97% of young women in the UK have been sexually harassed

According to the survey from UN Women UK, 97% of women aged 18-24, said they had been sexually harassed, while 80% of women of all ages said they had experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. In other words, almost all young women in the UK have been subjected to sexual harassment.

The Guardian broke the news with their exclusive coverage of the YouGov survey. The report suggests a lack of faith in the UK authorities’ desire and ability to deal with sexual harassment – 96% of respondents did not report incidents, with 45% saying it would not change anything. Among those who said the event was not serious enough to report were women who had been groped, followed and coerced into sexual activity, said UN Women UK.

As part of the UN Women UK’s Safe Spaces Now project, the organisation collected stories from 400 women and sent an open letter to leaders, calling for better designed public spaces, improved reporting systems and education.

In yet another research by TUC/Everyday Sexism it was found that 52% of women had experienced sexual harassment at work, and of the one in five who had reported it, three-quarters said nothing had changed, while 16% said they were treated worse as a result.

Talking about how this is a grave situation that is worsening with every passing day Claire Barnett, executive director of UN Women UK while addressing the situation said, “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.”

She added that while the UK often perceives itself as “a leading light in terms of progress”, gender-based violence continues to happen to women and marginalised groups every day.