A woman has opened up about the moment she was told she looked “rapeable” by a group of men, as campaigners say 1.5 million young women have been harassed while the government delays enforcing a new law.
Charli Keely said she was just 18 years old and on her way to a lecture during the terrifying experience. She recalled running back to her home to change her clothes because of how “unsafe” the men made her feel.
Thursday marked two years since the public sexual harassment act became law – yet, according to the activists who campaigned for the bill, it remains unenforced due to delayed guidance from the government.
During the two years since the act was passed, new data analysis revealed that almost 1.5 million young women aged 16 to 24 have faced harassment. Meanwhile, half of girls say public sexual harassment has become worse over this time, rising to 57 per cent among those aged 18 to 21.
Charity Plan International UK and grassroots organisation Our Streets Now are urging the government to publish statutory guidance immediately, as well as introduce preventative education to tackle attitudes that fuel harassment, warning that “until this happens, women and girls across the UK are being failed”.
Opening up about the time she was harassed, Ms Keely said: “I was 18, on my way to a lecture, when a group of men told me I looked ‘rapeable’. I felt so unsafe, I went back inside and changed clothes – I ended up missing half my lecture.”
One in four young women aged 16 to 24 reported experiencing sexual harassment in the year ending March 2023, according to the latest Crime Survey for England and Wales.
It has been estimated this means as many as 1.5 million young women have been harassed since the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act was passed in September 2023, taking into account Office for National Statistics population figures.
Almost all girls say they take precautions to feel safer in public – including avoiding eye contact, sticking to well-lit routes, or turning on location tracking – according to the poll of 1,000 UK young women aged 14 to 21 conducted for Plan International UK this month.
Harassment also disproportionately affects marginalised groups, such as disabled women and LGBTQ+ people.
Ms Keely, who now works as head of policy and campaigns at Our Streets Now, said: “The Protection from Sex Based Harassment in Public Act commencing is just one step in a journey toward ending public sexual harassment. We know the law alone is not enough – this must be coupled with preventative work through education and policy to ensure that everyone feels safe in public space.”
Kathleen Spencer Chapman, director of influencing and external Affairs at Plan International UK, said: “Girls and young women have been calling for action on public sexual harassment for years.
“Finally publishing this guidance would send an important message that the government recognises and cares about the toll of harassment on the wellbeing and safety of women and girls. That means implementing this act, ensuring police and courts can address harassment effectively, and tackling misogyny early in our schools. Until this happens, women and girls across the UK are being failed.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Violence against women and girls is a national emergency and we are determined to halve these crimes in a decade. Public sexual harassment is abhorrent and can leave women feeling unsafe to walk the streets in their own neighbourhoods.
“We will commence the legislation in due course. We will be working with the police to help make sure it can be enforced robustly.”
