Public Sexual Harassment

Public sexual harassment (PSH) is a form of gender-based violence which impacts the lives of young people as they navigate physical and online spaces. It is possible for any young person, including young men and boys, to be affected by PSH. Available data and research do reflect that it is disproportionately experienced by women, girls and marginalised groups, with experiences of harassment intersecting with social identities such as race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender and disability.

Our Streets Now uses the term ‘public sexual harassment’ to reflect the reality that these experiences do not only happen in the street; PSH occurs in gyms, parks, on public transport and online. PSH encompasses behaviours such as sexualised comments, sexualised jokes, noises, grabbing, flashing or receiving unwanted sexual messages and photos. 

PSH is not something that anybody consents to. Consent is about having the freedom and capacity to choose as defined in Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023). It is common for perpetrators to reframe somebody’s experience of PSH to dispense with the need for consent, framing it as a prank or harmless fun. This is a cultural issue that needs to be addressed, echoed by the findings of Ofsted’s (2021) ‘Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges’.

Prevalence

A 2021 report by APGG for UN Women found that 71% of women surveyed had experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public place, rising to 86% amongst 18-24 year olds. The most recent Girls’ Attitude Survey (2023) highlights how public sexual harassment continues to impact young girls both in-person and, increasingly, online. The report reveals that 59% of girls aged 13-21 worry about being sexually harassed at school, in public or online and 44% of girls aged 11-21 have been shouted at or whistled at on the street on the way to and from school. A Plan-UK survey (2018) found that 35% of girls in school uniform have been sexually harassed.

PSH is experienced increasingly online as advancements in technology continue to facilitate new forms of violence and abuse. In their 2021 report, Plan-UK found that 13% of those surveyed have been filmed or photographed by a stranger without their permission. In online spaces, 73% of those surveyed in the Girls’ Attitude Survey (2023) reported receiving unwanted sexual photos. An increase in women’s experiences of PSH online has been reported since the pandemic.

PSH is often committed on multiple and interlocking grounds relating to a person’s range of social identities such as gender, race, sexuality and disability. For example, black women report racism as part of their experiences of public sexual harassment. It is important that we treat all disclosures of PSH seriously and remain mindful of unconscious biases which might impact our professional responses. For example, if a young black woman reports PSH, remaining conscious of the ‘adultification’ of black children (where black children are seen as stronger, more mature and less needing of support, or where responses to trauma might be treated as behavioural challenges) is crucial to ensure that appropriate long-term support is provided.
A report published by APGG for UN Women (2021), which surveyed of more than 1000 women of all ages, found that:

"Studies have consistently shown that a significant number of women and girls have experienced sexual harassment throughout their lives, and that it continues to be a problem […] Studies have also shown that location, time of day, and intersectional factors such as ethnicity and sexual orientation, can play a role in women’s experiences of sexual harassment."

Girlguiding’s Girls’ Attitude Survey (2023) reports that girls who identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to experience harassment on their way to and from school (55% vs 42% who aren’t) as well as girls with disabilities (53% compared to 43% who aren’t). Those who identify as transgender can also experience high rates of harassment, misogyny and transphobia when in public.

The misconceptions around who experiences PSH create barriers to disclosure and can influence professional responses. PSH, and all sexual violence, is about exerting power and control; it is not about sexual or romantic attraction.