Press & media

"EXCLUSIVE: Chilling TikTok on 'impossible reality' of being a woman sparks calls for national TV ad"

A powerful video exposing the "impossible reality" of being a woman has gone viral, sparking urgent calls for it to be broadcast as a national TV advert.

Having already clocked up over 3 million views on TikTok, the footage lays bare the exhausting daily measures women take just to avoid harassment.

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"This should be an advert on national television," one viewer insisted, while another asked the question on everyone’s lips: "You never hear: ‘Why can’t men have more self-control?’"

"A man filmed me in public without consent – and just laughed and said 'it's legal' when confronted"

“The worst part is the feeling of powerlessness: you know something violating is happening, but you also know that simply filming or photographing someone in public isn’t treated as a clear offence. Amy Watson, founder of HASSL, an organisation dedicated to tackling the root causes of harassment and violence against women, tells Cosmopolitan UK. “That legal grey area is exactly why this behaviour thrives.”

"Sarah Everard five years on: Do women really feel safer?"

Amy Watson, the founder of HASSL, an independent, UK-based, social enterprise aimed at tackling violence against women and girls globally, said: “I don’t think anywhere near enough has been done. I think historically, which is one of the reasons I started HASSL, we’ve just been obsessed with plastering over the problem and getting women to navigate violence. We’re all about redirecting the responsibility for safety away from women as individuals and onto society as a whole, especially by inviting men to be part of the conversation and the solution."

"HASSL Launches Women’s Safety Platform with Focus on Systemic Solutions"

“...Through a combination of training, awareness-raising products, resources and our unique tech tool aimed at increasing reporting and conviction rates, we’re building a collection of solutions that put the responsibility where it belongson society as a whole. Women shouldn’t have to bear this burden alone,” said Amy Watson, Founder of HASSL.

"Does technology have the power to prevent VAWG?"

'...or new platform HASSL, which aims to address the root causes of street harassment by improving reporting mechanisms and providing victims with a supportive community, practical tools and recovery resources, it’s clear that many believe these technological innovations could play a key role in women feeling safer on the streets.'

Number Nine Events: Interview with Amy Watson

Amy Watson is the founder of HASSL [...] a rapidly growing global movement to tackle harassment, combining tech tools, training, and community initiatives.
[...] "It's about tackling the root – improving the system that fails so many, so people feel there’s somewhere they can go to and trust and there is a deterrent to perpetrators with increasing reporting and conviction rates."

"From Fear to Framework: How HASSL Is Tackling Harassment at the Root"

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'...Amy has channelled her experience into founding HASSL - a social enterprise reframing harassment as a societal issue, not a woman’s burden. Under her leadership, HASSL has evolved into a platform that provides resources, training, and a global platform for action, with one goal: to move us beyond survival tactics and toward lasting, systemic change.