By Caitlin Parr
*TW – Sexual harassment and assault: This piece contains discussion and information about public sexual harassment and sexual assault that may be triggering for some readers and survivors*
With so many national initiatives this year to spread kindness, support small businesses, and share love for key workers it is disappointing to see that a larger percentage of people than ‘normal’ obviously did not get the message, and chose to publicly sexually harass them on their way to work instead.
Public sexual harassment can be experienced in varying degrees, including – sexual comments or jokes made at your expense; emails circulating an office with sexual content in; or explicit images being displayed in a workplace, through to unwanted sexual advances; unwelcome physical contact or behaviour; cat-calling; and sexual assault. Every example not only violates a personÔÇÖs dignity but can also be extremely degrading, humiliating and intimidating. They should also all be treated as a severe incident, but I know how it feels to have reports of unwanted sexual jokes or comments be rejected or not taken seriously at all. Speaking vulnerably – not only does it make you feel violated, but also very worthless when people donÔÇÖt believe that these jokes could possibly be made about you, nor were they something that you should be upset over.
Statistically, 2 out of 3 girls in the UK have been sexually harassed in public, with 51% of these girls in the UK saying that they have experience public sexual harassment between June 2020 and the launch of the campaign in November 2020.
Plan International UK have found that since the outbreak of COVID-19 and our first UK lockdown, 28% of women and girls now feel less safe in public than before. You would think that in 2020, of all years, there would be a reduction in the number of girls reporting public sexual harassment, due to the fact that a fraction of the normal daily footfall would have been on our streets, but unfortunately not. Though the largest lockdown period kept some of us inside for the majority of our days, there of course were a large number of people who still had to travel to work or took part in the daily exercise allowances.
Though usually experienced by women and oppressed groups of society, it is important to note that public sexual harassment can be experienced by any person. It is also incredibly important to note that it is explicitly stated by Our Streets Now that they ÔÇ£wholly include trans* people within our movement and are passionate about trans-inclusive feminism. The harassment that trans women face in public is alarmingly violent and must be tackled as part of this problem.ÔÇØ
In the hope of changing the law on public sexual harassment, Plan International UK have teamed up with Our Streets Now to create the #CrimeNotCompliment campaign. Sisters Gemma (15) and Maya (21) started Our Streets Now with an aim to ÔÇ£end public sexual harassment both through cultural and legislative changeÔÇØ through a Plan International UK petition set up online.
Relentless harassment that is experienced everyday by girls in the UK is holding them back and having major impacts on their safety, opportunities, freedom, and mental health. It goes without saying that this is completely unacceptable, and girls should be able to ÔÇ£champion their right to move freely in publicÔÇØ and feel safe in their communities!
Recent statistics published by Plan International UK in justification of the campaign show that –
- 51% of girls in the UK have experience public sexual harassment since June of 2020
- 94% of UK girls think that harassment should be made illegal
- 80% of UK parents worry that their daughters will experience a form of public sexual harassment in her lifetime
By using a mixture of appalling statistics and testimonies, the campaign plans to draw attention to the significant numbers of girls who experience this abuse daily and bring this somehow widely accepted culture to an end. The degrading UK culture of perpetrators feeling as if they are permitted to perpetuate a hostile and abusive environment for women in their own communities needs to end. The gender discrimination and power dynamic held by the perpetrator also infringes on the human rights issue of societal discrimination that is still ever-present in the 21st century.
You can find out more about the campaign here –
Plan International UK #CrimeNotCompliment
And seek support here –
British Transport Police (to report public sexual assault or unwanted behaviour on public transport) – text when it happened and where you were to 61016
Interested in reading more about this topic? How about our other articles:
ÔÇô An Interview with a Specialist Sexual Offences Barrister
ÔÇô Rough Sex DoesnÔÇÖt Kill, Abuse Does: What the New Changes Will Mean
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