A decal that is part of the ad blitz.
NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV)
Keep your thoughts to yourself!
Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants construction workers and others around the Big Apple to stop catcalling and making unwanted verbal advances to passersby on NYC streets, announcing his demand through a new ad campaign launching Wednesday.
Videos, decals and posters promoting an end to street harassment will be displayed on subways, ferries, streets, and near work zones throughout Sexual Violence Awareness Month, which starts on April 1. The promotional blitz tells New Yorkers to stop greeting strangers with remarks such as “Hey Sexy” and “Hey Baby” in public. The ads, which will appear in English and Spanish, highlight the consequences of street harassment, which include fear, discomfort, and anxiety, according to the mayor’s office.
“In recognition of Sexual Violence Awareness Month, I’m proud to support this campaign to end street harassment,” Mamdani said. “Street harassment is pervasive—it impacts New Yorkers in every borough. And addressing it means investing in tools and resources to reduce harm and build safer communities.”
Animated digital ads will run on the subways approximately 12 million times and on the Staten Island Ferry more than 15 million times.
Additionally, hawkers will distribute palm cards at major transit hubs.
The ads will also appear as sidewalk decals at 150 locations.
Mamdani is speaking out against harassment at construction sites too, plastering 75 job sites across the city with campaign posters as a reminder to workers to keep the workplace respectful and catcall-free. (A modern update to an ongoing problem, the posters are far from the hilarious but somewhat cringe-worthy catcalling scene made famous in the ’90s sitcom, “The King of Queens.”
According to a study by the NYC Street Harassment Prevention Advisory Board (SHPAB), 74% of New Yorkers have experienced “verbal harassment” such as unwanted comments, whistles or repeated advances over six months in 2024.
Organizations like [the city’s ENDGBV] are on the front lines every day, standing with survivors and pushing this work forward,” the mayor said. “We’re grateful for their leadership and for bringing this urgent campaign to communities across our city.”
Physical harassment on the street
The ad campaign also aims to stop physical harassment on the streets, a serious issue that affects New Yorkers of all ages and genders. According to the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV), 53% of New Yorkers experienced physical harassment, like being filmed, followed, or touched without consent.
Filming in public is legal in NYC. However, the ads aim to stop “unwanted photography.”
“Unwanted attention isn’t harmless,” many of the ads read. “It’s harassment.”
At a $250,000 price tag, the upcoming campaign was created in partnership with a city vendor, Bandujo. It is the result of Local Law 46 of 2022, which established SHPAB to study the prevalence of street harassment in New York City and develop prevention strategies through public awareness, training and community engagement.
Priya Nair, executive director of NYC’s Commission on Gender Equity, said they’ve experienced street harassment, adding that it is not a “harmless” act.
“It impacts New Yorkers as they commute to work, attend school, and go about their daily lives,” Nair said. “Through this campaign, led by ENDGBV and advocated for by the Street Harassment Prevention Advisory Board, we are raising awareness of the real harms caused by street harassment and providing tools for communities to support one another. It takes all of us to build a city where New Yorkers are safe, respected, and free to be who they are.”