The founder of Catcalls of Sheffield, a campaign working to tackle harassment in the streets of the city, has been invited to speak out about their cause at this year’s Festival of Debate

As part of the Chalk Back movement, Catcalls of Sheffield platforms people’s experiences of harassment, highlighting the continued issue.

Their campaign allows for anonymous submissions of experiences of sexual harassment which will then be chalked on the streets of Sheffield where the incident occurred. 

Babhravi Krishnan, 20, co-founder of Catcalls of Sheffield and politics, philosophy and economics student at the University of Sheffield, said: “Chalking is a way for receptors of harassment to voice their experiences without having the judgement that may come with it and it’s still identifiable. 

“I think it’s a way of reclaiming that space and taking back the agency and the power that can feel lost or threatened when someone harasses you.”

The campaign, inspired by Catcalls of NYC, is visually arresting and displays the fact that harassment still remains a problem in the streets of Sheffield today. 

Speaking at the South Yorkshire Festival of Debate has provided Catcalls of Sheffield with an opportunity to open conversations about why harassment still occurs and the importance of testimony. 

Flo Rushton, 20, co-founder of Catcalls of Sheffield and politics student at the University of Sheffield, said: “It feels really amazing that our little campaign has got to such a big, important event.

“It’s a really great opportunity for us to speak about what we understand to be the aims of the campaign and how we want to change cultural understandings and community understandings of harassment.”

Their talk, happening on May 1st at 7pm in the Broomhall Centre, will focus on the idea of testimony, which their campaign is centred around. 

Testimony is crucial to tackling harassment, and Catcalls of Sheffield recognise that despite harassment being so widespread, it can often be overlooked, so they want to unpack why testimonial injustice occurs. 

If you have experienced harassment in Sheffield, Catcalls welcomes you to anonymously submit a testimony on their website, which will be chalked on the streets of Sheffield where it was heard. 

Other ways to get involved can be found on their website, or by following them on Instagram: @catcallsofsheff