1 in 4 women in Surrey experienced harassment in last 12 months
1 in 5 men have also experienced it
A recent survey has revealed that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 5 men have experienced street harassment in Surrey in the last 12 months.
The representative survey, conducted by YouGov, also found that 47% of all five hundred respondents were not confident in stepping in if they witnessed street harassment.
Earlier this year a new strategy was launched by partners across Surrey to boost collective efforts to end Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Surrey.
As part of this commitment to keep women and girls safe, a preventative street harassment campaign has launched in Surrey.
The campaign will take it’s messaging and share digital assets from The Home Office ‘Enough’ campaign that highlights different forms of violence against women and girls and the simple acts that anyone can take to challenge perpetrators of abuse.
The Surrey activity will look to build confidence amongst residents that they can action take if they ever witness harassment (if it’s safe to do so).
The campaign highlights four ways residents can intervene safely, aligning with the acronym ‘STOP’:
Say Something:
You can show your disapproval at what is going on by, for example, not laughing and saying, ‘I don’t think that’s funny’. Or you could be more direct, if you feel it’s safe to do so, by saying it’s unacceptable and tell them to stop.
Tell someone:
You could tell someone in charge, like the bar staff if you’re in a pub or club, Human Resources (HR) if you’re at work, or the train guard or bus driver if you’re on public transport.
Offer to help:
You can ask the victim if they’re OK. You could capture what’s happening on your phone and ask if they want the footage to report the incident, and you could offer to help report it. You could also help others already giving support.
Provide a distraction:
Sometimes what’s best in the moment is creating a distraction, giving the person being targeted a chance to move away or giving others the opportunity to get help. You could strike up conversation with the victim, e.g. ask for directions, or where the next stop is on the bus, or pretend you know them.
The campaign also aims to raise awareness of how men can be encouraged to challenge the behaviour of their peers/friends/families and colleagues in order to advocate and support woman and girls.
Additionally, Surrey residents are being offered free online bystander anti-harassment training delivered by The Suzy Lamplugh Foundation focused on empowering people to know what to do if they witness harassment.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities Surrey County Council, Denise Turner-Stewart, said:
“Ensuring women and girls feel safe and are safe in Surrey’s communities is our shared responsibility. No one should live in fear of harassment in their daily lives.
"We recognise that street harassment underpins a culture that leads to violence against women and girls, this stops now.
"We must work together and act to disrupt harmful behaviour and support those impacted, on our streets, in our workplaces, and our everyday lives.
"When we stand together, our message becomes stronger, it’s time to ‘STOP’.”