Claire Barnett, executive director of UN Women UK, said: “This is a human rights crisis. It’s just not enough for us to keep saying ‘this is too difficult a problem for us to solve’ — it needs addressing now.”
It seems that almost every young woman in the UK has experienced sexual harassment. This figure is completely unsurprising to women who have grown up in the UK. It is common for friends to share traumatic experiences over WhatsApp, to call one another while walking home and to be hesitant in rejecting men who could turn out to be irrationally angry. For women, street harassment is a sobering part of navigating their daily lives.
To be visible at all, is to be targeted.
There seems to be no choice that can avert this kind of horrific experience. Sarah Everard was wearing bright clothes, walking on well-lit residential roads, and in communication with her partner.
A YouGov survey carried out by UN Women UK found that only 4% of women report incidents of sexual harassment, while an overwhelming 96% remain dubious about the UK authorities’ capacity to handle an incident like this. Around 45% of the women who would not report sexual harassment in the UK say that it is because nothing would really change.
Research finds that 97% of women in the UK have been sexually harassed
Safe Spaces Now - UN Women UK
Sexual harassment claims by "conventionally attractive" women are more believed
Schoolgirls demand street harassment awareness to be taught in schools