London, May 26 (ANI): Two in five young women in London have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces in the last year, it has been revealed.
41 percent of women aged 18 to 34 said they had encountered unwanted contact or attention in the capital, such as wolf-whistling, sexual comments, staring or exposure, according to a YouGov poll.
Campaigners have called for more research into the problem, which they say leaves women across the country feeling threatened and uncomfortable.
The research compiled by the End Violence Against Women Coalition found that 21 percent of women of all ages had experienced unwanted sexual attention and 4 percent of all women had been subjected to unwanted sexual touching.
The survey also asked female Londoners about their experiences while on public transport, and found 31 percent of women aged 18 to 24 received unwanted sexual attention.
14 percent of women of all ages said they encountered unwanted sexual attention, while one in 20 experienced unwanted sexual touching.
Some claimed they had been harassed while onlookers did nothing to help them.
The coalition commissioned the survey to highlight the everyday impact of sexual harassment and how it makes women feel unsafe.
It said 45,000 incidents of domestic violence and 3,000 rapes were reported to police in London last year.
"In order to address this, local councils and the police need to convey a strong message that this behaviour will not be tolerated by perpetrators," the Daily Mail quoted Vicky Simister, a victim of sexual harassment, as saying.
"It is important to note that this is not a London-only problem, and a national survey needs to happen to understand the extent of the problem.
"We hope that London can lead the way in addressing this issue - particularly in light of the impending Olympics and international perceptions of our nations attitude to women's safety," she said.
Simister decided to set up her campaign group after she was attacked by a group of men at Manor House underground station in north London.
"Our survey shows that sexual harassment in London is extremely common," Coalition co-chairman Liz Kelly said.
"Some survey respondents also said that this behaviour makes them feel uncomfortable and unsafe and makes them change their behaviour and decisions about when and where to travel.
"Despite this high prevalence and impact however, public sexual harassment is a form of abuse which generally goes unchallenged, creating an unsafe and unequal environment for women.
"We need investment in public campaigns on transport and elsewhere saying this behaviour is unacceptable, and training for transport staff and police about how to respond to it," Kelly added.
Women who responded to the survey described having to change carriage or leave a stop early after experiencing harassment on the train or tube, while others said they avoided sitting on the top decks of buses. (ANI)
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