Teenagers in Harrogate call for more to be done to stop street harassment
Harrogate Youth Council want to set up an awareness campaign
We're hearing from teenagers in Harrogate who say more needs to be done to stop them being sexually harassed on the way to and from school.
16 year old Lulu is part of Harrogate Youth Council who want to set up an awareness campaign.
She says too many young people don't feel safe - especially on public transport: "There is a lot of victim blaming culture, where it's well what are you doing out at that time, why were you wearing this, but if someone is as innocent as going to school, and it happens to a lot of people, that is a real issue."
"Adult don't realise how upsetting it can be"
"It sticks with you, harassment, and it's awful that is does, and that the perpetrator sort of gets off with it, while you are stuck with it."
"Even walking to and from school you face cat calling or people honking their horns in the car, it's not even when it's dark necessarily, it's at 8am and 3pm, it's not at ridiculous hours, and you are wearing school uniform."
"If it's dark and I've taken an extra curricular somewhere, I'll make sure my Mum can come and pick me up in the car somewhere if she is available, because do I really want to be walking somewhere in the dark."
The Government says that many buses do have CCTV, but Lulu says that isn't widely known amongst young people: "If the Government is taking on things such as harassment it needs to be made known in schools or to young people, because if you are not aware of the CCTV or the ways to report it, it's not as useful as it could be."