MPs denounce ‘relentless’ sexual harassment of women

EVAW welcomes the publication today (23 October 2018) of the Women and Equalities Select Committee inquiry report into the sexual harassment of women and girls in public places.

The report sets out the very high prevalence of this form of abuse such that for many women it can feel “relentless”. The report makes a powerful set of recommendations – it is clear that the law alone cannot ‘solve’ this problem, and that it requires action from a wide range of actors, including licensing authorities, transport companies, schools and universities. It makes a strong feature of image-based abuse and the urgent need for both authorities and communities to get to grips with these new forms of abuse, including by looking at the management of public WIFI.

EVAW hopes the Government and also local authorities, transport companies and many others will respond and act in response to the report soon.

EVAW’s own evidence to the inquiry highlighted our YouGov research on the prevalence of ‘street harassment’ which found that it is an absolutely everyday experience with almost half of women reporting having experienced it and a large majority of young women having done so. We also reported on young Black women’s experience of racialised sexual harassment, the impacts on women’s freedom, and its connection to inequality and power and some men’s sense of entitlement to women.