95% of parents with teenage daughters support making public sexual harassment a crime

Nearly all UK parents of teenage daughters (95%) support making public sexual harassment a crime, global girls’ rights charity Plan International UK can reveal today.

The survey of 1,000 parents of girls aged 14-21, carried out by Opinium on behalf of Plan International UK, also found that 87% worry that their daughter will experience public sexual harassment in her lifetime. These concerns most commonly begin when their daughter is between 11-13 years old.  

The research, made possible by the support of People’s Postcode Lottery players, found that of those parents who worry about their daughters experiencing public sexual harassment: 

• Nearly one-quarter (23%) say it has affected their decision on where to live 
• One-fifth (22%) say it stops them from going to certain places with their daughter 
• While over one in ten (13%) say they don’t go out with their daughter after a certain time 

The news comes as the charity also found that 42% of UK adults believe that the UK’s streets are unsafe for women and girls. And that over a quarter (28%) of UK women say they always or often feel unsafe in public spaces.  

Plan International UK and Our Streets Now have been campaigning for two years through their #CrimeNotCompliment campaign to make public sexual harassment a criminal offence.  

The campaign has put the issue on the nation’s agenda and the Government has started to take positive steps to address the issue, including recently carrying out a consultation on making public sexual harassment a crime.  

However, the Government are yet to publish the consultation findings and as the Home Office considers their next steps, campaigners - including parents - are calling for this vital legal issue to be urgently acted upon. 

Elodie, 16, from Kent, says:  

‘I’ve experienced public sexual harassment since I was 12 years old. It happens to me about once a month. The first time I was on the bus home from school and when I waved at a friend out of the window a boy started making rude gestures at me. I remember seeing him laugh and be egged on by his friends afterwards, I felt embarrassed and confused.   

‘The fear of being humiliated in public is present almost every time I leave the house. And, though I try to live my life on my own terms, I can’t help but feel anxious when I walk past a group of men or boys. I don’t go out alone or to the park after 6pm and I always walk home along the main roads, even if it takes longer. There’s always the fear that a simple comment could easily escalate into violence.  

‘Outlawing public sexual harassment would mean so much to me, as it would prove that my voice and the concerns of other victims, like me, are listened to.’ 

Shockingly, Plan International UK also found that one in six parents (15%) say that they have been with their daughter whilst she has experienced public sexual harassment. 

Neil, dad to Elodie, says: 

‘I worry about my daughter experiencing public sexual harassment, and that she is at risk of assault and even abduction when walking alone. I began to worry about this as soon as she started senior school at age 11, taking a bus to school and being exposed to people in an environment that may not make her feel comfortable. The time of day influences how safe I feel she is, too; evenings are not a good time because I worry that she could be assaulted after dark.  

‘Fundamentally no person should feel uncomfortable going about their daily life and the long-term psychological impact on girls is extremely harmful, let alone any physical threats they may also face.’ 

Rose Caldwell, CEO of Plan International UK said: 

‘We have laws to prevent people from spitting chewing gum and dropping litter on the street, but still no law to protect girls from harassment. How can this be right? 

‘We know that girls experience public sexual harassment from as young as 11 years old - affecting their freedom and impacting their mental health. And these findings show that public sexual harassment is of high concern for their parents, too – dictating where they choose to raise a family and when and where they go out with their children. 

‘We are calling for new legislation on public sexual harassment to be agreed urgently. The Government have committed to action on this issue, and it is crucial that this commitment is not lost amid the recent turbulence in Westminster. While we wait for the Government to act, girls continue to be followed, shouted at, touched, groped and grabbed. This needs to stop. The time for the Government to act is now.’  

Plan International UK and Our Streets Now are calling on the Home Secretary to make public sexual harassment a criminal offence.  We’re asking people to tweet the Home Secretary to urge her to act now.

Visit our Twitter page to take action.