Standing up against street harassment

Over the last few months, TfL has confirmed that the number of young women (aged 10 to 19) reporting sexual harassment and assault on London's transport network has increased 33% from 2022 to 2023. 

Whilst it's good that more people are reporting harassment when it happens, it's troubling to see how prevalent it still is – and we need to talk about it. 

Statistically speaking, most women in the UK report experiencing sexual harassment on the street at some point in their lives, with prevalence rising in younger age groups and many women reporting their first street harassment experience was before the age of 16.

In Waltham Forest sexual harassment is still taking place on our streets. That's why we launched the Safe Streets app a couple of years ago, to enable residents to let our Violence Against Women and Girls team know if they experience or witness harassment. The app enables you to record audio and pictures, connect directly to the police, access victim support from the Council, or stay completely anonymous and just let us know about the incident. 

This year we want to send a strong message that there is no room for harassment of any kind in our borough, and we want resident voices to be front and centre. 

Ahead of a new anti-harassment campaign we want to launch this year, the Council is asking residents (and particularly women and girls) to let us know, anonymously, about your experiences of harassment through a survey. We will then use quotes from your responses in a public art campaign designed by a local artist.

We really want to hear from as many people as possible so please help us spread the word and share the survey with your friends and family. We won't ask for your name or any identifying information.