A harrowing study released last week on behalf of UN Women UK revealed alarming statistics about sexual harassment in the UK. With practically all young women in the UK being victims of sexual harassment, surely most women have now lost faith that such incidents will be dealt with justice?
97% of women and girls aged 18-24 said they had been sexually harassed. 80% of women of all ages said they had experienced sexual harassment in public places.
These distressing figures have unfortunately not come as a surprise to many women. There is a reason why women are taught to hold their keys between their fingers, walk in the middle of the road and avoid gaps in entrances to alleyways or hedges.
Nonetheless, they highlight the upsetting truth that instances of sexual harassment are all too common. We should not be living in a society where it is deemed unsafe for women to walk home by themselves at night.
Claire Barnett, Executive Director of UN Women UK, told The Guardian that: ‘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.’
Women are losing faith in the motivation and ability of UK authorities to deal with sexual harassment. The piece in The Guardian highlighted that 96% of people surveyed stated they didn’t report the harassment. So why isn’t this issue being addressed?
“Laws reflect society, and so public sexual harassment must be made a criminal offence.”
Currently, there is no legislation against public sexual harassment. Laws reflect society, and so public sexual harassment must be made a criminal offence.
According to FindLaw, sexual harassment is “not a crime, although an individual can sue after being sexually harassed in civil court.” Many victims find that even if they report a case of sexual harassment, it often ends up being dropped.
“We need to start accusing the perpetrator, not the victim.”
The overall poor prosecution of violence against women is disturbing and it causes a harmful victim-blaming narrative, where women are often accused of being the problem. We need to start accusing the perpetrator, not the victim.
This week, devastating news broke about the disappearance of Sarah Everard and a metropolitan police officer has been charged for her kidnap and murder.
Her disappearance, along with the UN Women UK Study, has added to the discourse surrounding sexual harassment and women’s safety. It is a saddening example of why women can’t feel safe alone on the streets.
The case of Sarah Everard not only reminded women that they’re at risk of violence, but that they are blamed for it too.
The woefully inadequate criminal justice system as well as the misogynistic victim-blaming culture leaves so many women in fear of their lives.
People have taken to social media platforms to leave comments suggesting that Sarah Everard should’ve got someone to walk home with her, prompting backlash:
The victim blaming I have seen over the last 2 days regarding #SarahEverard is disgusting. The question shouldn’t be why was Sarah walking home at 9:30pm on her own, it should be why is it STILL not safe for women to walk on their own at night without fear!
— Alicia (@NHSthankU) March 7, 2021
Like many other young women, Sarah Everard walked the safest, most well-lit, busiest route and even called her boyfriend. These rituals are known to the many other women who do all that they can to feel safer.
We shouldn’t have to stick to certain rituals in order to feel safe on the streets, but Sarah Everard did, and she was still murdered.
Her story has resonated uncomfortably with many women and their experiences when walking outside alone. The outpouring of anger and shared stories by women all over social media highlights how Sarah Everard was a victim of persistent and widespread violence against women.
Until we dismantle the patriarchy and men stop attacking with impunity, there are no safe spaces for women.
It seems pertinent that we challenge the narrative that claims women should stay home to stay safe. It is time the government stepped up and put legislation and further funding in place to protect women.
Holly Hostettler-Davies
Feature image courtesy of Romina Farias via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.