Crime not Compliment

From parks, university campuses and bus stops to our local high streets, girls across the UK are harassed every day. It’s time to make it a crime.

Relentless harassment is holding girls back, impacting their mental health, restricting their freedom and making them feel unsafe. Parents are worrying about their daughters as young as 11.

The coronavirus pandemic has meant girls are not only having to deal with restrictions on public space, but also with feeling unsafe due to harassment in public. This has to end.

NOW MORE THAN EVER

We must stand with girls and champion their right to move freely in public, without the fear of being intimidated and harassed

*51%*of girls in the UK have experienced public sexual harassment since June 2020

Coronavirus has made this worse

If anything I think street harassment and cat-calling has actually increased personally for me since the lockdown. You are a much easier target when you are by yourself and there is not a lot of people around you to witness you being harassed.

– Tanya, 21, Birmingham

Make it a crime

Gemma and Maya, the founders of Our Streets Now

Together with Our Streets Now

The law isn’t fit for purpose, and public sexual harassment is going unreported and unpunished. 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.

This needs to stop. We need to feel safe and be safe in public space. How are we supposed to flourish if we feel scared every time we step outside?

- Gemma Tutton, 16, co-founder of Our Streets Now

A photo of Atlanta, 18, from Manchester — Atlanta, 18, from Manchester sits on Plan International UK's Youth Advisory Panel

I’ve never reported it because I’m worried about the consequences

I get harassed most when I’m exercising on the streets - because it happens so frequently, I guess I have become conditioned into accepting the behaviour and being silent about it. If street harassment were made illegal, the perpetrators wouldn’t be able to get away with what they do now, girls wouldn’t live in fear and I could exercise and feel safe doing so in public.

- Atlanta, 18, Manchester

Ready to do more?

We need as many people as possible to join the #CrimeNotCompliment campaign to make it as powerful as possible.

Discover three actions you could take to make a huge impact in the campaign to make public sexual harassment a crime.

Join us and help change the law, for good.

Find out more

*The research was conducted by Opinuim Research, supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, amongst a representative sample of 1,000 parents of 14-21-year-old girls; and 1,010 14-21-year-old-girls; in the UK from 23 September to 1 October 2020.

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.