Women and girls across the UK face "relentless" harassment on the street and not enough is being done to stop it, MPs say.
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| Women and girls across the UK face "relentless" harassment on the street and not enough is being done to stop it, MPs say. |
The politicians making up the Women and Equalities Committee looked into the issue for nine months and found the amount of harassment meant it became "normalised" for girls growing up.
The MPs are now calling for the government to take action to tackle it.
The Home Office said the issue was a "key priority".
The committee heard evidence that street harassment was widespread, from being shouted at and cat-called through to sexual assaults.
They also heard it took place in a number of public spaces - on transport, in bars and clubs, through online spaces, at universities, in parks and on the street.
'They call my 12-year-old a slut'
One woman, Sarah, told the BBC her 12-year-old daughter has faced harassment on her school bus - including boys pushing her off her seat, spitting at her, and calling her a slut.
Although the school did take action when Sarah reported the incidents, she said more needed to be done to stop such behaviour being normalised.
"It starts off as a bit of banter between young boys and girls but quickly can grow into something more concerning," she said.
"It's an indication of how boys think they can treat girls. If they think it's acceptable at that age what will they be like when they are older?"
Committee chairwoman Maria Miller said: "Women feel the onus is put on them to avoid 'risky' situations - all of this keeps women and girls unequal."
The report concluded that social attitudes underpinned sexual harassment, and the normalisation of it contributed to a "wider negative cultural effect on society".
And while the government has pledged to eliminate sexual harassment of women and girls by 2030, the committee said there was "no evidence of any programme to achieve this".
Next steps
The report outlined seven key recommendations to tackle street harassment:- Force train and bus operators to take tougher action against sexual harassment and block the viewing of pornography on public transport
- Ban all non-consensual sharing of intimate images
- Publish a new "Violence Against Women and Girls" strategy
- Create a public campaign to change attitudes
- Take an evidence-based approach to addressing the harms of pornography, along the lines of road safety or anti-smoking campaigns
- Tougher laws to ensure pub landlords take action on sexual harassment - and make local authorities consult women's groups before licensing strip clubs
- Make it a legal obligation for universities to have policies outlawing sexual harassment
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