Street Harassment

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM proposed, Hina Bokhari AM seconded, the following amended motion: 

“This Assembly is committed to making our city a safer place for everyone.  This Assembly notes:

• Public sexual harassment is the most common form of violence against women and girls, restricting their freedom of movement and expression;
• That in surveys two-thirds of women and girls report they have faced street harassment in the UK;
• That street harassment in the UK is not covered by any specific offence, unlike in Portugal, Belgium and France; – That stopping street harassment would be a powerful step in tackling inequality and keeping women safe; and
• The excellent work of Our Streets Now, and their petition which has attracted over 460,000 signatures to make street harassment a specific crime.

This Assembly recognises:

• That we must work to create an environment where street harassment is seen and policed as a crime, and where women and girls feel safe on our streets;
• That anyone who is harassed must be able to feel confident that their report will be treated with the respect, care and seriousness that is required; and
• That changing the law, and education for our young people, are key planks in combating street harassment, establishing safer streets, and delivering equality.

This Assembly calls on the Mayor to:

• Promote and sign the Our Streets Now campaign to make street harassment a crime, and encourage Londoners to sign the petition through his extensive communication channels;
• Work with organisations and groups representing and supporting trans women and Black and minority ethnic women, who face higher levels of violence and harassment, to improve levels of reporting and to understand how they can better be supported;
• Write to the Home Secretary, asking her to make street harassment a specific crime; and
• Work with boroughs, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the Metropolitan Police (MPS) to ensure schools, academies and colleges in the city each develop a clear policy on tackling harassment and include education around public sexual harassment as part of their Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE).”

Following debate and upon being put to the vote, the motion was agreed unanimously.