‘Report It To Stop It’ Campaign Aims To Stop Sexual Harassment On London’s Tube [Video]
According to the new “Report it to stop it” campaign, which has been launched in the U.K., 10 percent of passengers experience unwanted sexual behavior or harassment while traveling on the public transport in London. It states further that only 1 in 10 victims will actually bother to report it.
The campaign is aimed largely at women between the ages of 16 and 35, those most likely to be targeted by unwanted sexual harassment, and the video shows the different levels of this harassment.
The video is just one part of the “Report it to stop it” campaign, which hopes to encourage more women to report the harassment that should then hopefully become a deterrent to those who initiate it.
A video has been released by the British Transport Police (BTP) titled “Report it to stop it” and shows one woman’s journey on the Tube and the escalating incidents of unwanted sexual attention she suffers during the journey. As the video progresses, watchers are asked at which stage they would report this unwanted attention.
‘Report it to stop it’ Campaign to eliminate unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport http://t.co/iNXB4yGwWG pic.twitter.com/DDZbjLVkZH
— Redbridge NHW (@RedbridgeNHW) April 13, 2015
Initially, a man stares at a woman on the station platform before they even get onto the train. From there, the harassment quickly increases to include touching, groping, and ffull-scalegroin rubbing.
At the next stop, the woman, who is obviously frightened by this unwanted attention, rushes to the nearest exit and gets off the train.
According to BTP, victims of this type of incident do not have to prove the behavior they suffered was a criminal offense or whether it was actually intentional. As part of the “Report it to stop it” campaign, police stress they will take the report seriously and investigate on behalf of the victim.
According to Mark Newton, Assistant Chief Constable of British Transport Police, “Everyone has the right to travel on the transport network safely and we will not tolerate any unwanted sexual behavior.” He continued saying they want the traveling public to feel confident and safe and stressed they will take every sexual incident report seriously.
“By working with our partners we want people to feel encouraged to report unwanted sexual behavior, and we will do everything we can to find those responsible.”
According to the Mirror Online and speaking of the various unwanted sexual behavior involved, BTP says basically that this is “anything that makes you feel uncomfortable” and among other things this can include groping, leering, rubbing, sexual comments, indecent acts, and even someone taking photos of a person without their consent.
According to BTP, reports can be made by text or phone and cards with details will also be available at stations. They state they have thousands of officers trained to deal with these situations. Officials will take the victim’s information and use it in conjunction with CCTV and witness accounts to track down and identify those responsible.
@tfacafrica Fantastic to see, there'll be plenty more Report It To Stop It cards just like those coming to stations across London.
— British Transport Police (@BTP) April 13, 2015
While the “Report it to stop it” campaign only relates to the United Kingdom, this kind of unwanted attention obviously happens elsewhere in the world. If any of you readers have experienced something of this nature, would you consider reporting it to your local transport police? Let us know below.
In other news of sexual harassment, the Inquisitr reported on the story of the woman who was fired for resisting the unwanted sexual advances of her boss but managed to get a $700,000 payback as a result.
