Harassment of young girls in public is so relentless it has become normalised, report finds

Women and girls are enduring street harassment "so frequently" that it is normalised to become "a routine part of everyday life," a new government report has found.

MPs on the Women and Equalities Committee investigated the issue of street harassment over the course of nine months and found that "relentless" harassment (which can begin during childhood) results in girls growing up with a normalised culture of harassment. The report also found that the "disrespect of women" and the "assumption by some men that they can behave in this way" are factors underpinning harassment.

The report outlines the consequences of harassment for women and girls — in particular, "the backlash they often receive if they 'reject' unwanted approaches."

"Women and girls often fear and experience retaliation from men and boys perpetrating sexual harassment," the report states. The report made note of the fact that several women "asked for their submissions of evidence to us not to be published because of fear of retaliation."

One case study detailed a woman's experience in which a group of men "made sexualised comments" and asked her to "come and sit with them." After ignoring them and putting her headphones in, a note was passed to her. "Eventually a note landed in my lap which read: ‘when you get off this bus we will rape you.’ I got off at the busiest stop possible and went into a shop until I was sure they hadn’t followed me," states the report. This fear of being raped was listed as one of the impacts of street harassment on women and girls.

The report also explores the "significant and widespread impacts" of sexual harassment on individuals and wider society.

"Sexual harassment in public reduces women and girls’ freedom to enjoy public life, and can negatively affect feelings of safety, bodily autonomy and mental health," reads the report. "It helps to keep women and girls unequal by perpetuating a culture in which they are sexualised; it is the backdrop to a society in which sexual violence can be normalised or excused."

Another impact detailed in the report was that harassment can make girls feel that they "do not control their bodies in public spaces and that they are seen as sexual objects."

Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Maria Miller MP, said it is "unacceptable" that women and girls should have to "change their behaviour" to avoid harassment in public places.

"It can make women and girls scared and stressed, avoid certain routes home at night or certain train carriages, wear headphones while out running; women feel the onus is put on them to avoid 'risky' situations," Miller said in a statement. "It is not acceptable that women have to change their behaviour to avoid sexual harassment."

"The #MeToo movement shows that we must confront some deeply uncomfortable truths about our society and the attitudes some men hold," Miller continued.

She added that "laws alone" can't change the "cultural acceptability" of sexual harassment and that public transport operators, local authorities, and universities must make changes too.

The report made recommendations for tackling sexual harassment in public places. One such guideline was for train and bus operators to be required through franchise agreements to have a "robust policy" on sexual harassment.

Another was that universities should have "a legal obligation" to put policies in place "outlawing sexual harassment."

"Public places must be made safe for all women and girls," Miller continued.