‘Get us involved, we know what we need’

Founder of Sheffield-based Our Bodies Our Streets, Evie Hairsine, supports the Park Light movement which wants to focus attention on how better lighting could help improve safety in Sheffield’s parks and green spaces.
By Lydia Kerin
Published 13th May 2021, 09:49 BST
Updated 13th May 2021, 09:55 BST
Evie Hairsine, founder of Our Bodies Our StreetsEvie Hairsine, founder of Our Bodies Our Streets
Evie Hairsine, founder of Our Bodies Our Streets

OBOS is an intersectional feminist campaign group from The University of Sheffield attempting to tackle the issue of public sexual harassment and give everybody the freedom to use our parks and green spaces safely and equally, at any time of the day.

Founded in July 2020 by Politics and International Relations student Evie, aged 20, the group launched a petition asking Sheffield City Council for improved lighting in the city’s parks.

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The petition went live in January and although it has received a lot of support for this to really instigate change across the city’s open and green spaces thousands more signatures from Sheffield residents are needed.

The OBOS group also uses sport, creative projects, research, protest and allyship to empower women and marginalised groups.

With this joined-up approach they hope to spread awareness within the city about the prevalence, causes and consequences of public sexual harassment, teach bystander intervention, and encourage people to celebrate their bodies.

They also want women and marginalised groups to be consulted by the council.

Evie said: “We are asking the council to get women’s groups involved, because we are the ones who know what we need, and being a part of that process is empowering in itself. Our voices are valid.”