A friend in her 20s recently expressed her relief at the diminishing levels of street harassment she faced. What she didn’t realise was that this reduction wasn’t because of changing societal values, but the product of her looking older, and appearing less vulnerable to perpetrators.
Unwanted sexual attention, advances and intimidation in public spaces, referred to by our anti-harassment campaign as public sexual harassment (PSH) is frequently targeted at underage girls. According to Plan UK, 35 per cent of girls have experienced street harassment while in school uniform, and one in eight of these had their first experience before turning 12.
So, why do we experience less street harassment when we look older? I firmly believe it is because PSH is about power and control, making young girls an easier target.
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