I never thought it would happen to me… except 1 in 10.

 

Content Warning: This article contains personal accounts of sexual harassment. Please take care while reading. Support resources are available at the end of this article.

You hear horror stories of what happens if you walk alone in the dark as a woman, and get told to keep your keys between your fingers, the rape alarm within reach. To pretend you’re on the phone, or actually be on the phone. To share your location with at least a couple of your friends and family. To be careful on what you wear going out otherwise you’re asking for it, and that if you do get catcalled then what else did you expect, and even worse if you’re sexually assaulted or raped, “Well what were you wearing?”. If you do get followed home and you live in flats, don’t turn your lights on for at least half an hour. God forbid if you live in a house and they were able to spot the exact house you went into. We are told all these things and yet we’re the ones still blamed if something happens, as if we should have to do any of this.

So I think we should talk about how often this happens. As of 2023, statistics from England and Wales showed that 1 in 10 individuals experienced at least one form of harassment in the last 12 months (Office for National Statistics, 2023). With 13% of women and 7% of men experiencing this (Office for National Statistics, 2023). 

Whilst these percentages don’t seem high, this was only 6 months of data with a lower sample. 

Yet 2022 studies looking into experiences of street harassment shows that 1 in 2 women aged 16 to 34 years old have experienced at least one form of harassment (Office for National Statistics, 2022 & Government UK, 2022). 

So what is Harassment?

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published the definition of Harassment based on the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Which states that Harassment is when an individual causes alarm or distress and/or putting a person in fear of violence, either in person or through other means of communication (HMICFRS, 2021). 

Within the word harassment I feel like there are two commonly known terms, sexual harassment and street harassment. Neighbourhood watch (2024) states that some of the unwanted behaviours within this term include, “unsolicited sexualised or offensive comments or gestures, unwanted whistling or honking, so-called 'catcalling’, indecent exposure, stalking or being followed, intrusive staring, persistent sexual advances, unwanted touching, being insulted or shouted at, and feeling physically threatened”. 

Rape Crisis England and Wales defines sexual harassment as, “any unwanted sexual behaviour that makes someone feel upset, scared, offended or humiliated, or is meant to make them feel that way”. So now knowing the exact definitions and the statistics, think for a second how often this happens and the women who have to deal with the daily fear of it happening to them. 

My university experience

Now don’t get me wrong I experienced street and sexual harassment before the age of 20, but the scariest experience I had was whilst I was at university. I had only a couple months prior turned 20 and a friend and I did a study session in the university library, in what we believed was one of the safest cities in the UK (The Press, 2023). We quickly learnt that evening that it in fact wasn’t as safe as we believed, because on the way home we were followed by a group of men. When it’s dark, 10pm in the evening, and two women are being followed home and getting shouted and jeered at, it gets scary quickly. I dialled 999, but didn’t ring it as something held me back, I just held it up to my ear and pretended I was talking to someone. Whether I was held back by believing ringing 999 wouldn’t help or wasn’t the right thing to do, I have no idea. 

So the two of us quickly walked home until we hit the corner of the street we lived on, we checked behind us to see how far away they were and then we ran the whole way home. We made sure that the door of the flat building closed properly behind us, before making our way to our respective flats shaking. Yet before we said goodbye to each other, we went through any last minute things we needed to do to keep each other safe. “Remember don’t turn the lights on, close your curtains otherwise torch lights might show, don’t show your face near the window, and do you have the university security number?”. 

All of this because we chose to study in the library a bit later than usual. All of this because some individuals think it’s okay to follow women home, shout at them, make them as uncomfortable and as scared as they possibly can. This is why HASSL is important, harassment should not be this normalised. There needs to be more education and higher punishments for those who do engage in these types of behaviours. 

It Stops With Us. 

  

References:

GOV.UK (2022). Public sexual harassment consultation. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-an-offence-of-public-sexual-harassment/public-sexual-harassment-consultation (Accessed: 13th May, 2025).

HMICFRS (2021). Harassment. Available at: https://hmicfrs.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/glossary/harassment/ (Accessed: 13th May, 2025).

Neighbourhood Watch (2024). Understanding street harassment. Available at: https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/streetharassment/understanding (Accessed: 15th May, 2025). 

Office for National Statistics (2023). Experiences of harassment in England and Wales: December 2023. Available at: 

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/experiencesofharassmentinenglandandwales/december2023#strengths-and-limitations (Accessed: 13th May, 2025).

Office for National Statistics (2022). Perceptions of personal safety and experiences of harassment, Great Britain: 16 February to 13 March 2022. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/perceptionsofpersonalsafetyandexperiencesofharassmentgreatbritain/16februaryto13march2022 (Accessed: 13th May, 2025)

Rape Crisis England & Wales (no date). What is sexual harassment?. Available at: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-informed/types-of-sexual-violence/what-is-sexual-harassment/ (Accessed: 15th May, 2025).

The Press (2023). York ranked as safest place to live in the UK. Available at: https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23695246.york-ranked-safest-place-live-uk/ (Accessed: 13th May, 2025).

Support Resources: If you’ve been affected by any of the experiences mentioned in this article, you are not alone. Support is available:

• RAINN: Offers confidential support, crisis intervention and information
• National Sexual Assault Helpline (UK) : Provides free, confidential support for survivors
• The Survivors Trust: Network of specialist sexual violence support services
• 1in6 : Support and resources for male survivors
  

If you’re in immediate danger, please contact local emergency services or a crisis line in your area.

 

By Savannah Ffoulkes, Student, United Kingdom

 

 

Disclaimer:

This article has been written by a HASSL Ambassador as part of our community content initiative. While all ambassador contributions are reviewed for clarity, tone, and alignment with our values before publication, the views expressed are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect the views or official position of HASSL.

These articles are intended to amplify personal perspectives, lived experiences, and knowledge from our wider community. They are not authored by the HASSL team, and HASSL does not claim ownership over the content.

Please note that the information provided is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It should not be taken as professional, medical, or legal advice. If you require support or guidance in any of these areas, we strongly recommend consulting a qualified professional.