Cat Talks

Street harassment takes many forms and levels of severity, ranging from staring and unrequested comments to physical violence. But they all consist of intrusions from strangers (usually a man) in public space towards someone perceived as more vulnerable (usually a woman) by the harasser.

Cat Talks aims to challenge the normalization of milder forms of street harassment. Even if physically harmless, catcalling feeds into the idea that public space does not belong to women or other marginalized groups, affecting their freedom and mental health.

Through the development and implementation of surveys, public movie screenings, and a street confession booth, the project raised awareness about the issue and created opportunities for reflection and behavior change.

A cooperative game designed for pre-teens and teenagers was developed in a participatory way as a tool for (re)education and empowerment. It allows players to start a conversation about catcalling, learn tools to fight it, and have fun.

Next steps include further developing the game and partnering with institutions to incorporate it and the other designed artifacts as tools in educational initiatives on street harassment.

Project partners and supporters

Liscià: donne che raccontano donne

Centro Giovani Villa delle Rose

Centro Giovani Tilt

Eduardo Martins Guerra

Keywords: Street harassment, catcalling, gender equity, critical play, research through design, public intervention, participatory design, teenagers, educational game, cooperative board game.