Crime Not Compliment
Crime Not Compliment
Help us make public sexual harassment a crime
Girls as young as ten are being harassed, followed and touched. This relentless public sexual harassment can happen anywhere, and it needs to stop.
We want to see a world where girls can be free. Free to walk to meet their friends, free to exercise outside and free to wear the clothes they want to, without the threat of sexual harassment and violence.
It’s time to make public sexual harassment a crime and to do this we need a comprehensive Public Sexual Harassment Law.
In February 2021, girl campaigners and activists met with the Home Secretary to share their lived experiences of public sexual harassment. 
Over 10,000 people have emailed their MP asking them to support the campaign by making the case for legal change. 
Thousands of us filled out the Home Office’s public survey as part of its Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy consultation, calling for public sexual harassment to be made a crime. 
In September, we launched our ‘What Works for Ending Public Sexual Harassment’ report which found that some girls are at a greater risk of public sexual harassment. 
We joined forces with Clear Channel, one of the largest outdoor advertising companies, and our campaign was seen over 23 million times on billboards across the UK.
One year of activism
We launched our Crime Not Compliment campaign in partnership with Our Streets Now in November 2020. Together we have made some significant steps forward, but we still have far to go.
60,000 people have already made their voices heard and we will continue calling for change until public sexual harassment is made a crime.
We need a Public Sexual Harassment Law to tackle public sexual harassment, so that girls have the protection that they need and deserve in public spaces.
We’d like to thank everyone who has supported the campaign so far, from our committed campaigners to players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Together, we can make public sexual harassment a crime.
Helena speaks out
Amongst girls aged 12 to 21 in the UK, 75% have experienced public sexual harassment. Helena has written about her experience and why the Crime Not Compliment campaign matters to her.
Sexual harassment is even seen as a compliment and something we should be grateful for. Our fears are discredited as ingratitude or paranoia. We are not truly heard.
- Helena, member of Plan International UK's Youth Advisory Panel
Decisions backed up by research
Our ‘What Works for Ending Public Sexual Harassment’ report shows that a new law will help protect every girl’s right to live free from sexual harassment. The research also finds that some girls are at a greater risk of public sexual harassment due to their identity.
Together with Our Streets Now
The law isn’t fit for purpose, and public sexual harassment is going unreported and unpunished. Young people must be part of the solution.
That’s why we are partnering with sisters Gemma and Maya, who founded grassroots youth campaign Our Streets Now to call for public sexual harassment to be made a criminal offence.
Related blogs
Think the law protects girls from public harassment? Think again.
Dr Charlotte Proudman and Dexter Dias QC tell us why we need a new law to make public sexual harassment a crime
Why I shared experiences of sexual harassment with the Home Secretary
I met with Priti Patel to talk about public sexual harassment.
Taking our Crime Not Compliment campaign from the screens to the streets
Jess talks about the exciting next step in the campaign
Why I’m campaigning to make public sexual harassment a crime
Gemma from Our Streets Now shares her experience of public sexual harassment and the #CrimeNotCompliment campaign
*The research was conducted by CHILDWISE, supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, amongst a representative sample of 1,515 of 12-21-year-old girls and young women in the UK in June and July 2021.
A full summary of the key survey findings is available upon request - please contact the press office for more information.
If you've experienced street harassment and need to talk to someone, you can call Childline on 0800 1111 or visit their website.
If you experience behaviour that makes you feel uncomfortable on public transport, you can report it to the British Transport Police by texting what, when and where to 61016.