A new poster campaign is launching in London highlighting various forms of unwanted sexual behaviour that can take place on public transport, sending a message that sexual harassment will not be tolerated.
Sexual harassment is a form of violence, most often directed against women and girls in public places and the campaign is one element of TfL’s work to ensure everyone can travel with confidence.
The behaviours are being highlighted by the campaign:
- Cat Calling – Making unsolicited remarks of a sexual nature about someone
- Exposing – Revealing intimate body parts
- Cyber-flashing – Sending or showing sexual content without consent
- Pressing – Rubbing against someone on purpose
- Touching- Touching someone inappropriately
- Staring – Intrusive staring of a sexual nature
- Upskirting – Taking photos under someone’s clothing
By raising awareness of these issues, TfL says that it hopes to encourage Londoners to look out for and support each other, and to engage bystanders to speak up so that perpetrators can be held accountable for their actions.
Sexual harassment does not only affect those who are directly targeted – it can affect how safe all women and girls feel when travelling. A Centre for London survey from 2019 found that women were nearly twice as likely as men to mention personal safety as a barrier to walking and using public transport. Research also shows that nearly half of those who experience sexual harassment do not tell anyone.
The campaign encourages customers and staff who experience or witness harassing behaviour to report it.
Other measures to keep everyone safe on the network include more than 2,500 police and police community support officers and 500 TfL enforcement officers patrolling the network.
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