Policies

Hollaback! Wellington is a site specifically for combating street harassment through raising awareness of the daily reality of this form of violence, levelled most commonly at women and LGBT folk. By encouraging people to share their experiences and supporting those who do so, we are breaking the silence and creating a community dedicated to confronting and erradicating street harassment.

We acknowledge that men also experience street harassment, and encourage those who wish to share their experiences to do so.

Comments Policy

This online space is specifically and explicitly for those who are supportive of combating street harassment. Users and comments will be strictly moderated in order to ensure that Hollaback! Wellington is a safe space for people who wish to share their stories. If you feel you have been unfairly moderated, please contact wellington@ihollaback.org

1. No woulda coulda shoulda. This is not a place to call people out for how they did or didn’t respond to an incident.  Even if  you’re just trying to help, street harassment has a way of filling people with self doubt and you don’t need to perpetuate that culture. Comments of support or congratulations are of course welcome

2. No hater language. If you feel a desire to want to leave a comment along the lines of “you deserve it,” or “you’re a bitch/slut/ho” try slapping some sense into yourself instead, cause we’re not listening (or posting) that rubbish.
3. Debate ideas, not people’s lives. If we post an idea or a concept on the site that you don’t like, tell us about it.  If we post a someone’s personal experience on the site that you don’t like, too bad.  We think they’re awesome.
4. Agree to disagree. Not everyone will agree with each other all the time. Try to respect each other’s differences of opinion if it’s getting heated. If you’re not respectful, your comment may not be approved.

Story Submission Policy

In our experience, street harassment comes from people in every facet of our cultures and every strata of society. We ask that you refrain from referencing the attributes of your harasser because this movement is about changing societal values, not pointing fingers. If you feel those details are important to your story, please make sure its relevance is explained clearly and constructively in your post.

Photos policy

HollabackNYC and many other Hollaback sites allow you to submit photos with your story, this can be anything from a picture representing how the attack made you feel to an actual picture of the harasser. However, the law on taking pictures of people in public and posting them on the internet is different in every country (and not always kind to victims). In New Zealand we risk the prospect of being held for defamation if we do this without basis.  We also feel that encouraging victims (who might already be in a vulnerable position after an incident) to take a picture of the culprit might put them in further danger.