The majority of women are subject to street harassment on Britain’s streets, according to new figures.
In the UK, a total of 80% of women have experienced the problem sparking a campaign to encourage people to step in and become active bystanders.
Jacqui Hobbs from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, the UK’s pioneering personal safety charity and leading stalking authority, and a long-term partner of L’Oréal Paris, has raised the matter with MPs in a drive to help them to turn the situation around.
Suky Bhaker, chief executive officer of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, said: “Everyone has the right to be safe. But as our survey finds, a shocking number of people-disproportionately women-are experiencing harassment in public spaces. It is unacceptable.
“Stand Up Against Street Harassment bystander intervention training aims to address the prevalence of public harassment. Working with L’Oreal Paris through Stand Up, we aim to equip people with tools to tackle public harassment.”
L’Oréal Groupe has been spearheading the link-up with politicians as part of its drive to create a fair, diverse and inclusive world.
Figures also show that one in three women will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
Sophie Francis-Cansfield, from Women’s Aid, a national domestic abuse charity and federation, has teamed up on the global
Abuse Is Not Love campaign in conjunction with its long-term partner of YSL Beauty.
The training is designed to help people to recognise the signs of abuse to help combat Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).
Farah Nazeer, Women’s Aid chief executive, said: “We know from working with survivors of domestic abuse, that Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of abuse, and understanding and tackling IPV is at the heart of this campaign.
“We are incredibly grateful to Yves Saint Laurent Beauty UK for working with us to raise awareness of this type of abuse and helping us to raise awareness of IPV, the signs to look out for and how organisations like Women’s Aid can help.”
Wendy Chamberlain, MP for North East Fife, who is a former policewoman and sexual offences trained, said: “It does feel like there has been a step change in terms of a response to gender-based violence.
“The statistics are still very very grim but there is a willingness now to confront it.
“We need men to change their behaviours and we all have a responsibility to do whatever we can to work on that.”
She said it was vital that funding was in place to tackle the issue.
“We do need more resources at all stages of the criminal justice system,” she added.
“It does feel at the moment that our conviction rates are so low that there is actually no deterrent to people, who are mainly men, who carry out these horrendous offences.”
