says, “Having different ways for people to share their stories is critical since everybody experiences the world differently.

“This way, anyone can find an accessible way to share their story—which might otherwise be really difficult to share.”

The mural painting and research map will go ahead in 2022, while craftivism workshops are slated for the Project’s second year in 2023. Also launching in 2023 will be the results of this year’s online map.

INAC Research & Policy Lead Chantel Tichbon says, “The project’s research will provide us with a map of hotspots in the City of Melbourne where street harassment is frequently experienced. Not so that our audience can avoid these places, but so that we have a roadmap of locations where change is needed.

“We also intend to feed this data back to the City of Melbourne with recommendations on how further improvements could be made.”

‘Your Stories Matter’ is funded through the City of Melbourne’s Social Partnerships Program, which supports opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to participate in social, cultural, economic and civic life. 

The partnership follows INAC’s previous research and advocacy, including the 2021 report, ‘A Snapshot of Street Harassment Experiences in Victoria’, which has seen the organisation establish itself as a leading voice for street justice in Australia.

About It’s Not A Compliment: 

It’s Not A Compliment is a Melbourne-based grassroots organisation fighting for the rights of all individuals to enjoy public spaces free of the fear of harassment. Our work involves sharing stories on the harms of street harassment, developing educational resources, and advocating for more policy action from our government. 

Available for interview/Media contact:

Aakanksha Manjunathaswamy, CEO and Co-Founder

itsnotacomplimentmelbourne@gmail.com 

Additional quotes:

“We all experience things in life differently. So why should the way we interact with the world, and share our stories, be any different?” - Aakanksha Manjunathaswamy, CEO

“Oftentimes street harassment can leave us feeling vulnerable and disempowered. Taking what can be an upsetting experience and using it to help put an end to the behaviour puts the power back in your hands.” - Chantel Tichbon, Research & Policy Lead

“While sharing an experience of street harassment may feel insignificant to some, we want to encourage people to consider the change they can help make. Every story we receive is one more voice we can add to the cause, and voices create impact!” - Chantel Tichbon, Research & Policy Lead