Girls as young as 11 complained of being harassed daily in a damning survey, which lies bare the grim reality of “public sexual harassment women in the UK continue to face
More than nine in 10 young girls and women do not feel safe in public spaces.
Some girls as young as 11 complained of being harassed daily while wearing school uniform, in a disturbing report by a women’s and girls’ charity. Just 7% said they felt completely safe and 20% told Plan International UK they did not trust the police.
Ella, 15, from Lancashire, told the charity: “I don’t feel safe walking home from school and I’ve experienced a lot of harassment from grown men. When I was 11, I got cat-called nearly every day in my uniform. It made me feel disgusted and mad.”
Evie, 14, also from Lancashire, said: “I wouldn’t trust the police. You know that women are raped, and when they go to the police, no one believes them. If anything happens, I tell my parents, not the police.”
And Birdie, aged 25, from Lincolnshire, said she used to carry her car keys to use as a weapon when out at night. The survey named North East Lincolnshire as the toughest place to be a girl, followed by Blackpool, Barrow-in-Furness, Rochdale and Knowsley, Merseyside.
Rose Caldwell, CEO at Plan International UK, says: “Our report finds that no matter where in the UK girls are, they are not experiencing the progress on gender equality that they’ve been promised. Public sexual harassment is an everyday reality for girls.” She added: “The Labour government must do more to create change that tackles inequality and ends discrimination for girls.”
North East Lincolnshire Council said: “Those growing up in our area do face challenges but there are also tremendous opportunities and exciting plans. We are working hard with our community and partners to support young people as they grow.”
