Video shows woman harassed by men on streets of New York
An online video of a young woman being harassed by men while walking around Manhattan has been described as "shocking".
A women's rights group in the United States is using the video, which racked up more than 1.1 million views in 24 hours, to highlight the sort of harassment women experience every day.
The issue has hit a nerve, with the group receiving harassing phone calls from those who think the behaviour is acceptable.
The video follows actor Shoshana Roberts, who is clad in black jeans and a crewneck T-shirt, for 10 hours.
She received more than 100 comments and even more whistles and winks.
Roberts, who remains silent throughout the clip, decided to make the video with her filmmaker boyfriend, Rob Bliss, after becoming tried of being shouted at and approached by men on the streets.
Men yell out, "Hey, baby," "Hey, beautiful," "How are you this morning?" and "Have a nice evening" to try and engage her.
One man walked beside her for several minutes after making a comment.
Founder of women's rights group Hollaback, Emily May, said street harassment is a serious issue.
"I have to say I live and breathe this every day and yet still for me, it's shocking to see that number," Ms May said.
"Because you start to do the math and you're like, 108 times in 10 hours – that's like once every five minutes, and I mean, that's insane.
"That's more than a quality of life issue. I mean that's a really serious issue and it's a form of sexual violence."
Threats made after video goes viral
Ms May said the video was hitting a nerve with people who had experienced street harassment and others who believed it was acceptable.
"We're seeing ... a fair amount of people who think that street harassment is okay and acceptable. Unfortunately we've seen violent threats against Shoshana in some of the comments and we've had about 10 different harassing phone calls here in our office today."
Last month, an Egyptian group released a similar video, filming the experience of a woman walking across a busy bridge in Cairo.
"Most men are not street harassers and that street harassment really ruins it for the nice guys," Ms May said.
"You know, we all want to live in a world where you can say, 'Good morning' and 'How are you doing?', 'You look great today' to our neighbours as they walk down the street.
"And as long as street harassment is as persistent and pervasive as it is, as a woman, you're just bracing yourself that each comment is going to escalate into something far, far worse, and that's a world that nobody wants to live in."
