Government failing to stop ‘routine and relentless’ sexual harassment of women and girls in public places, MPs warn

The government is failing to tackle harassment of women and girls in public places despite the problem being "routine and sometimes relentless", a damning report by a committee of MPs has warned.

Ministers have committed to tackling harassment overseas but are not doing enough to address the problem at home, the Commons women and equalities committee said.

It demanded “urgent” action to tackle sexual harassment, which it said was “ingrained” in British culture. This should include tougher action on pornography and against people taking sexual photos of women, it said.

The cross-party MPs warned that, while the government has signed up to international goals that include a pledge to eliminate sexual harassment by 2030, “there is no evidence of any programme to achieve this” in the UK.

Instead, they said, the government's "foot appears to be almost entirely off the pedal" when it came to tackling harassment, with ministers risking giving the impression that they consider the issue "too trivial to address".

The warning follows a nine-month inquiry by the committee into sexual harassment of women and girls in public places.

It found evidence of “relentless” harassment of females on public transport, in bars and clubs, at universities, in parks, on the street and online.

MPs warned that harassment of women had become “normalised” and demanded the government take a series of steps to tackle it.

This should include a new law to ban the creation and distribution of sexual images taken without the person’s consent, they said.

At the same time, the government should seek evidence on the dangers of pornography, which the committee said should be treated as a public health issue like road safety and smoking, and launch a long-term programme of public campaigns to change attitudes towards women.

Train operators and universities should be forced to have clear policies on tackling sexual harassment, and viewing pornography on buses should be banned, the MPs suggested.

The women and equalities committee has already published reports on sexual harassment in schools and in the workplace.

Commenting on its latest inquiry, former culture secretary Maria Miller, who chairs the committee, said: “Sexual harassment in public places is a regular experience for many women and girls in the street, in bars and clubs, on buses and trains, at university and online. It is the most common form of violence against women and girls and the damage is far-reaching. And yet most of it goes unreported.

“It can make women and girls scared and stressed, avoid certain routes home at night or certain train carriages, wear headphones while out running; women feel the onus is put on them to avoid ‘risky’ situations.

"It is not acceptable that women have to change their behaviour to avoid sexual harassment. It has a wider effect on society, contributing to a culture in which sexual violence can be normalised or excused. All of this keeps women and girls unequal."

Surveys suggest that 64 per cent of women, including 85 per cent of 18-24-year-olds, have suffered unwanted sexual attention in public places, including 35 per cent who said they had experienced unwanted touching.

More than 60 per cent of girls and young women say they do not feel safe walking home.

Ms Miller said:“The #MeToo movement shows that we must confront some deeply uncomfortable truths about our society and the attitudes some men hold. Laws alone cannot solve the cultural acceptability of sexual harassment.

"That is why we have set out a series of practical measures that government, public transport operators, local authorities and universities should implement immediately. Public places must be made safe for all women and girls.”

The committee called it "astonishing" that the issue of sexual harassment is “almost entirely absent” from the government’s strategy for tackling violence against women and girls.

In its report, it said: “The UK government has a strong reputation for taking seriously the prevention of sexual abuse and violence overseas, but the domestic Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy does not reflect the same focus at home in relation to sexual harassment."

The committee welcomed new laws on problems such as upskirting and revenge porn, but said ministers were "too often racing to catch up with these developments".

It also criticised the lack of data on sexual harassment and said current laws “send inconsistent messages”

For example, the committee said, there is a proven link between pornography and "sexist attitudes and sexually aggressive behaviours, including violence". It questioned why the government restricts access to offline pornography but has no plans to restrict adult men's use of online pornography.

The report said: "Sexual harassment is never acceptable, and women and girls should not be expected to endure it. It should matter to us that women and girls are respected, not forced to change the way they live to avoid daily sexual harassment and abuse.

"As with any social harm, prevention of sexual harassment should be the government’s aim. In order to do this, it is necessary to understand why it happens and this may involve confronting deeply uncomfortable truths about British society and the attitudes some men hold towards women."

The committee welcomed changes that will force schools to teach relationships education as part of a government promise to eradicate sexual harassment by 2030, but added: "More widely than this, it is not clear to us what other specific actions the government is taking to meet its objective.

"Opportunities to embed a preventative approach, for example through media regulation, public awareness campaigns and crime and licensing policy, are being missed."

The government has been contacted for comment.