Written submission from Nottinghamshire Sexual Violence Support Services (SPP0084)

Executive Summary of this Submission:

 

Nottinghamshire Sexual Violence Support Services (formerly Nottinghamshire Rape Crisis Centre) have been supporting survivors of sexual violence in Nottinghamshire for nearly 40 years.  We provide a range of services including a counselling helpline, face-to-face counselling, Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) Services and support for survivors of institutional child sex abuse.  Our services are available, free of charge, to anyone aged 13+.

 

We work with other organisations to challenge myths around sexual violence and to raise awareness on this issue.  We are submitting evidence, as we believe that the myths and attitudes which enable sexual harassment to occur in public places are the same as those which are used to excuse and minimise sexual violence and rape.  By challenging this, we hope it will also have a positive impact on reducing sexual violence as a whole.

 

The scale and impact of sexual harassment of women in public places

  1. According to the YouGov survey, 85% of women aged 18-24 experience sexual harassment.  We understand that, like other serious sexual offences, the majority of sexual harassment is experienced by women, with the perpetrators mostly being men and that it is a gendered crime.

 

  1. The impact of sexual harassment on women and girls can be immense.  It is a hostile and degrading act and undermines a female’s agency over her own body.  It can make women feel vulnerable in their day-to-day lives, affecting their choices over what they wear, where they walk and at what time they are able to go out. 

 

  1. Where sexual harassment has involved sexual assault, for example unwanted touching, this can leave a woman feeling especially vulnerable.  Women might experience flashbacks or symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, it could affect their relationships and/or trust of men.  They might suffer from anxiety or depression, they may need counselling or might have to take time off work, impacting on a victim/survivor financially as well.

 

  1. Bystanders can also feel affected because they don’t know what to do.  They may feel unable to stop something from happening because they don’t want to get in a fight, they may feel complicit in the act itself.

 

  1. Because sexual harassment is so widespread, it can affect relationships between men and women generally as well as expectations in intimate relationships.  Because of the generalised and endemic nature of sexual harassment, it is probably not possible to judge the full impact on how it affects a woman’s life.  Broadly, its prevalence is suggesting that women are subservient to men and it demonstrates to men and boys how they can behave, or at least what they can get away with.  It undermines the notion of gender equality.

 

Why does sexual harassment of women and girls in public places happen?

  1. As such a high proportion of women and girls experience sexual harassment, this demonstrates that the issue and the beliefs that allow this to happen are endemic in society and is something which children and young people are routinely growing up with.  A recent report by the National Education Union and UK Feminista found that:

 

The same report, also stated that:

 

  1. We feel that the gender stereotyping of girls/women helps to create a background, which allows or excuses the sexualisation and sexual harassment of women.  This does not only happen in schools, but can also be upheld by schools.  For example, a five-year-old boy stated that ‘girls can’t be super-heroes’ because his certificate had a super-hero on, whilst the girls’ certificates featured Bang on the Door girls characters in short skirts.  In secondary school, it has been reported to us that a teacher showed his class how to write BOOBIES using numbers on their calculator, ridiculing the girls for the women they would become.

 

  1. This behaviour and stereotyping can also be seen in wider society, for example in the media, with page 3 girls and how women’s interest magazines are typically focussed on home-making and beauty, while men’s are focussed more on physical fitness.  Myths around sexual violence and harassment are regularly upheld by the media, with the acts of sexual harassment or sexual violence being minimised.  We have seen a man described as ‘having sex with a 12 year old’2 suggesting that the girl is in some way complicit with what has happened, when in actual fact it is statutory rape.  In society it is reported that ‘a third of people believe women who flirt are partially responsible for being raped‘ (Amnesty, 2005).

 

  1. We also witness the sexual harassment happening to and excused by those involved in the law making of our society.  It was recently reported that half of female MPs are personally aware of sexual harassment or abuse happening in Parliament3.  Judges have also been seen to suggest that women should change the way they behave to protect themselves from men4.  This continuous public blaming of women for how they are treated by men, makes it much more difficult for them to report incidents of rape and sexual assault to the police, let alone incidents of sexual harassment and everyday misogyny.

 

  1. As a recent survey suggests that two thirds of students experienced sexual assault or harassment at university5 we believe that the issues around what is and is not a healthy relationship and how people are expected to behave around one another, needs to be discussed with children in both primary and secondary schools.  As some teachers find it to talk on this subject and some pupils do not feel able to talk openly or ask questions with teachers on these issues, this training should be provided by trained professionals6, supported further by teachers in PHSE.

 

Preventing and responding to sexual harassment of women and girls in public spaces

  1. As stated above, we believe that children and young people need to be educated early on as to appropriate behaviour in society, both generally and in relationships, through a school setting.  Thought should also be given on how to empower children and young people to disclose or seek help, should they experience an attack.

 

  1. The way in which an area is policed can have a huge impact on how aware people about what is acceptable behaviour and how confident they are in reporting sexual harassment in public spaces.  Nottinghamshire Police became the first force in the country to class Misogyny as a hate crime.  Reports under this heading have matched initial reporting numbers to other hate crimes (with the exception of racism) and have reportedly helped women feel more able to understand laws around harassment and enabled them to report incidents accordingly.  This has been done without a change to existing laws whilst, at the same time, making women aware of what is there to protect them.  This change has allowed for a general conversation to take place across our local area, with additional billboard information furthering this. 

 

  1. As police forces have seen the early effects of such hate crime logging, some have also decided to categorise misogyny as a hate crime.  As we are aware of the huge numbers of women and girls who experience sexual harassment, we believe the onus is on the government to ensure that all police forces categorise misogyny in this way.

 

  1. There have been many examples in previous years of police poster campaigns telling women ‘to let your hair down, not your guard’ or that alcohol is involved in one third of rape cases.  These send out victim-blaming messages to the public, clouding people’s understanding over whether they have been harassed or attacked, whilst putting shame on the victim/survivor making them less likely to report.  In Nottingham, our police force meets with local domestic and sexual violence charities, their commissioners and universities to ensure that information put out by the police is correct and in line with awareness of these issues.  We believe that all campaigns by police and government organisations should be worked upon in partnership with local and national sexual and domestic violence organisations.

 

  1. More can be done to help women and girls who have experienced sexual harassment, by providing them with safe spaces to go and seek support or report.  This can be done by training staff in pubs and clubs and other venues so that they can recognise behaviour and act accordingly, whilst protecting the victim/survivor.  Street Pastors are an important feature in Nottingham, as they are ideally placed to support those who are most vulnerable.  Government legislation should be made to ensure that all pubs and clubs can respond appropriately to sexual harassment and funding should be made available to ensure Street Pastors are available in all major towns and cities.

 

  1. Public transport operators and taxi drivers should undergo training to help ensure the safety of and respond appropriately to their passengers with regards to sexual harassment.  Taxis and public transport should be regulated so that they all have CCTV to protect vulnerable passengers.

 

  1. We are aware that some universities have applied for funding to help them better educate and support their students around consent, sexual harassment and sexual violence/rape.  It is wrong that some universities are putting in a lot of work around this, while others appear to be doing very little.  There should be a minimum standard that all universities should meet in respect of this, to include trained support staff, consent being a mandatory subject in the first year, information in fresher’s packs and adequate referral mechanisms in place.  Our two universities in Nottingham have worked innovatively in this area, including hosting SARC outreach sessions and having a whole week of awareness raising as part of Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week.

 

  1. Both the immediate and ongoing support of people who have experienced sexual harassment is key to minimising the longer-term impact on those affected.  It is proven that people who receive support for the first few weeks after an assault are less likely to experience PTSD and other complications.  With the average rape costing an estimated £76,000, due to the emotional and physical impact on survivors, lost economic output due to convalescence, treatment costs to health and support services and costs incurred in the criminal justice system, it is vitally important that services supporting victims and survivors of sexual assault receive adequate funding to enable them to offer support when a person needs it.  It is also imperative that the government works with charities, local government and other organisations to ensure that misogyny and the stereotyping of women and girls are challenged throughout society, so that sexual harassment is no longer accepted as the norm.

 

March 2018

 

References

1: https://www.teachers.org.uk/sites/default/files2014/ije-booklet_one-page-version_07.12.17.pdf

2: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/paedophile-jailed-20-years-after-14044307    

3: https://www.youngwomenstrust.org/what_we_do/media_centre/press_releases/747_half_of_women_mps_know_of_sexual_harassment_in_parliament

4: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-39233617

5: http://www.itv.com/news/2018-03-01/shocking-scale-of-sexual-violence-at-universities-exposed/

6: https://www.equation.org.uk/young-people/